TY - JOUR
AU - Hindle, Allyson G.
AB - The Weddell seal (Leptonychotes weddellii) thrives in its extreme Antarctic environment. We generated the Weddell seal genome assembly and a high-quality annotation to investigate genome-wide evolutionary pressures that underlie its phenotype and to study genes implicated in hypoxia tolerance and a lipid-based metabolism. Genome-wide analyses included gene family expansion/contraction, positive selection, and diverged sequence (acceleration) compared to other placental mammals, identifying selection in coding and non-coding sequence in five pathways that may shape cardiovascular phenotype. Lipid metabolism as well as hypoxia genes contained more accelerated regions in the Weddell seal compared to genomic background. Top-significant genes were SUMO2 and EP300; both regulate hypoxia inducible factor signaling. Liver expression of four genes with the strongest acceleration signals differ between Weddell seals and a terrestrial mammal, sheep. We also report a high-density lipoprotein-like particle in Weddell seal serum not present in other mammals, including the shallow-diving harbor seal.
TI - The Antarctic Weddell seal genome reveals evidence of selection on cardiovascular phenotype and lipid handling
JF - Communications Biology
DO - 10.1038/s42003-022-03089-2
DA - 2022-02-17
UR - https://www.deepdyve.com/lp/springer-journals/the-antarctic-weddell-seal-genome-reveals-evidence-of-selection-on-NVew4CQBUu
VL - 5
IS - 1
DP - DeepDyve
ER -