MULTIPLE ORIGINS OF THE GREEN-SENSITIVE OPSIN GENES IN FISH

Vertebrate opsins are divided into four major groups: RH1 (rhodopsins), RH2 (rhodopsinlike with various absorption sensitivities), SWS (short-wavelength sensitive), and LWS/MWS (long and middle-wavelength sensitive) groups. The green opsin genes (g1O1(Af) and g103(Af)) in a Mexican characin Astyanax fasciatus belong to the LWS/MWS group, whereas those in goldfish belong to the RH2 group (Yokoyama 1994, Mol Biol Evol 21:32-39). A newly isolated opsin gene (rh11(Af)) from A.fasciatus contains five exons and four introns, spanning 4.2 kilobases from start to stop codons. This gene is most closely related to the two green opsin genes of goldfish and belongs to the RH2 group. In the LWS/MWS group, gene duplication of the ancestral red and green opsin genes predates the speciation between A.fasciatus and goldfish, suggesting that goldfish also has an additional gene which is orthologous to g1O1(Af) and g103(Af).