scholarly journals High-altitude adaptation and incipient speciation in geladas

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth L Chiou ◽  
Mareike C Janiak ◽  
India Schneider-Crease ◽  
Sharmi Sen ◽  
Ferehiwot Ayele ◽  
...  

Survival at high altitude requires adapting to extreme conditions such as environmental hypoxia. To understand high-altitude adaptations in a primate, we assembled the genome of the gelada (Theropithecus gelada), an endemic Ethiopian monkey, and complemented it with population resequencing, hematological, and morphometric data. Unexpectedly, we identified a novel karyotype that may contribute to reproductive isolation between gelada populations. We also identified genomic elements including protein-coding sequences and gene families that exhibit accelerated changes in geladas and may contribute to high-altitude adaptation. Our findings lend insight into mechanisms of speciation and adaptation while providing promising avenues for functional hypoxia research.

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanan Yang ◽  
Haonan Yuan ◽  
Tianliang Yang ◽  
Yongqing Li ◽  
Caixia Gao ◽  
...  

To adapt to a low-oxygen environment, Tibetan pigs have developed a series of unique characteristics and can transport oxygen more effectively; however, the regulation of the associated processes in high-altitude animals remains elusive. We performed mRNA-seq and miRNA-seq, and we constructed coexpression regulatory networks of the lung tissues of Tibetan and Landrace pigs. HBB, AGT, COL1A2, and EPHX1 were identified as major regulators of hypoxia-induced genes that regulate blood pressure and circulation, and they were enriched in pathways related to signal transduction and angiogenesis, such as HIF-1, PI3K-Akt, mTOR, and AMPK. HBB may promote the combination of hemoglobin and oxygen as well as angiogenesis for high-altitude adaptation in Tibetan pigs. The expression of MMP2 showed a similar tendency of alveolar septum thickness among the four groups. These results indicated that MMP2 activity may lead to widening of the alveolar wall and septum, alveolar structure damage, and collapse of alveolar space with remarkable fibrosis. These findings provide a perspective on hypoxia-adaptive genes in the lungs in addition to insights into potential candidate genes in Tibetan pigs for further research in the field of high-altitude adaptation.


2012 ◽  
Vol 106 (2) ◽  
pp. 244-247 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ri-Li Ge ◽  
Tatum S. Simonson ◽  
Robert C. Cooksey ◽  
Uran Tanna ◽  
Ga Qin ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ke Cao ◽  
Zhen Peng ◽  
Xing Zhao ◽  
Yong Li ◽  
Kuozhan Liu ◽  
...  

AbstractAs a foundation to understand the molecular mechanisms of peach evolution and high-altitude adaptation, we performed de novo genome assembling of four wild relatives of P. persica, P. mira, P. kansuensis, P. davidiana and P. ferganensis. Through comparative genomic analysis, abundant genetic variations were identified in four wild species when compared to P. persica. Among them, a deletion, located at the promoter of Prupe.2G053600 in P. kansuensis, was validated to regulate the resistance to nematode. Next, a pan-genome was constructed which comprised 15,216 core gene families among four wild peaches and P. perisca. We identified the expanded and contracted gene families in different species and investigated their roles during peach evolution. Our results indicated that P. mira was the primitive ancestor of cultivated peach, and peach evolution was non-linear and a cross event might have occurred between P. mira and P. dulcis during the process. Combined with the selective sweeps identified using accessions of P. mira originating from different altitude regions, we proposed that nitrogen recovery was essential for high-altitude adaptation of P. mira through increasing its resistance to low temperature. The pan-genome constructed in our study provides a valuable resource for developing elite cultivars, studying the peach evolution, and characterizing the high-altitude adaptation in perennial crops.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hui Wang ◽  
Jincheng Zhong ◽  
Jikun Wang ◽  
Zhixin Chai ◽  
Chengfu Zhang ◽  
...  

BackgroundThe yak (Bos grunniens) is an important livestock species that can survive the extremely cold, harsh, and oxygen-poor conditions of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and provide meat, milk, and transportation for the Tibetans living there. However, the regulatory network that drive this hypoxic adaptation remain elusive.ResultsThe heart tissues from LeiRoqi (LWQY) yak and their related cattle (Bos Taurus) breeds, which are two native cattle breeds located in high altitude (HAC) and low altitude (LAC) regions, respectively, were collected for RNA sequencing. A total of 178 co-differentially expressed protein-coding transcripts (co-DETs) were discovered in each of the LAC-vs-LWQY and LAC-vs-HAC comparison groups, including NFATC2, NFATC1, ENPP2, ACSL4, BAD, and many other genes whose functions were reported to be associated with the immune-system, endocrine-system, and lipid metabolism. Two and 230 lncRNA transcripts were differentially expressed in the LAC-vs-LWQY and LAC-vs-HAC comparisons’ respectively, but no lncRNA transcripts that were co-differentially expressed. Among the 58 miRNAs that were co-differentially expressed, 18 were up-regulated and 40 were down-regulated. In addition, 640 (501 up-regulated and 139 down-regulated) and 152 (152 up-regulated and one down-regulated) circRNAs showed differential expression in LAC-vs-LWQY and LAC-vs-HAC comparison groups, respectively, and 53 up-regulated co-differentially expressed circRNAs were shared. Multiple co-DETs, which are the targets of miRNAs/lncRNAs, are significantly enriched in high-altitude adaptation related processes, such as, T cell receptor signaling, VEGF signaling, and cAMP signaling. A competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network was constructed by integrating the competing relationships among co-differentially expressed mRNAs, miRNAs, lncRNAs and circRNAs. Furthermore, the hypoxic adaptation related ceRNA network was constructed, and the six mRNAs (MAPKAPK3, PXN, NFATC2, ATP7A, DIAPH1, and F2R), the eight miRNAs (including miR-195), and 15 circRNAs (including novel-circ-017096 and novel-circ-018073) are proposed as novel and promising candidates for regulation of hypoxic adaptation in the heart.ConclusionIn conclusion, the data recorded in the present study provides new insights into the molecular network of high-altitude adaptation along with more detailed information of protein-coding transcripts and non-coding transcripts involved in this physiological process, the detailed mechanisms behind how these transcripts “crosstalk” with each other during the plateau adaptation are worthy of future research efforts.


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