| Functional |
"Adaptive nonshivering thermogenesis (NST) of placental mammals is predominantly mediated by uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1), which resides at high levels in the mitochondrial inner membrane of brown adipose tissue (BAT) (1)." |
10.1126/sciadv.1602878 |
| Methodology & Validation |
"We thus verified this deletion in both African and Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) DNA samples via PCR and Sanger sequencing techniques. PCR was also used to obtain ucp1 sequences from the three-toed brown-throated sloth (B. variegatus), silky anteater (Cyclopes didactylus), bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus), Grant’s zebra (Equus quagga boehmi), black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis), and Indian rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis). Specimen information is provided in table S7 (64, 69–71)." |
10.1126/sciadv.1602878 |
| Timing of Loss |
"Potential thermogenic limitations arising from UCP1 loss [as suggested for suids (25)] were clearly not an impediment to the ability of equines to exploit cold environments given “that Alaskan horses prospered during the LGM [last glacial maximum; ~18,000 years ago], and appear to have been particularly well adapted to the more intense versions of the cold/arid Mammoth Steppe (44)." |
10.1126/sciadv.1602878 |