<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><xml><records><record><source-app name="Biblio" version="7.x">Drupal-Biblio</source-app><ref-type>17</ref-type><contributors><authors><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Aguado, William D</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Karageorgiou, Charikleia</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Kassem, Sarah</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Rojas, Raquel Hernández</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Veilleux, Carrie C</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Melin, Amanda D</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Vogel, Erin R</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Ruhl, Stefan</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Gokcumen, Omer</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Pajic, Petar</style></author></authors></contributors><titles><title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Multiscale structural evolution of proline-rich protein genes shapes primate salivary defenses</style></title><secondary-title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Molecular Biology and Evolution</style></secondary-title></titles><dates><year><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">2026</style></year><pub-dates><date><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">2026/08/31</style></date></pub-dates></dates><urls><web-urls><url><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">https://academic.oup.com/mbe/article/43/10/msag224/8776577</style></url></web-urls></urls><volume><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">43</style></volume><isbn><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">0737-40381537-1719</style></isbn><language><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">eng</style></language><abstract><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">&lt;p&gt;&lt;meta charset=&quot;UTF-8&quot; /&gt;Saliva forms the first biochemical interface with the environment, mediating dietary exposure and oral defense. Proline-rich proteins in saliva protect plant-eating mammals from the harmful effects of consuming tannins. Yet the evolution of the genes encoding these proteins remains poorly resolved. Here, integrating long-read genome assemblies with comparative genomics, phylogenetics, transcriptomics, and dietary data, we investigate the salivary proline-rich protein gene family across 27 primate species to test whether dietary ecology has shaped the evolution of this locus. We find that the proline-rich protein locus is dynamic, shaped by recurrent lineage-specific gene duplications and inversions. Despite pervasive structural variation, proline-rich protein genes consistently rank among the top five most highly expressed transcripts in nonhuman primate parotid glands, indicating constraint on maintaining high expression in saliva. Humans retain abundant proline-rich protein expression, but at reduced levels relative to other primates, potentially reflecting a lineage-specific regulatory shift. We further identify widespread exonic tandem repeats that provide a flexible mechanism for modulating protein composition. Notably, colobine&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;PRH&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;genes independently evolved trinucleotide repeats encoding histidine-rich peptides, coinciding with folivory and suggesting a lineage-specific adaptation. Together, our results position proline-rich proteins as a model for understanding how large-scale structural rearrangements and fine-scale repeat expansions jointly shape the diversity and evolution of proteins in saliva.&lt;/p&gt;
</style></abstract><issue><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">10</style></issue></record></records></xml>