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Phylogenomic analyses reveal a molecular signature linked to subterranean adaptation in rodents

Overview of attention for article published in BMC Ecology and Evolution, December 2015
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Title
Phylogenomic analyses reveal a molecular signature linked to subterranean adaptation in rodents
Published in
BMC Ecology and Evolution, December 2015
DOI 10.1186/s12862-015-0564-1
Pubmed ID
Authors

Kang Du, Liandong Yang, Shunping He

Abstract

Genome-wide signatures of convergent evolution are widely expected but rarely revealed in animals. Subterranean rodent genome and transcriptome data produced by next-generation sequencing facilitate the use of phylogenetic methods to infer non-synonymous and synonymous substitution rates within coding regions, which can reveal changes at the molecular level that are correlated with the dramatic shift from a terrestrial to subterranean habitat. Our study used previously sequenced genome or transcriptome data of two subterranean rodents, the blind mole rat and naked mole rat, and their terrestrial relatives, the mouse and guinea pig, to investigate the genetic basis of rodent subterranean adaptation. An analysis of 4996 orthologous genes revealed that the substitution pace of coding sequences was significantly slower in the blind mole rat than in the mouse, and slower in the naked mole rat than in the guinea pig. The dN/dS ratio was significantly higher in the blind mole rat than in the mouse and in the naked mole rat than in the guinea pig. These patterns are most likely related to the longer generation time and lower effective population size of subterranean rodents caused by subterranean ecological constraints. We also identified some genes and gene ontology (GO) categories that might be candidates for adaptation to subterranean life. Our study reveals a case of subterranean convergent evolution in rodents that is correlated with change in the pace and mode of molecular evolution observed at the genome scale. We believe that this genomic signature could have also evolved in other cases of subterranean convergence. Additionally, the genes that displayed the most radical changes in their patterns of evolution and their associated GO categories provide a strong basis for further comparative and functional studies, and potentially reveal molecular signatures of adaptation to subterranean life.

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X Demographics

The data shown below were collected from the profiles of 3 X users who shared this research output. Click here to find out more about how the information was compiled.
Mendeley readers

Mendeley readers

The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 51 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.

Geographical breakdown

Country Count As %
Brazil 1 2%
Unknown 50 98%

Demographic breakdown

Readers by professional status Count As %
Student > Ph. D. Student 7 14%
Researcher 7 14%
Student > Master 7 14%
Student > Doctoral Student 6 12%
Student > Bachelor 5 10%
Other 10 20%
Unknown 9 18%
Readers by discipline Count As %
Agricultural and Biological Sciences 20 39%
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology 13 25%
Medicine and Dentistry 4 8%
Environmental Science 2 4%
Immunology and Microbiology 1 2%
Other 1 2%
Unknown 10 20%
Attention Score in Context

Attention Score in Context

This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 2. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 26 December 2015.
All research outputs
#16,722,190
of 25,374,917 outputs
Outputs from BMC Ecology and Evolution
#2,818
of 3,714 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#227,716
of 394,040 outputs
Outputs of similar age from BMC Ecology and Evolution
#57
of 78 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 25,374,917 research outputs across all sources so far. This one is in the 32nd percentile – i.e., 32% of other outputs scored the same or lower than it.
So far Altmetric has tracked 3,714 research outputs from this source. They typically receive a lot more attention than average, with a mean Attention Score of 12.5. This one is in the 21st percentile – i.e., 21% of its peers scored the same or lower than it.
Older research outputs will score higher simply because they've had more time to accumulate mentions. To account for age we can compare this Altmetric Attention Score to the 394,040 tracked outputs that were published within six weeks on either side of this one in any source. This one is in the 39th percentile – i.e., 39% of its contemporaries scored the same or lower than it.
We're also able to compare this research output to 78 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one is in the 21st percentile – i.e., 21% of its contemporaries scored the same or lower than it.