English (United Kingdom)

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/featured_content/oa?rat=en

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/highlighted_journal/

Global: Zendy Plus annual

Presents the access of premium content as premium feature

Premium Content

Presents the keyphrase highlighting as premium feature

Keyphrase Highlighting

Presents the summarisation as premium feature

Summarisation

Insights

Presents the pdf analysis as premium feature

PDF Analysis

Presents the zaia usage as premium feature

ZAIA

Global: Zendy Plus monthly

Global: Zendy Tools annual

Global: Zendy Tools monthly

Global: Zendy Free Plan

Background  Dacts are multi-domain adaptor proteins. They have been implicated in Wnt and Tgfβ signaling and serve as a nodal point in regulating many cellular activities.  Dact  genes have so far only been identified in bony vertebrates. Also, the number of  Dact  genes in a given species, the number and roles of protein motifs and functional domains, and the overlap of gene expression domains are all not clear. To address these problems, we have taken an evolutionary approach, screening for  Dact  genes in the animal kingdom and establishing their phylogeny and the synteny of  Dact  loci. Furthermore, we performed a deep analysis of the various Dact protein motifs and compared the expression patterns of different  Dacts .    Results  Our study identified previously not recognized  dact  genes and showed that they evolved late in the deuterostome lineage. In gnathostomes, four  Dact  genes were generated by the two rounds of whole genome duplication in the vertebrate ancestor, with  Dact1/3  and  Dact2/4 , respectively, arising from the two genes generated during the first genome duplication. In actinopterygians, a further  dact4r  gene arose from retrotranscription. The third genome duplication in the teleost ancestor, and subsequent gene loss in most gnathostome lineages left extant species with a subset of  Dact  genes. The distribution of functional domains suggests that the ancestral Dact function lied with Wnt signaling, and a role in Tgfβ signaling may have emerged with the Dact2/4 ancestor. Motif reduction, in particular in Dact4, suggests that this protein may counteract the function of the other Dacts.  Dact  genes were expressed in both distinct and overlapping domains, suggesting possible combinatorial function.    Conclusions  The gnathostome  Dact  gene family comprises four members, derived from a chordate-specific ancestor. The ability to control Wnt signaling seems to be part of the ancestral repertoire of Dact functions, while the ability to inhibit Tgfβ signaling and to carry out specialized, ortholog-specific roles may have evolved later. The complement of  Dact  genes coexpressed in a tissue provides a complex way to fine-tune Wnt and Tgfβ signaling. Our work provides the basis for future structural and functional studies aimed at unraveling intracellular regulatory networks.

Dactgenes are chordate specific regulators at the intersection of Wnt and Tgf-β signaling pathways