Hundreds of echinoderm TIMP genes discovered and analyzed

What is it about?

TIMP genes help regulate the complex molecular matrix between cells and are key players in a wide variety of physiological activities. These include cancer, which can only grow and spread in the body by modifying this matrix, and the reversible liquefaction of certain tissues. In humans there are four types of TIMPs, and in our closest invertebrate relatives, the echinoderms (including sea stars and sea cucumbers), three have been studied. We searched a large transcriptome data set and found over 400 more TIMPs in echinoderm, and we reconstructed the history of all TIMPs known, including those from humans and other chordates. We demonstrated that humans have lost many TIMPs, but echinoderms use both old and more recently evolved copies. We speculate on why this is the case and find the conserved domains across all TIMPs.

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Why is it important?

The roles TIMPs play in tumour growth and tissue modification make them prime candidates for bioprospecting by oncologists and materials scientists. Our study has uncovered a large number of highly varied TIMPs that can be used to understand the ways in which different TIMP types behave at the molecular level. The previous classification of four TIMP gene variants can now be seen as applying only to vertebrates, and our findings should assist in the development of a more sophisticated taxonomy of TIMPs. Organizing TIMPs by sequence and function will lead to a general understanding of how TIMPs perform so many important functions.