Copy number variation of a fatty acid desaturase gene Fads2 associated with ecological divergence in freshwater stickleback populations.

ABSTRACT: Fitness of aquatic animals can be limited by the scarcity of nutrients such as long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, especially docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). DHA availability from diet varies among aquatic habitats, imposing different selective pressures on resident animals to optimize DHA acquisition and synthesis. For example, DHA is generally poor in freshwater ecosystems compared to marine ecosystems. Our previous work revealed that, relative to marine fishes, several freshwater fishes evolved higher copy numbers of the fatty acid desaturase2 (Fads2) gene, which encodes essential enzymes for DHA biosynthesis, likely compensating for the limited availability of DHA in freshwater. Here, we demonstrate that Fads2 copy number also varies between freshwater sticklebacks

SUBMITTER: Ishikawa A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8385377 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature