Lineage-level divergence of copepod glycerol transporters and the emergence of isoform-specific trafficking regulation

Abstract

Marc Catalán-Garcia et al. examine evolutionary divergence of aquaglyceroporins (GLPs) in copepods, observing that these genes are subject to high rates of gene duplication across species. They also report tissue- and sex-specific expression of GLP splice variants in the parasitic copepod, L. salmonis, that in turn exhibit PKA- or PKC-dependent changes in membrane trafficking. Altogether, these results suggest that mutations in GLP genes with precise regulation of intracellular tracking may be related to neofunctionalization in these species.