Klinge EM, Sylvestre YR, Freedberg IM, Blumenberg M. Evolution of keratin genes: different protein domains evolve by different pathways.
J Mol Evol 1987;
24:319-29. [PMID:
2439698 DOI:
10.1007/bf02134130]
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Abstract
Intermediate filaments are composed of a family of proteins that evolved from a common ancestor. The proteins consist of three domains: a central, alpha-helical domain similar in all intermediate filaments, bracketed by two domains that are variable in length and structure. Within the intermediate-filament family, several subfamilies have been recognized by immunologic and nucleic acid hybridization techniques. In this paper we present the sequence of the genomic DNA coding for a 65-kilodalton human keratin and compare it with the sequences of other intermediate-filament proteins. While the central, alpha-helical domains of these proteins show homologies that indicate a common ancestor, the sequences of the variable terminal domains indicate that the variable domains evolved through a series of tandem duplications and possibly by gene-conversion mechanisms.
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