Cristóbal Uribe, Mariana F. Nery, Kattina Zavala, Gonzalo A. Mardones, Gonzalo Riadi & Juan C. OpazoPlease use the format "First name initials family name" as in "Marie S. Curie, Niels H. D. Bohr, Albert Einstein, John R. R. Tolkien, Donna T. Strickland"
<p>Cetaceans could be seen as a natural experiment within the tree of life in which a mammalian lineage changed from terrestrial to aquatic habitats. This shift involved extensive phenotypic modifications, which represent an opportunity to explore the genetic bases of phenotypic diversity. Furthermore, the availability of whole genome sequences in representative species of all main cetacean groups means that we are in a golden age for such studies. Among the different molecular systems that maintain cellular homeostasis, ion channels are crucial for the proper physiological functioning of all living species. This study aims to explore the evolution of ion channels during the evolutionary history of cetaceans. To do so, we created a bioinformatic pipeline to annotate the repertoire of ion channels in the genome of the species included in our sampling. Our main results show that cetaceans have on average, fewer protein-coding genes and a higher percentage of annotated ion channels than non-cetacean mammals. Signals of positive selection were detected in ion channels related to the heart, locomotion, visual and neurological phenotypes. Interestingly, we predict that the NaV1.5 ion channel of most toothed whales (odontocetes) is sensitive to tetrodotoxin (TTX), similar to NaV1.7, given the presence of tyrosine instead of cysteine, in a specific position of the ion channel. Finally, the gene turnover rate of the cetacean crown group is more than three times faster than non-cetacean mammals. </p>
NaV1.5, SCN5A, TTX, PKD1L1, gene turnover
Michael McGowen [1mmcgowen1@gmail.com], Andrea Cabrera [andrea.cabrera@sund.ku.dk], Andrew Foote [andrew.foote@ntnu.no], Philip Morin [philip.morin@noaa.gov], David E. Clapham [claphamd@hhmi.org], Marc Tollis [marc.tollis@nau.edu], Andrew Foote [andrew.foote@ntnu.no] suggested: Apologies, Gavin, this is a bit outside my area of expertise. I'd suggest John Gatesy, although I don't have a contact email to hand., John Gatesy suggested: Mark Springer mark.springer@ucr.edu
No need for them to be recommenders of PCI Genomics. Please do not suggest reviewers for whom there might be a conflict of interest. Reviewers are not allowed to review preprints written by close colleagues (with whom they have published in the last four years, with whom they have received joint funding in the last four years, or with whom they are currently writing a manuscript, or submitting a grant proposal), or by family members, friends, or anyone for whom bias might affect the nature of the review - see the code of conduct
