The First High-quality Reference Genome of Sika Deer Provides Insights into High-tannin Adaptation.

ABSTRACT: Sika deer are known to prefer oak leaves, which are rich in tannins and toxic to most mammals; however, the genetic mechanisms underlying their unique ability to adapt to living in the jungle are still unclear. In identifying the mechanism responsible for the tolerance of a highly toxic diet, we have made a major advancement by explaining the genome of sika deer. We generated the first high-quality, chromosome-level genome assembly of sika deer and measured the correlation between tannin intake and RNA expression in 15 tissues through 180 experiments. Comparative genome analyses showed that the UGT and CYP gene families are functionally involved in the adaptation of sika deer to high-tannin food, especially the expansion of the UGT family 2 subfamily B of UGT genes. The first chromosome-le

SUBMITTER: Xing X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10372904 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature