Huxley-Jones Julie, Robertson David L, Boot-Handford Raymond P
Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell-Matrix Research, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
Matrix Biol. 2007 Jan;26(1):2-11. doi: 10.1016/j.matbio.2006.09.008. Epub 2006 Sep 19.
Extracellular matrix (ECM) is a key metazoan characteristic. In addition to providing structure and orientation to tissues, it is involved in many cellular processes such as adhesion, migration, proliferation and differentiation. Here we provide a comprehensive analysis of ECM molecules focussing on when vertebrate specific matrices evolved. We identify 60 ECM genes and 20 associated processing enzymes in the genome of the urochordate Ciona intestinalis. A comparison with vertebrate and protostome genomes has permitted the identification of both a core set of metazoan matrix genes and vertebrate-specific innovations in the ECM. We have identified a few potential cases of de novo vertebrate ECM gene innovation, but the majority of ECM genes have resulted from duplication of pre-existing genes present in the ancestral vertebrate. In conclusion, the modern complexity we see in vertebrate ECM has come about largely by duplication and modification of pre-existing matrix molecules. Extracellular matrix genes and their processing enzymes appear to be over-represented in the vertebrate genome suggesting that these genes played an active role enabling and underpinning the evolution of vertebrates.
细胞外基质（ECM）是后生动物的一个关键特征。除了为组织提供结构和定向外，它还参与许多细胞过程，如黏附、迁移、增殖和分化。在这里，我们对ECM分子进行了全面分析，重点关注脊椎动物特异性基质的进化时间。我们在尾索动物海鞘的基因组中鉴定出60个ECM基因和20种相关加工酶。与脊椎动物和原口动物基因组的比较，使我们能够识别后生动物基质基因的核心集以及ECM中脊椎动物特异性的创新。我们已经确定了一些脊椎动物ECM基因从头创新的潜在案例，但大多数ECM基因是由祖先脊椎动物中已存在基因的复制产生的。总之，我们在脊椎动物ECM中看到的现代复杂性很大程度上是由先前存在的基质分子的复制和修饰产生的。细胞外基质基因及其加工酶在脊椎动物基因组中似乎过度存在，这表明这些基因在促进和支撑脊椎动物的进化中发挥了积极作用。
