Data from: Coevolution of Drosophila-type timeless with partner clock proteins

Drosophila-type timeless (dTIM) is an established key clock protein in
fruit flies, regulating rhythmicity and light-mediated entrainment.
However, as indicated by functional experiments, its contribution to the
clock differs in various insects. Therefore, we conducted a comprehensive
phylogenetic analysis of dTIM across animals, dated its origin, gene
duplications, and losses. We identified variable and conserved protein
domains and pinpointed animal lineages that underwent the biggest changes
in the dTIM sequence. While dTIM modifications are only mildly affected by
changes in the PER protein, even the complete loss of PER in echinoderms
had no impact on dTIM. However, changes in dTIM always co-occur with the
loss of CRYPTOCHROMES or JETLAG. This is exemplified by the remarkably
accelerated evolution of dTIM in phylloxera and aphids. Finally,
alternative d-tim splicing, characteristic of D. melanogaster
temperature-dependent function, is conserved at least to some extent in
Diptera, albeit with unique alterations. Altogether, this study pinpoints
major changes that shaped dTIM origin and evolution.