Mechanisms Underlying Adaptation to Life in Hydrogen Sulfide-Rich Environments.

ABSTRACT: Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a potent toxicant interfering with oxidative phosphorylation in mitochondria and creating extreme environmental conditions in aquatic ecosystems. The mechanistic basis of adaptation to perpetual exposure to H2S remains poorly understood. We investigated evolutionarily independent lineages of livebearing fishes that have colonized and adapted to springs rich in H2S and compared their genome-wide gene expression patterns with closely related lineages from adjacent, nonsulfidic streams. Significant differences in gene expression were uncovered between all sulfidic and nonsulfidic population pairs. Variation in the number of differentially expressed genes among population pairs corresponded to differences in divergence times and rates of gene flow, which is consistent

SUBMITTER: Kelley JL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4868117 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature