Genomic evidence of adaptive evolution in the reptilian SOCS gene family

The suppressor of the cytokine signaling (SOCS) family of proteins play an essential role in inhibiting cytokine receptor signaling by regulating immune signal pathways. Although SOCS gene functions have been examined extensively, no comprehensive study has been performed on this gene family's molecular evolution in reptiles. In this study, we identified eight canonical SOCS genes using recently-published reptilian genomes. We used phylogenetic analysis to determine that the SOCS genes had highly conserved evolutionary dynamics that we classified into two types. We identified positive SOCS4 selection signals in whole reptile lineages and SOCS2 selection signals in the crocodilian lineage. Selective pressure analyses using the branch model and Z-test revealed that these genes were under different negative selection pressures compared to reptile lineages. We also concluded that the nature of selection pressure varies across different reptile lineages on SOCS3, and the crocodilian lineage has experienced rapid evolution. Our results may provide a theoretical foundation for further analyses of reptilian SOCS genes' functional and molecular mechanisms, as well as their roles in reptile growth and development.

Automated summary

This study identified eight canonical SOCS genes in reptiles and found that these genes had highly conserved evolutionary dynamics across the reptile lineages. Positive selection signals were detected in SOCS4 across reptile lineages, while SOCS2 showed selection signals specifically in the crocodilian lineage. The study also revealed different negative selection pressures on SOCS genes compared to reptile lineages and highlighted the rapid evolution in the crocodilian lineage.