Summary
This study used hidden Markov models to systematically identify and classify over 2,000 opsins across 262 metazoan species from genomic reference proteomes, revealing broad taxonomic distributions of opsin subfamilies. While primarily a bioinformatics and evolutionary biology resource, it provides a foundational classification framework relevant to understanding the diversity of light-sensing proteins, including those underlying circadian photoentrainment.
Key Findings
- More than 2,000 opsins were retrieved from 262 species, all of which were metazoans, using opsin-specific hidden Markov models applied to UniProt Reference Proteomes.
- Three different annotation schemes were applied to classify opsin subfamilies, highlighting the lack of a consensus classification system across the field.
- Merging opsin counts into higher-order taxa revealed broad patterns in the taxonomic distribution of opsin families involved in vision, circadian rhythms, and other light-responsive processes.
Categories
The Science of Light: This paper provides a large-scale bioinformatic survey of opsin family diversity and taxonomic distribution, directly relevant to understanding photoreceptor biology and opsin classification across species.
Author(s)
ND Clarke, JS Taylor
Publication Year
2023
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