Independent duplications of the Golgi phosphoprotein 3 oncogene in birds

Abstract

Golgi phosphoprotein 3 (GOLPH3) was the first reported oncoprotein of the Golgi apparatus. It was identified as an evolutionarily conserved protein upon its discovery about 20 years ago, but its function remains puzzling in normal and cancer cells. The GOLPH3 gene is part of a group of genes that also includes the GOLPH3L gene. Because cancer has deep roots in multicellular evolution, studying the evolution of the GOLPH3 gene family in non-model species represents an opportunity to identify new model systems that could help better understand the biology behind this group of genes. The main goal of this study is to explore the evolution of the GOLPH3 gene family in birds as a starting point to understand the evolutionary history of this oncoprotein. We identified a repertoire of three GOLPH3 genes in birds. We found duplicated copies of the GOLPH3 gene in all main groups of birds other than paleognaths, and a single copy of the GOLPH3L gene. We suggest there were at least three independent origins for GOLPH3 duplicates. Amino acid divergence estimates show that most of the variation is located in the N-terminal region of the protein. Our transcript abundance estimations show that one paralog is highly and ubiquitously expressed, and the others were variable. Our results are an example of the significance of understanding the evolution of the GOLPH3 gene family, especially for unraveling its structural and functional attributes.

How many sirtuin genes are out there? evolution of sirtuin genes in vertebrates with a description of a new family member*

“…Alternatively, we can also think of gene loss as a source of adaptive evolution (Olson 1999; Albalat and Cañestro 2016; Helsen et al 2020). The description of new gene lineages is not uncommon in the literature (Wichmann et al 2016; Himmel et al 2020; Opazo et al 2021). It could be mainly attributed to the presence in non-model species and/or the absence of proper evolutionary analyses.…”

“…Alternatively, we can also think of gene loss as a source of adaptive evolution (Olson 1999; Nery et al 2014; Albalat and Cañestro 2016; Helsen et al 2020). The description of new gene lineages is not uncommon in the literature (Wichmann et al 2016; Himmel et al 2020; Opazo et al 2021; Gold & Sinclair 2022), and it could be mainly attributed to the presence in non-model species and/or the absence of proper evolutionary analyses. The existence of species with different gene repertoires is an opportunity to better understand the evolutionary fate of duplicated genes (Lynch and Conery 2000) and the biological functions associated with a group of genes.…”

Golgi Phosphoprotein 3 Regulates the Physical Association of Glycolipid Glycosyltransferases

“…Golgi phosphoprotein 3 (GOLPH3) was the first Golgi-associated oncoprotein to be reported [ 19 ]. Its gene copy number and protein expression levels are increased in several solid tumors [ 20 ].…”

How Many Sirtuin Genes Are Out There? Evolution of Sirtuin Genes in Vertebrates With a Description of a New Family Member

“…Alternatively, we can also think of gene loss as a source of adaptive evolution ( Olson 1999 ; Nery et al 2014 ; Albalat and Cañestro 2016 ; Helsen et al 2020 ). The description of new gene lineages is not uncommon in the literature ( Wichmann et al 2016 ; Himmel et al 2020 ; Opazo et al 2021 ; Gold and Sinclair 2022 ), and it could be mainly attributed to the presence in nonmodel species and/or the absence of proper evolutionary analyses. The existence of species with different gene repertoires is an opportunity to better understand the evolutionary fate of duplicated genes ( Lynch and Conery 2000 ) and the biological functions associated with a group of genes.…”