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Opsins in Onychophora (Velvet Worms) Suggest a Single Origin and Subsequent Diversification of Visual Pigments in Arthropods

Hering, Lars ; Henze, Miriam LU ; Kohler, Martin LU ; Kelber, Almut LU ; Bleidorn, Christoph ; Leschke, Maren ; Nickel, Birgit ; Meyer, Matthias ; Kircher, Martin and Sunnucks, Paul , et al. (2012) In Molecular biology and evolution 29(11). p.3451-3458
Abstract
Multiple visual pigments, prerequisites for color vision, are found in arthropods, but the evolutionary origin of their diversity remains obscure. In this study, we explore the opsin genes in five distantly related species of Onychophora, using deep transcriptome sequencing and screening approaches. Surprisingly, our data reveal the presence of only one opsin gene (onychopsin) in each onychophoran species, and our behavioral experiments indicate a maximum sensitivity of onychopsin to blue-green light. In our phylogenetic analyses, the onychopsins represent the sister group to the monophyletic clade of visual r-opsins of arthropods. These results concur with phylogenomic support for the sister-group status of the Onychophora and Arthropoda... (More)
Multiple visual pigments, prerequisites for color vision, are found in arthropods, but the evolutionary origin of their diversity remains obscure. In this study, we explore the opsin genes in five distantly related species of Onychophora, using deep transcriptome sequencing and screening approaches. Surprisingly, our data reveal the presence of only one opsin gene (onychopsin) in each onychophoran species, and our behavioral experiments indicate a maximum sensitivity of onychopsin to blue-green light. In our phylogenetic analyses, the onychopsins represent the sister group to the monophyletic clade of visual r-opsins of arthropods. These results concur with phylogenomic support for the sister-group status of the Onychophora and Arthropoda and provide evidence for monochromatic vision in velvet worms and in the last common ancestor of Onychophora and Arthropoda. We conclude that the diversification of visual pigments and color vision evolved in arthropods, along with the evolution of compound eyes-one of the most sophisticated visual systems known. (Less)
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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
vision, opsin evolution, Arthropoda, Panarthropoda, compound eyes
in
Molecular biology and evolution
volume
29
issue
11
pages
3451 - 3458
publisher
Oxford University Press
external identifiers
  • wos:000310167700018
  • scopus:84867760559
  • pmid:22683812
ISSN
0737-4038
DOI
10.1093/molbev/mss148
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
4bbcca3e-42c9-448f-ac82-28ab331a51a2 (old id 3284241)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 10:01:11
date last changed
2024-04-06 21:46:31
@article{4bbcca3e-42c9-448f-ac82-28ab331a51a2,
  abstract     = {{Multiple visual pigments, prerequisites for color vision, are found in arthropods, but the evolutionary origin of their diversity remains obscure. In this study, we explore the opsin genes in five distantly related species of Onychophora, using deep transcriptome sequencing and screening approaches. Surprisingly, our data reveal the presence of only one opsin gene (onychopsin) in each onychophoran species, and our behavioral experiments indicate a maximum sensitivity of onychopsin to blue-green light. In our phylogenetic analyses, the onychopsins represent the sister group to the monophyletic clade of visual r-opsins of arthropods. These results concur with phylogenomic support for the sister-group status of the Onychophora and Arthropoda and provide evidence for monochromatic vision in velvet worms and in the last common ancestor of Onychophora and Arthropoda. We conclude that the diversification of visual pigments and color vision evolved in arthropods, along with the evolution of compound eyes-one of the most sophisticated visual systems known.}},
  author       = {{Hering, Lars and Henze, Miriam and Kohler, Martin and Kelber, Almut and Bleidorn, Christoph and Leschke, Maren and Nickel, Birgit and Meyer, Matthias and Kircher, Martin and Sunnucks, Paul and Mayer, Georg}},
  issn         = {{0737-4038}},
  keywords     = {{vision; opsin evolution; Arthropoda; Panarthropoda; compound eyes}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{11}},
  pages        = {{3451--3458}},
  publisher    = {{Oxford University Press}},
  series       = {{Molecular biology and evolution}},
  title        = {{Opsins in Onychophora (Velvet Worms) Suggest a Single Origin and Subsequent Diversification of Visual Pigments in Arthropods}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/molbev/mss148}},
  doi          = {{10.1093/molbev/mss148}},
  volume       = {{29}},
  year         = {{2012}},
}