Genome-wide scan for bats and dolphin to detect their genetic basis for new locomotive styles.

ABSTRACT: For most mammals, running is their major locomotive style, however, cetaceans and bats are two mammalian groups that have independently developed new locomotive styles (swimming and flying) from their terrestrial ancestors. In this study, we used a genome-wide comparative analysis in an attempt to identify the selective imprint of the development of new locomotive styles by cetaceans and bats to adapt to their new ecological niches. We found that an elevated proportion of mitochondrion-associated genes show evidence of adaptive evolution in cetaceans and on the common ancestral lineage leading to bats, compared to other terrestrial mammals. This result is consistent with the fact that during the independent developments of swimming and flying in these two groups, the changes of energy meta

SUBMITTER: Shen YY 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3491009 | biostudies-literature | 2012

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature