Phenotype loss is associated with widespread divergence of the gene regulatory landscape in evolution.

ABSTRACT: Detecting the genomic changes underlying phenotypic changes between species is a main goal of evolutionary biology and genomics. Evolutionary theory predicts that changes in cis-regulatory elements are important for morphological changes. We combined genome sequencing, functional genomics and genome-wide comparative analyses to investigate regulatory elements in lineages that lost morphological traits. We first show that limb loss in snakes is associated with widespread divergence of limb regulatory elements. We next show that eye degeneration in subterranean mammals is associated with widespread divergence of eye regulatory elements. In both cases, sequence divergence results in an extensive loss of transcription factor binding sites. Importantly, diverged regulatory elements are associat

SUBMITTER: Roscito JG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6226452 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature