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Genome-wide signatures of convergent evolution in echolocating mammals.
(2013-09-04)
Evolution is typically thought to proceed through divergence of genes, proteins and ultimately phenotypes. However, similar traits might also evolve convergently in unrelated taxa owing to similar selection pressures. ...
Macroevolutionary patterns of sexual size dimorphism in copepods.
(2014-08)
Major theories compete to explain the macroevolutionary trends observed in sexual size dimorphism (SSD) in animals. Quantitative genetic theory suggests that the sex under historically stronger directional selection will ...
Discovery of a novel neurophysin-associated neuropeptide that triggers cardiac stomach contraction and retraction in starfish.
(2013-11-01)
Feeding in starfish is a remarkable process in which the cardiac stomach is everted over prey and then retracted when prey tissue has been resorbed. Previous studies have revealed that SALMFamide-type neuropeptides trigger ...
From gonadotropin-inhibitory hormone to SIFamides: are echinoderm SALMFamides the "missing link" in a bilaterian family of neuropeptides that regulate reproductive processes?
(2013-11-01)
Gonadotropin-inhibitory hormone (GnIH) belongs to a family of vertebrate neuropeptides with a C-terminal PxRFamide motif, which exert effects by activating the G-protein coupled receptors NPFF1 and/or NPFF2. Comparative ...
The evolution and diversity of SALMFamide neuropeptides.
(2013)
The SALMFamides are a family of neuropeptides that act as muscle relaxants in echinoderms. Two types of SALMFamides have been identified: L-type (e.g. the starfish neuropeptides S1 and S2) with the C-terminal motif LxFamide ...
The evolution and comparative neurobiology of endocannabinoid signalling.
(2012-12-05)
CB(1)- and CB(2)-type cannabinoid receptors mediate effects of the endocannabinoids 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) and anandamide in mammals. In canonical endocannabinoid-mediated synaptic plasticity, 2-AG is generated ...
The neuropeptide transcriptome of a model echinoderm, the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus.
(2012-12-01)
Neuronal secretion of peptide signaling molecules (neuropeptides) is an evolutionarily ancient feature of nervous systems. Here we report the identification of 20 cDNAs encoding putative neuropeptide precursors in the sea ...
Body shape shifting during growth permits tests that distinguish between competing geometric theories of metabolic scaling.
(2014-07)
Metabolism fuels all of life's activities, from biochemical reactions to ecological interactions. According to two intensely debated theories, body size affects metabolism via geometrical influences on the transport of ...
Development of the cerebellum: simple steps to make a 'little brain'.
(2014)
The cerebellum is a pre-eminent model for the study of neurogenesis and circuit assembly. Increasing interest in the cerebellum as a participant in higher cognitive processes and as a locus for a range of disorders and ...
Identification of a neuropeptide precursor protein that gives rise to a "cocktail" of peptides that bind Cu(II) and generate metal-linked dimers.
(2015-10-22)
BACKGROUND: Neuropeptides with an Amino Terminal Cu(II), Ni(II) Binding (ATCUN) motif (H2N-xxH) bind Cu(II)/Ni(II) ions. Here we report the novel discovery of a neuropeptide precursor that gives rise to a "cocktail" of ...
