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Multiple opioid receptor‐like genes are identified in diverse vertebrate phyla
Author(s) -
Li Xia,
Keith Duane E.,
Evans Christopher J.
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
febs letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.593
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1873-3468
pISSN - 0014-5793
DOI - 10.1016/s0014-5793(96)01126-x
Subject(s) - deuterostome , vertebrate , biology , receptor , gene , opioid receptor , phylum , gene family , evolutionary biology , genetics , opioid , genome
Polymerase chain reaction was used to determine whether opioid receptor‐like sequences are present in species from the protostome and deuterostome branches of the metazoan kingdom. Multiple opioid receptor‐like sequences were found in all vertebrates, but no specific fragments were obtained from any invertebrates. Delta, mu, kappa and ORL‐1 receptors were identified from bovine DNA, and three different opioid receptor‐like fragments were identified from the other vertebrates analyzed. The data suggest that the opioid receptor gene family has been highly conserved during vertebrate evolution and that, even in the primitive jawless fish, multiple members of the opioid receptor family appear to be present.