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Lineage-Specific Patterns Of Functional Diversification In The Α- And Β-Globin Gene Families Of Tetrapod Vertebrates, Federico G. Hoffmann, Jay F. Storz, Thomas A. Gorr, Juan C. Opazo

Jay F. Storz Publications

The α- and β-globin gene families of jawed vertebrates have diversified with respect to both gene function and the developmental timing of gene expression. Phylogenetic reconstructions of globin gene family evolution have provided suggestive evidence that the developmental regulation of hemoglobin synthesis has evolved independently in multiple vertebrate lineages. For example, the embryonic β-like globin genes of birds and placental mammals are not 1:1 orthologs. Despite the similarity in developmental expression profiles, the genes are independently derived from lineage-specific duplications of a β-globin pro-ortholog. This suggests the possibility that other vertebrate taxa may also possess distinct repertoires of globin genes …