Gene Loss

Publication Details

Identifier: JB_UNTSYT

Curator: Gonçalo Themudo

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-03667-1

PMID: 29572503

Title:

A genomics approach reveals insights into the importance of gene losses for mammalian adaptations.

Abstract:

Identifying the genomic changes that underlie phenotypic adaptations is a key challenge in evolutionary biology and genomics. Loss of protein-coding genes is one type of genomic change with the potential to affect phenotypic evolution. Here, we develop a genomics approach to accurately detect gene losses and investigate their importance for adaptive evolution in mammals. We discover a number of gene losses that likely contributed to morphological, physiological, and metabolic adaptations in aquatic and flying mammals. These gene losses shed light on possible molecular and cellular mechanisms that underlie these adaptive phenotypes. In addition, we show that gene loss events that occur as a consequence of relaxed selection following adaptation provide novel insights into species' biology. Our results suggest that gene loss is an evolutionary mechanism for adaptation that may be more widespread than previously anticipated. Hence, investigating gene losses has great potential to reveal the genomic basis underlying macroevolutionary changes.

Last update:

13-01-2025

Associated Glosses (111 results)

GlossID	Species	Symbol	Gene Loss Mechanism	Loss Type	Lineage Specific	Citation
GL_4JGE8B	Physeter catodon	MX2	Other	Full	No	10.1038/s41467-018-03667-1
GL_50SQSE	Pteropus vampyrus	SLC27A6	LOF (frameshift, premature stop, ss)	Full	No	10.1038/s41467-018-03667-1
GL_66QL3X	Pteropus alecto	APMAP	LOF (frameshift, premature stop, ss)	Full	No	10.1038/s41467-018-03667-1
GL_6DCZ1M	Canis lupus familiaris	BOK	Other	Full	No	10.1038/s41467-018-03667-1
GL_6EFXQC	Tursiops truncatus	KLK8	Other	Full	No	10.1038/s41467-018-03667-1
GL_74A8CT	Tursiops truncatus	ALOXE3	LOF (frameshift, premature stop, ss)	Full	No	10.1038/s41467-018-03667-1
GL_7MUEDU	Physeter catodon	AMPD3	LOF (frameshift, premature stop, ss)	Full	No	10.1038/s41467-018-03667-1
GL_7YOLO3	Nannospalax galili	CRYBA1	Other	Full	No	10.1038/s41467-018-03667-1
GL_8DN6ES	Balaenoptera acutorostrata	KLK8	Other	Full	No	10.1038/s41467-018-03667-1
GL_90FJCN	Manis pentadactyla	DDB2	LOF (frameshift, premature stop, ss)	Full	No	10.1038/s41467-018-03667-1