Complementary evolution of coding and noncoding sequence underlies mammalian hairlessness.

ABSTRACT: Body hair is a defining mammalian characteristic, but several mammals, such as whales, naked mole-rats, and humans, have notably less hair. To find the genetic basis of reduced hair quantity, we used our evolutionary-rates-based method, RERconverge, to identify coding and noncoding sequences that evolve at significantly different rates in so-called hairless mammals compared to hairy mammals. Using RERconverge, we performed a genome-wide scan over 62 mammal species using 19,149 genes and 343,598 conserved noncoding regions. In addition to detecting known and potential novel hair-related genes, we also discovered hundreds of putative hair-related regulatory elements. Computational investigation revealed that genes and their associated noncoding regions show different evolutionary patterns an

SUBMITTER: Kowalczyk A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9803358 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature