Genetic basis of ruminant headgear and rapid antler regeneration

• Published in: Science
• Main Authors: Wang, Yu, Zhang, Chenzhou, Wang, Nini, Li, Zhipeng, Heller, Rasmus, Liu, Rong, Zhao, Yue, Han, Jiangang, Pan, Xiangyu, Zheng, Zhuqing, Dai, Xueqin, Chen, Ceshi, Dou, Mingle, Peng, Shujun, Chen, Xianqing, Liu, Jing, Li, Ming, Wang, Kun, Liu, Chang, Lin, Zeshan, Chen, Lei, Hao, Fei, Zhu, Wenbo, Song, Chengchuang, Zhao, Chen, Zheng, Chengli, Wang, Jianming, Hu, Shengwei, Li, Cunyuan, Yang, Hui, Jiang, Lin, Li, Guangyu, Liu, Mingjun, Sonstegard, Tad S., Zhang, Guojie, Jiang, Yu, Wang, Wen, Qiu, Qiang
• Other Authors: Natural Science Foundation of Jilin Province, National Natural Science Foundation of China, National Program for Support of Top-notch Young Professionals, Strategic Priority Research Program of CAS, Talents Team Construction Fund of Northwestern Polytechnical University, 1000 Talent Project of Shaanxi Province, National Thousand Youth Talents Plan, Villum Foundation Young Investigator, Central Public-interest Scientific Institution Basal Research Fund, Special Fund for Basic Scientific Research of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) 2019
• Subjects: Arctic
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.aav6335; https://syndication.highwire.org/content/doi/10.1126/science.aav6335; https://www.science.org/doi/pdf/10.1126/science.aav6335

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