Accepted_test

The structure of protein sequences of Cydippid ctenophores' opsins and their potential possibility of participation in photoreception

by Iuliia Baiandina | Olga Kuleshova | A. O. Kovalevsky Institute of Biology of the Southern Seas of RAS | A. O. Kovalevsky Institute of Biology of the Southern Seas of RAS

Abstract ID: 622

Event: BGRS-abstracts

Sections: [Sym 5] Section “Population and evolutionary genetics/genomics of wild and domestic animals”

Ctenophores are marine organisms with a unique evolutionary history. Their distinct biology includes a decentralized nervous system and the presence of functional opsins, crucial for light perception in multicellular animals. Recent studies have observed behavioral responses to light in ctenophores, indicating potential photoreception capabilities. The study analyzed 24 samples of Cydippida SRA transcriptome data. The results showed that Opsin1-3 were present in transcriptomes of Cydippida species. But Opsin 1-2 is not found in deep-sea species Bathyctena chuni and Aulacoctena acuminata. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that Cydippida Opsin1 and Opsin2 belong to the Ctenopsin1 and Ctenopsin2 clades, respectively, forming a sister group to other multicellular opsins. Cydippida Opsin3 belongs to the Ctenopsin3 group, separate from the main classes of animal visual opsins. Structural analysis confirmed that Cydippida opsins conform to the 7-transmembrane topology of GPCRs and contain conserved residues and motifs necessary for retinal binding and light activation. Opsin1 and Opsin2 in Cidippida ctenophores may be involved in photoreception processes, while Opsin3 appears to not be a visual opsin.