| Summary: | The MEF2 (myocyte enhancer factor 2) family belongs to the MADS-box superfamily of eukaryotic transcription factors. The vertebrate genes compose four distinct subfamilies designated MEF2A, -B, -C, and -D. There are multiple <i>mef2</i> genes in the common carp (<i>Cyprinus carpio</i>). So far, the embryonic expression patterns of these genes and the evolution of fish <i>mef2</i> genes have been barely investigated. In this study, we completed the coding information of <i>C. carpio mef2ca2</i> and <i>mef2d1</i> genes via gene cloning and presented two mosaic <i>mef2</i> sequences as evidence for recombination. We also analyzed the phylogenetic relationship and conserved synteny of <i>mef2</i> genes and proposed a new evolutionary scenario. In our version, MEF2B and the other three vertebrate subfamilies were generated in parallel from the single last ancestor via two rounds of whole genome duplication events that occurred at the dawn of vertebrates. Moreover, we examined the expression patterns of <i>C. carpio mef2</i> genes during embryogenesis, by using whole-mount in situ hybridization, and found the notochord to be a new expression site for these genes except for <i>mef2ca1&2</i>. Our results thus provide new insights into the evolution and expression of <i>mef2</i> genes.
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