Metabolomics-Guided Genomic Comparisons Reveal Convergent Evolution of Hibernation Genes in Mammals.

ABSTRACT: Hibernation exists in several unrelated mammalian lineages, allowing animals to survive extreme 0environmental conditions through profound physiological shifts, including reduced metabolic rate, heart rate, respiration, and body temperature. These physiological shifts allow hibernators to rely solely on fat reserves, simultaneously avoiding the adverse effects of prolonged immobility seen in nonhibernating species. Although research on individual species has highlighted key aspects of these adaptations, the genetic basis of hibernation across mammals remains poorly understood. Synthesizing both single species and comparative approaches, we use metabolomic data from waking and hibernating black bears (Ursus americanus) to guide bioinformatic analyses of genes using tests of selection and ev

SUBMITTER: Drabeck DH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12379893 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature