Equivocal evidence for a link between megalencephaly-related genes and primate brain size evolution.

ABSTRACT: A large brain is a defining feature of modern humans, and much work has been dedicated to exploring the molecular underpinnings of this trait. Although numerous studies have focused on genes associated with human microcephaly, no studies have explicitly focused on genes associated with megalencephaly. Here, we investigate 16 candidate genes that have been linked to megalencephaly to determine if: (1) megalencephaly-associated genes evolved under positive selection across primates; and (2) selection pressure on megalencephaly-associated genes is linked to primate brain size. We found evidence for positive selection for only one gene, OFD1, with 1.8% of the sites estimated to have dN/dS values greater than 1; however, we did not detect a relationship between selection pressure on this gene a

SUBMITTER: DeCasien AR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9239989 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature