Evolution of the guanylate binding protein (GBP) genes: Emergence of GBP7 genes in primates and further acquisition of a unique GBP3 gene in simians

Guanylate binding proteins (GBPs) are major players in the host immunity, providing defense against bacterial and viral invaders. Multigene families may suffer different processes of evolution. Gene families related to the immune system usually follow the birth-and-death evolution process, where duplicated genes can be deleted, gain new functions or become non-functional. We analyzed publicly available primate GBP sequences and their genomic organization and observed that GBP7 genes appear to have emerged from a duplication of GBP4 and seem to be only present in primates. Furthermore, GBP3 genes are only present in Simiiformes and probably originated from GBP1 genes. Finally, a duplication event occurred in the GBP6 in Tarsiiformes and became functional which might also explain the duplication of GBP6 in New World monkeys and Cercopithecidae. Taken together, this study provides new knowledge on the evolution of GBPs in primates and suggests that a revision of the GBPs nomenclature is necessary.