ISSN:
1432-1432
Keywords:
Key words: Pregnancy-specific β1-glycoprotein — RGD motif — Split decomposition — Spectral analysis — Non-neutral evolution — Evolutionary trees — Protein modeling — Structure and function
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Biology
Notes:
Abstract. The pregnancy-specific β1-glycoproteins (PSG) form a large family of closely related proteins. Using newly developed methods of sequence analysis, in combination with protein modeling, we provide a framework for investigating the evolution and biological function of genes like the PSG. Evolutionary trees, based on C-terminal sequence, group PSG genes in a manner consistent with their genomic organization. Trees constructed using the N-terminal domain sequences are unreliable as an indicator of phylogeny because of non-neutral processes of sequence change. During duplication of the PSG genes, evolutionary pressures have resulted in a gradient of constrained change across each gene. The N-terminal domains show a nonrandom pattern of amino acid substitutions clustered in the immunoglobulin complementarity-determining region (CDR)-like regions, which appear to be important in the function of the protein.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF02198854
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