Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

BACKGROUND: Identification of orthologous relationships between genes from widely divergent taxa allows partial reconstruction of the gene complement of ancestral genomes. C2H2 zinc-finger genes are one of the largest and most complex gene superfamilies in metazoan genomes, with hundreds of members in the human genome. Here we analyze C2H2 zinc-finger genes from three taxa - Drosophila, Caenorhabditis elegans and human - from which near-complete genome sequence data are available. RESULTS: Our analyses conclusively identify 39 families of genes, of which 38 can be defined as orthology groups in that they are descended from single ancestral genes in the common ancestor of Drosophila, C. elegans and humans. CONCLUSIONS: On the basis of current metazoan phylogeny, these 39 groups represent the minimum complement of C2H2 zinc-finger genes present in the genome of the bilaterian common ancestor.

Type

Journal article

Journal

Genome Biol

Publication Date

2001

Volume

2

Keywords

Animals, Caenorhabditis elegans, Conserved Sequence, Drosophila, Evolution, Molecular, Genes, Humans, Models, Genetic, Phylogeny, Transcription Factors, Zinc Fingers