Seasonal Adaptation: Geographic Photoperiod-Temperature Patterns Explain Genetic Variation in the Common Vole Tsh Receptor.

ABSTRACT: The vertebrate photoperiodic neuroendocrine system uses the photoperiod as a proxy to time the annual rhythms in reproduction. The thyrotropin receptor (TSHR) is a key protein in the mammalian seasonal reproduction pathway. Its abundance and function can tune sensitivity to the photoperiod. To investigate seasonal adaptation in mammals, the hinge region and the first part of the transmembrane domain of the Tshr gene were sequenced for 278 common vole (Microtus arvalis) specimens from 15 localities in Western Europe and 28 localities in Eastern Europe. Forty-nine single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs; twenty-two intronic and twenty-seven exonic) were found, with a weak or lack of correlation with pairwise geographical distance, latitude, longitude, and altitude. By applying a

SUBMITTER: van Rosmalen L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9957289 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature