Evolution of Vertebrate Hormones and Their Receptors: Insights from Non-Osteichthyan Genomes

Homeostatic control and reproductive functions of humans are regulated at the molecular levels largely by peptide hormones secreted from endocrine and/or neuroendocrine cells in the central nervous system and peripheral organs. Homologs of those hormones and their receptors function similarly in many vertebrate species distantly related to humans, but the evolutionary history of the endocrine system involving those factors has been obscured by the scarcity of genome DNA sequence information of some taxa that potentially contain their orthologs. Focusing on non-osteichthyan vertebrates, namely jawless and cartilaginous fishes, this article illustrates how investigating genome sequence information assists our understanding of the diversification of vertebrate gene repertoires in four broad themes: (a) the presence or absence of genes, (b) multiplication and maintenance of paralogs, (c) differential fates of duplicated paralogs, and (d) the evolutionary timing of gene origins.

Automated summary

Homeostatic control and reproductive functions in humans are regulated by peptide hormones secreted from endocrine and neuroendocrine cells. Homologs of these hormones are present in many vertebrate species, but the evolution of the endocrine system involving these factors remains unclear due to limited genome DNA sequence information. This article focuses on jawless and cartilaginous fishes to illustrate how genome sequence information helps understand the diversification of vertebrate gene repertoires.