Pan-mammalian analysis of molecular constraints underlying extended lifespan.

ABSTRACT: Although lifespan in mammals varies over 100-fold, the precise evolutionary mechanisms underlying variation in longevity remain unknown. Species-specific genetic changes have been observed in long-lived species including the naked mole-rat, bats, and the bowhead whale, but these adaptations do not generalize to other mammals. We present a novel method to identify associations between rates of protein evolution and continuous phenotypes across the entire mammalian phylogeny. Unlike previous analyses that focused on individual species, we treat absolute and relative longevity as quantitative traits and demonstrate that these lifespan traits affect the evolutionary constraint on hundreds of genes. Specifically, we find that genes related to cell cycle, DNA repair, cell death, the IGF1 pathway

SUBMITTER: Kowalczyk A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7012612 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature