Phylogeny and adaptive evolution of the brain-development gene microcephalin (MCPH1) in cetaceans.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Representatives of Cetacea have the greatest absolute brain size among animals, and the largest relative brain size aside from humans. Despite this, genes implicated in the evolution of large brain size in primates have yet to be surveyed in cetaceans.

Results

We sequenced ~1240 basepairs of the brain development gene microcephalin (MCPH1) in 38 cetacean species. Alignments of these data and a published complete sequence from Tursiops truncatus with primate MCPH1 were utilized in phylogenetic analyses and to estimate ω (rate of nonsynonymous substitution/rate of synonymous substitution) using site and branch models of molecular evolution. We also tested the hypothesis that selection on MCPH1 was correlated with brain size in cetaceans using a continuous regression

SUBMITTER: McGowen MR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3101173 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature