Title
The phylogenetic and evolutionary history of a novel alpha-globin-type gene in orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus)
Author(s)
Steiper M.E., Wolfe N.D., Karesh W.B., Kilbourn A.M., Bosi E.J., Ruvolo M.
Published
2006
Publisher
Infection, Genetics and Evolution
Abstract
The alpha-globin genes are implicated in human resistance to malaria, a disease caused by Plasmodium parasites. This study is the first to analyze DNA sequences from a novel alpha-globin-type gene in orangutans, a species affected by Plasmodium. Phylogenetic methods show that the gene is a duplication of an alpha-globin gene and is located 5' of alpha-2 globin. The alpha-globin-type gene is notable for having four amino acid replacements relative to the orangutan's alpha-1 and alpha-2 globin genes, with no synonymous differences. Pairwise Ka/Ks methods and likelihood ratio tests (LRTs) revealed that the evolutionary history of the alpha-globin-type gene has been marked by either neutral or positive evolution, but not purifying selection. A comparative analysis of the amino acid replacements of the alpha-globin-type gene with human hemoglobinopathies and hemoglobin structure showed that two of the four replaced sites are members of the same molecular bond, one that is crucial to the proper functioning of the hemoglobin molecule. This suggested an adaptive evolutionary change. Functionally, this locus may result in a thalassemia-like phenotype in orangutans, possibly as an adaptation to combat Plasmodium. © 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords
alpha 1 globin; alpha 2 globin; alpha globin; DNA; hemoglobin; unclassified drug; 5' untranslated region; amino acid substitution; antimalarial activity; article; chemical bond; comparative gene mapping; DNA sequence; gene duplication; gene locus; hemoglobinopathy; infection resistance; malaria; maximum likelihood method; molecular evolution; molecular phylogeny; nonhuman; nucleotide sequence; orang utan; phenotype; Plasmodium; polymerase chain reaction; population genetics; priority journal; protein structure; thalassemia; Amino Acid Sequence; Animals; Evolution, Molecular; Globins; Molecular Sequence Data; Phylogeny; Pongo pygmaeus; Plasmodium parasites; Pongo pygmaeus; Primates
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PUB10851