GFP-like proteins as ubiquitous metazoan superfamily: evolution of functional features and structural complexity

Homologs of the green fluorescent protein (GFP), including the recently described GFP-like domains of certain extracellular matrix proteins in Bilaterian organisms, are remarkably similar at the protein structure level, yet they often perform totally unrelated functions, thereby warranting recognition as a superfamily. Here we describe diverse GFP-like proteins from previously undersampled and completely new sources, including hydromedusae and planktonic Copepoda. In hydromedusae, yellow and nonfluorescent purple proteins were found in addition to greens. Notably, the new yellow protein seems to follow exactly the same structural solution to achieving the yellow color of fluorescence as YFP, an engineered yellow-emitting mutant variant of GFP. The addition of these new sequences made it possible to resolve deep-level phylogenetic relationships within the superfamily. Fluorescence (most likely green) must have already existed in the common ancestor of Cnidaria and Bilateria, and therefore GFP-like proteins may be responsible for fluorescence and/or coloration in virtually any animal. At least 15 color diversification events can be inferred following the maximum parsimony principle in Cnidaria. Origination of red fluorescence and nonfluorescent purple-blue colors on several independent occasions provides a remarkable example of convergent evolution of complex features at the molecular level.

Calbindin-D28K cells in the hamster SCN express light-induced Fos

Although the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) have been intensively analyzed, they contain a population of cells that has not yet been characterized. In this study, we examined the distribution of cells immunoreactive (ir) for calbindin-D28K (CaBP), calretinin (CR), parvalbumin, vasopressin-associated neurophysin (NP), substance P (SP), vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), and light-induced Fos-like protein. Previously unidentified cells in the core of the hamster SCN contained CaBP. Photic stimulation during the night induced Fos expression in about 75% of the CaBP-positive SCN cells, and about 50% of the Fos-positive cells in the core region expressed CaBP. These findings provide new information in the search for the cellular localization of pacemaker cells in the SCN, as photic input entrains the circadian system, and cells that receive photic input must be either part of the clock itself, or an upstream component of the clock.