The genetic regulatory architecture and epigenomic basis for age-related changes in rattlesnake venom.

ABSTRACT: Developmental phenotypic changes can evolve under selection imposed by age- and size-related ecological differences. Many of these changes occur through programmed alterations to gene expression patterns, but the molecular mechanisms and gene-regulatory networks underlying these adaptive changes remain poorly understood. Many venomous snakes, including the eastern diamondback rattlesnake (Crotalus adamanteus), undergo correlated changes in diet and venom expression as snakes grow larger with age, providing models for identifying mechanisms of timed expression changes that underlie adaptive life history traits. By combining a highly contiguous, chromosome-level genome assembly with measures of expression, chromatin accessibility, and histone modifications, we identified cis-regulator

SUBMITTER: Hogan MP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11032440 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature