Signals of positive selection in genomes of palearctic Myotis-bats coexisting with a fungal pathogen.

ABSTRACT: Disease can act as a driving force in shaping genetic makeup across populations, even species, if the impacts influence a particularly sensitive part of their life cycles. White-nose disease is caused by a fungal pathogen infecting bats during hibernation. The mycosis has caused massive population declines of susceptible species in North America, particularly in the genus Myotis. However, Myotis bats appear to tolerate infection in Eurasia, where the fungal pathogen has co-evolved with its bat hosts for an extended period of time. Therefore, with susceptible and tolerant populations, the fungal disease provides a unique opportunity to tease apart factors contributing to tolerance at a genomic level to and gain an understanding of the evolution of non-harmful in host-parasite interactions.

SUBMITTER: Twort VG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11370307 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature