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Early Duplications of Opioid Receptor and Peptide Genes in Vertebrate Evolution
Author(s) -
Larhammar Dan,
Dreborg Susanne,
Larsson Tomas A.,
Sundström Görel
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
annals of the new york academy of sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.712
H-Index - 248
eISSN - 1749-6632
pISSN - 0077-8923
DOI - 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2008.03672.x
Subject(s) - nociceptin receptor , receptor , gene , vertebrate , nop , biology , opioid peptide , opioid , basal (medicine) , g protein coupled receptor , genetics , opioid receptor , gene family , endocrinology , genome , insulin
The opioid receptor family in mammals has four members called delta, kappa, mu, and NOP (the nociceptin/orphanin receptor). We show here that they arose from a common ancestral gene through quadruplication of a large chromosomal region, presumably in the two basal vertebrate tetraploidizations. The four opioid peptide precursor genes have a more complicated evolutionary history involving chromosomal rearrangements but nevertheless seem to have arisen in the same time period as the receptors. Thus the system of opioid peptides and receptors was already established approximately 450 Ma at the dawn of gnathostome evolution.