Establishment of presynaptic mechanisms by proteins that regulate neurotransmitter release in the presynaptic active zone is considered a fundamental step in animal evolution. Rab3 interacting molecule-binding proteins (Rimbps) are crucial components of the presynaptic active zone and key players in calcium homeostasis. Although Rimbp involvement in these dynamics has been described in distantly related models such as fly and human, the role of this family in most invertebrates remains obscure. To fill this gap, we defined the evolutionary history of Rimbp family in animals, from sponges to mammals. We report, for the first time, the expression of the two isoforms of the unique Rimbp family member in Ciona robusta in distinct domains of the larval nervous system. We identify intronic enhancers that are able to drive expression in different nervous system territories partially corresponding to Rimbp endogenous expression. The analysis of gene expression patterns and the identification of regulatory elements of Rimbp will positively impact our understanding of this family of genes in the context of Ciona embryogenesis.
Keywords: CNEs; bipolar tail neurons; enhancers; peripheral nervous system; phylogeny.