The nature and distribution of putative non-functional alleles suggest only two independent events at the origins of Astyanax mexicanus cavefish populations.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Several studies suggested that cavefish populations of Astyanax mexicanus settled during the Late Pleistocene. This implies that the cavefish's most conspicuous phenotypic changes, blindness and depigmentation, and more cryptic characters important for cave life, evolved rapidly.

Results

Using the published genomes of 47 Astyanax cavefish from la Cueva de El Pachón, El Sótano de la Tinaja, La Cueva Chica and El Sótano de Molino, we searched for putative loss-of-function mutations in previously defined sets of genes, i.e., vision, circadian clock and pigmentation genes. Putative non-functional alleles for four vision genes were identified. Then, we searched genome-wide for putative non-functional alleles in these four cave populations. Among 512 genes with segregat

SUBMITTER: Policarpo M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10983663 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature