MBE Advance Access published online on March 5, 2003
Molecular Biology and Evolution, doi:10.1093/molbev/msg054
Molecular Biology and Evolution © Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution 2003; all rights reserved
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1 UMR 5534 du CNRS, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Bâtiment Mendel, 16 rue Dubois, 69622 Villeurbanne Cedex, France
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: bonneto{at}univ-lyon1.fr.
Ecdysteroid hormones are major regulators in reproduction and development of insects, including larval molts and metamorphosis. The functional ecdysone receptor is a heterodimer of ECR (NR1H1) and USP-RXR (NR2B4), which is the orthologue of vertebrate Retinoid X Receptors (RXR Key Words:
Ecdysone Receptor, USP-RXR, ECR, Insects, Coevolution, Evolutionary rate
© 2003 Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution
Original Articles
Rapid Divergence of the Ecdysone Receptor in Diptera and Lepidoptera Suggests Coevolution between ECR and USP-RXR
2 UMR 5665 du CNRS, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, 46 Allée d'Italie, 69364 Lyon Cedex 07, France
Abstract 
, 
, 
). Both proteins belong to the superfamily of nuclear hormone receptors, ligand-dependent transcription factors which share two conserved domains: the DNA-binding domain (DBD) and the ligand-binding domain (LBD). In order to gain further insight into the evolution of metamorphosis and gene regulation by ecdysone in arthropods, we performed a phylogenetic analysis of both partners of the heterodimer ECR/USP-RXR. Overall, 38 USP-RXR and 19 ECR protein sequences, from 33 species, have been used for this analysis. Interestingly, sequence alignments and structural comparisons reveal high divergence rates, for both ECR and USP-RXR, specifically among Diptera and Lepidoptera. The most impressive differences affect the ligand-binding domain of USP-RXR. In addition, ECR sequences show variability in other domains, namely the DNA-binding and the carboxy-terminal F domains. Our data provide the first evidence that ECR and USP-RXR may have coevolved during holometabolous insect diversification, leading to a functional divergence of the ecdysone receptor. These results have general implications on fundamental aspects of insect development, evolution of nuclear receptors, and the design of specific insecticides.
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