Large-scale ruminant genome sequencing provides insights into their evolution and distinct traits

• Published in: Science
• Main Authors: Chen, Lei, Qiu, Qiang, Jiang, Yu, Wang, Kun, Lin, Zeshan, Li, Zhipeng, Bibi, Faysal, Yang, Yongzhi, Wang, Jinhuan, Nie, Wenhui, Su, Weiting, Liu, Guichun, Li, Qiye, Fu, Weiwei, Pan, Xiangyu, Liu, Chang, Yang, Jie, Zhang, Chenzhou, Yin, Yuan, Wang, Yu, Zhao, Yue, Zhang, Chen, Wang, Zhongkai, Qin, Yanli, Liu, Wei, Wang, Bao, Ren, Yandong, Zhang, Ru, Zeng, Yan, da Fonseca, Rute R., Wei, Bin, Li, Ran, Wan, Wenting, Zhao, Ruoping, Zhu, Wenbo, Wang, Yutao, Duan, Shengchang, Gao, Yun, Zhang, Yong E., Chen, Chunyan, Hvilsom, Christina, Epps, Clinton W., Chemnick, Leona G., Dong, Yang, Mirarab, Siavash, Siegismund, Hans Redlef, Ryder, Oliver A., Gilbert, M. Thomas P., Lewin, Harris A., Zhang, Guojie
• Other Authors: National Natural Science Foundation of China, Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, National Program for Support of Top-notch Young Professionals, Lundbeck Fellowship, Carlsberg Foundation, 1000 Talent Project of Shaanxi Province, Strategic Priority Research Program of CAS, Talents Team Construction Fund of Northwestern Polytechnical University, Villum Foundation Young Investigator, Central Public-interest Scientific Institution Basal Research Fund, Villum Investigator Grant, Danish National Research Foundation for its support of the Center for Macroecology, Evolution, and Climate, Natural science foundation from Jilin province
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) 2019
• Subjects: Arctic
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aav6202; https://syndication.highwire.org/content/doi/10.1126/science.aav6202; https://www.science.org/doi/pdf/10.1126/science.aav6202

Phylogeny and characteristics of ruminants Ruminants are a diverse group of mammals that includes families containing well-known taxa such as deer, cows, and goats. However, their evolutionary relationships have been contentious, as have the origins of their distinctive digestive systems and headgear, including antlers and horns (see the Perspective by Ker and Yang). To understand the relationships among ruminants, L. Chen et al. sequenced 44 species representing 6 families and performed a phylogenetic analysis. From this analysis, they were able to resolve the phylogeny of many genera and document incomplete lineage sorting among major clades. Interestingly, they found evidence for large population reductions among many taxa starting at approximately 100,000 years ago, coinciding with the migration of humans out of Africa. Examining the bony appendages on the head—the so-called headgear—Wang et al. describe specific evolutionary changes in the ruminants and identify selection on cancer-related genes that may function in antler development in deer. Finally, Lin et al. take a close look at the reindeer genome and identify the genetic basis of adaptations that allow reindeer to survive in the harsh conditions of the Arctic. Science , this issue p. eaav6202 , p. eaav6335 , p. eaav6312 see also p. 1130