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_SMB56E	Pteropus vampyrus	MOGAT2	LOF (frameshift, premature stop, ss)	Full	No	10.1038/s41467-018-03667-1
GL_SVLBBR	Nannospalax galili	PPEF2	Other	Full	No	10.1038/s41467-018-03667-1
GL_TSYHTQ	Tursiops truncatus	KRT82	Other	Full	No	10.1038/s41467-018-03667-1
GL_UCVN1C	Papio anubis	SNTN	Other	Full	No	10.1038/s41467-018-03667-1
GL_UINKTD	Nannospalax galili	SLC24A1	Other	Full	No	10.1038/s41467-018-03667-1
GL_UXNI64	Tursiops truncatus	TAS1R2	Other	Full	No	10.1038/s41467-018-03667-1
GL_UZ6OBK	Equus caballus	ABCB4	Other	Full	No	10.1038/s41467-018-03667-1
GL_UZLRF1	Tursiops truncatus	TAS1R1	Other	Full	No	10.1038/s41467-018-03667-1
GL_V8Y4EL	Orcinus orca	MMP12	LOF (frameshift, premature stop, ss)	Full	Cetacea	10.1038/s41467-018-03667-1
GL_VBW3R1	Balaenoptera acutorostrata	ACP4	LOF (frameshift, premature stop, ss)	Full	No	10.1038/s41467-018-03667-1