Cited by 241Genomics and Phylogenetic StudiesEvolution and Paleontology StudiesChromosomal and Genetic Variations

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A genomics approach reveals insights into the importance of gene losses for mammalian adaptations

Open access
Sharma, Virag, Hecker, Nikolai, Roscito, Juliana G., Foerster, Leo, Langer, Bjoern E., Hiller, Michael·2018·Nature Communications

Abstract

Identifying the genomic changes that underlie phenotypic adaptations is a key challenge in evolutionary biology and genomics. Loss of protein-coding genes is one type of genomic change with the potential to affect phenotypic evolution. Here, we develop a genomics approach to accurately detect gene losses and investigate their importance for adaptive evolution in mammals. We discover a number of gene losses that likely contributed to morphological, physiological, and metabolic adaptations in aquatic and flying mammals. These gene losses shed light on possible molecular and cellular mechanisms that underlie these adaptive phenotypes. In addition, we show that gene loss events that occur as a consequence of relaxed selection following adaptation provide novel insights into species’ biology. Our results suggest that gene loss is an evolutionary mechanism for adaptation that may be more widespread than previously anticipated. Hence, investigating gene losses has great potential to reveal the genomic basis underlying macroevolutionary changes.

Overview

AI snapshot

Written from the paper’s full text.

TL;DR

The paper develops a comparative-genomics pipeline to detect gene losses across 62 placental mammals and argues that gene loss can both contribute to and result from adaptive phenotypic evolution. It reports novel losses linked to cetacean skin, sperm whale diving/diet, fruit bat renal/metabolic adaptations, and convergent losses in enamel-less, scaly, and fully aquatic lineages.

Key findings

  • The pipeline was applied to 62 placental mammals and 19,425 human genes; tested on 13,486 conserved genes, it incorrectly inferred loss for ≤0.33% (32–45) of them.
  • Cetaceans lost epidermis/hair-related genes GSDMA, DSG4, DSC1, and TGM5, with ALOXE3 lost later; these losses may explain thicker epidermis, hair loss, and high stratum corneum shedding. Sperm whales lost AMPD3, whose mouse knockout increases erythrocyte ATP threefold, potentially improving O2 release for dives of 40–60 min to >400 m; BCO1 loss is likely a consequence of a squid/vitamin A-rich, beta-carotene-poor diet.
  • Fruit bats lost renal transporters SLC22A12, SLC2A9, SLC22A6, RHBG, and AQP6 plus metabolic genes FFAR3, FAM3B, FATP6/SLC27A6, MOGAT2, FABP6, and APMAP (11 genes in Fig. 4), suggesting adaptations for excreting excess water/potassium while preserving sodium and for using sugar as a major energy source.
  • Convergent losses included MMP20 and C4orf26 plus novel ACP4 in enamel-less mammals, DDB2 in armadillo and pangolin, and KLK8 and MMP12 in cetaceans and manatees; MMP12 loss may contribute to explosive exhalation, which renews ~90% of air in a single breath.

Methods

  • Comparative genomics used human hg38/Ensembl 90 annotation and whole-genome alignments to 62 placental mammals, searching for frameshifting indels, premature stop codons, splice-site disruptions, and exon/gene deletions. Filters addressed assembly gaps, conserved synteny, CESAR re-alignment, APPRIS isoforms, and terminal 20% of proteins; loss candidates required %intact <60% and inactivating mutations in ≥20% of exons (or ≥2 mutations for single-exon transcripts).
  • Gene losses were validated with unassembled SRA/trace reads requiring ≥10 exact-match raw reads; functional interpretation used GO, MGI mouse knockouts, HPO/OMIM, and InterPro. Loss dates were estimated with Ka/Ks and TimeTree divergence times.
  • A new forward-genomics variant used %intact and phylogenetic generalized least squares (pGLS) to find genes preferentially lost in independent lineages sharing derived phenotypes, selecting genes with p < 10⁻⁶.

Limitations

  • Stated: more research is necessary to validate whether adaptation by gene loss applies to complex multicellular organisms, not only bacteria; some species had missing data preventing %intact computation; the ACP4 mutation lacked unassembled sequencing reads for validation.
  • Stated/evident: causal claims often rely on mouse knockout phenotypes, human disease associations, and dating rather than direct functional experiments in the studied mammals; DDB2 loss timing in armadillo is not well understood.
  • Evident: custom scripts and generated datasets are available only on request from the corresponding author, limiting reproducibility.

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Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1038/s41467-018-03667-1

Cites

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Statistics

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Figures

Fig. 1 Genomics approach to detect gene loss events. a The different steps address a number of challenges related to assembly and alignment issues, and evolutionary changes in gene structures. b Applied to 13,486 human genes that have annotated 1:1 orthologs in mouse, rat, cow, and dog, these steps systematically reduce the number of conserved genes that have inactivating mutations. A total of 85–91% of the genes remaining after step 7 had inactivating mutations only in a single exon that is not entirely conserved (Supplementary Figs. 10 and 11). This shows that mutations in an individual exon of an otherwise-conserved gene is not sufficient to infer gene loss. By requiring that inactivating mutations occur in multiple exons and that less than 60% of the reading frame remains intact, our approach misclassifies ≤0.3% of 13,486 conserved genes as lost
Fig. 1 Genomics approach to detect gene loss events. a The different steps address a number of challenges related to assembly and alignment issues, and evolutionary changes in gene structures. b Applied to 13,486 human genes that have annotated 1:1 orthologs in mouse, rat, cow, and dog, these steps systematically reduce the number of conserved genes that have inactivating mutations. A total of 85–91% of the genes remaining after step 7 had inactivating mutations only in a single exon that is not entirely conserved (Supplementary Figs. 10 and 11). This shows that mutations in an individual exon of an otherwise-conserved gene is not sufficient to infer gene loss. By requiring that inactivating mutations occur in multiple exons and that less than 60% of the reading frame remains intact, our approach misclassifies ≤0.3% of 13,486 conserved genes as lostCC BY · PubMed Central
Fig. 2 Adaptations of the cetacean epidermis to the aquatic environment. The figure shows genes with hair- and epidermis-related functions that are specifically lost in cetaceans. The expression pattern of these genes in the skin is shown as gray lines and boxes (expression gradients are indicated). Mice in which these genes are knocked out show epidermal phenotypes that strongly resemble morphological adaptations of the cetacean skin. Since the loss of DSG4, DSC1, TGM5, and GSDMA coincided with a period during which epidermal adaptations evolved in cetaceans (Supplementary Note 1, Supplementary Figs. 14–17, and Supplementary Table 5), these gene losses could have played a causal role in the remodeling of cetacean epidermis. The cetacean-specific loss of ALOXE3, an atypical lipoxygenase that is important for skin barrier function, happened after the split of the baleen and toothed whale lineage (Supplementary Fig. 18 and Supplementary Table 5) and is thus presumably a consequence of epidermal adaptations in these lineages
Fig. 2 Adaptations of the cetacean epidermis to the aquatic environment. The figure shows genes with hair- and epidermis-related functions that are specifically lost in cetaceans. The expression pattern of these genes in the skin is shown as gray lines and boxes (expression gradients are indicated). Mice in which these genes are knocked out show epidermal phenotypes that strongly resemble morphological adaptations of the cetacean skin. Since the loss of DSG4, DSC1, TGM5, and GSDMA coincided with a period during which epidermal adaptations evolved in cetaceans (Supplementary Note 1, Supplementary Figs. 14–17, and Supplementary Table 5), these gene losses could have played a causal role in the remodeling of cetacean epidermis. The cetacean-specific loss of ALOXE3, an atypical lipoxygenase that is important for skin barrier function, happened after the split of the baleen and toothed whale lineage (Supplementary Fig. 18 and Supplementary Table 5) and is thus presumably a consequence of epidermal adaptations in these lineagesCC BY · PubMed Central
Fig. 3 Diving and dietary adaptations in sperm whales. The loss of AMPD3 (red, Supplementary Fig. 19) is likely an adaptation to the extreme diving ability of sperm whales. AMPD3 deaminates adenosine monophosphate (AMP) to inosine monophosphate (IMP) in erythrocytes. AMPD3 loss increases the level of ATP (an allosteric hemoglobin effector), which facilitates O2 release, as illustrated by the O2-hemoglobin dissociation curve (wildtype, black; AMPD3 knockout, red28). In contrast, the loss of the vitamin A synthesizing enzyme BCO1 (blue, Supplementary Fig. 20) in sperm whales is likely a consequence of relaxed selection after sperm whales adapted to their specialized diet that mainly consists of vitamin A-rich but beta-carotene poor squid. The absence of its substrate (beta-carotene) likely made this enzyme obsolete, leading to the loss of BCO1
Fig. 3 Diving and dietary adaptations in sperm whales. The loss of AMPD3 (red, Supplementary Fig. 19) is likely an adaptation to the extreme diving ability of sperm whales. AMPD3 deaminates adenosine monophosphate (AMP) to inosine monophosphate (IMP) in erythrocytes. AMPD3 loss increases the level of ATP (an allosteric hemoglobin effector), which facilitates O2 release, as illustrated by the O2-hemoglobin dissociation curve (wildtype, black; AMPD3 knockout, red28). In contrast, the loss of the vitamin A synthesizing enzyme BCO1 (blue, Supplementary Fig. 20) in sperm whales is likely a consequence of relaxed selection after sperm whales adapted to their specialized diet that mainly consists of vitamin A-rich but beta-carotene poor squid. The absence of its substrate (beta-carotene) likely made this enzyme obsolete, leading to the loss of BCO1CC BY · PubMed Central
Fig. 4 Renal and metabolic adaptations in frugivorous bats. A number of renal transporter genes (red, left side) that are specifically lost in fruit bats (large and black flying foxes) reduce urine osmolality in a mouse knockout. Thus, these gene losses likely contribute to the ability of fruit bats to efficiently excrete excess dietary water. Losses of metabolic genes (red, right side) are likely adaptive by improving the processing of the sugar-rich fruit juice. In contrast, gene losses shown in blue are probably a consequence of adapting to the frugivorous diet. These genes provide new insights into the metabolism of bats and corroborate the strong dependence of internal organs on using sugar as the main energy source. Please see Supplementary Figs. 21–31 for the inactivating mutations in these 11 genes
Fig. 4 Renal and metabolic adaptations in frugivorous bats. A number of renal transporter genes (red, left side) that are specifically lost in fruit bats (large and black flying foxes) reduce urine osmolality in a mouse knockout. Thus, these gene losses likely contribute to the ability of fruit bats to efficiently excrete excess dietary water. Losses of metabolic genes (red, right side) are likely adaptive by improving the processing of the sugar-rich fruit juice. In contrast, gene losses shown in blue are probably a consequence of adapting to the frugivorous diet. These genes provide new insights into the metabolism of bats and corroborate the strong dependence of internal organs on using sugar as the main energy source. Please see Supplementary Figs. 21–31 for the inactivating mutations in these 11 genesCC BY · PubMed Central
Fig. 5 Convergent gene losses and repeated phenotypic adaptations. a Phylogenetic tree showing the independent lineages that share a derived phenotype (loss of teeth or enamel, body armor in the form of scales, fully aquatic lifestyle). b A new Forward Genomics method discovered genes that are preferentially lost in mammals with the derived phenotype (red dots) compared to other mammals (blue dots). The panel shows the maximum percentage of the intact reading frame of these genes in each species and summarizes gene function (see also main text, Supplementary Notes 6–8 and Supplementary Figs. 33–35). ACP4 has a %intact reading frame value of 86% in the Tibetan antelope (blue dot); however, no unassembled sequencing reads are available to validate the mutation. For some species, we could not compute the maximum intact reading frame due to missing data, therefore the total number of evaluated species slightly differs per gene (Supplementary Tables 6–8)
Fig. 5 Convergent gene losses and repeated phenotypic adaptations. a Phylogenetic tree showing the independent lineages that share a derived phenotype (loss of teeth or enamel, body armor in the form of scales, fully aquatic lifestyle). b A new Forward Genomics method discovered genes that are preferentially lost in mammals with the derived phenotype (red dots) compared to other mammals (blue dots). The panel shows the maximum percentage of the intact reading frame of these genes in each species and summarizes gene function (see also main text, Supplementary Notes 6–8 and Supplementary Figs. 33–35). ACP4 has a %intact reading frame value of 86% in the Tibetan antelope (blue dot); however, no unassembled sequencing reads are available to validate the mutation. For some species, we could not compute the maximum intact reading frame due to missing data, therefore the total number of evaluated species slightly differs per gene (Supplementary Tables 6–8)CC BY · PubMed Central

Verification

Claims the paper makes

40 Own interpretation · 14 No full text of the sources · 11 Supported · 11 Own result · 9 No basis given · 8 Partly supported · 7 Own method · 3 Supported so far · 1 Couldn’t confirm · 1 Sources not found · accuracy not yet measured

Show all 61 claims

  • Probably not a substantial claim. 16
  • It may state two separate claims as one. 29
44 of 44
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    A gene loss that predates or coincides with the evolution of an adaptive phenotype and whose knockout phenotype resembles that phenotype likely contributed to the adaptation.

    “If a gene loss event contributed to an adaptation, we expect that loss-of-function mutations introduced in a related model organism result in phenotypes that are highly similar to the naturally occurring adaptive phenotype and that the age of the gene loss coincides with a period during which this adaptation evolved.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Mouse knockout phenotypes for a gene reflect the phenotypic consequences of its loss in the natural species.

    “Mice in which GSDMA, DSG4, or DSC1 are knocked out exhibit key aspects of the cetacean skin morphology, in particular a thicker epidermis and loss of hair.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The timing of gene loss relative to the evolution of an adaptive phenotype can distinguish whether the loss contributed to or was a consequence of the adaptation.

    “Based on the following rationale, we distinguished between gene losses that may have contributed to an adaptation and those that are likely a consequence of the evolution of an adaptive phenotype.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Big insertions or deletions (indels) are rare in conserved genes.

    “Since big insertions or deletions (indels) are rare in conserved genes, we also considered frame-preserving indels longer than 50 bp as an inactivating mutation.”
  • The authors state this as an assumption.

    A gene evolved under a selective pressure similar to that in other species until it was inactivated.

    “this approach makes the assumption that a gene evolved under a selective pressure similar to that in other species until it was inactivated.”
  • The authors state this as an assumption.

    After the loss, the gene evolves neutrally and accumulates synonymous and non-synonymous mutations at an equal rate.

    “After the loss, the gene is assumed to evolve neutrally and should accumulate synonymous and non-synonymous mutations at an equal rate.”
6 of 6

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Citations

Cites

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Research works printed but not linked: 1

  1. von Koenigswald, W., Richter, G. & Storch, G. Nachweis von Hornschuppen bei Eomanis waldi aus der “Grube Messe!” bei Darmstadt (Mammalia, Pholidota). Senckenberg. lethaea 61, 291–298 (1981).

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Metadata

Authors
Sharma, V., Hecker, N., Roscito, J. G., Foerster, L., Langer, B. E., & Hiller, M.
Affiliations
Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems (DE)
Corresponding author
Hiller, Michael
Venue
Nature Communications
Published
2018-03-23
Volume
9
Issue
1
Pages
1215-1215
ISSN
2041-1723 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2790517927
Cited by
237
References
74
Citations by year
2026: 13 · 2025: 20 · 2024: 32 · 2023: 27 · 2022: 33 · 2021: 43 · 2020: 25 · 2019: 32 · 2018: 10
FWCI
9.78
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Nature Communications (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • Max Planck Digital Library (submittedVersion)
  • MPG.PuRe (Max Planck Society) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (HI 1423/3-1)
  • Max-Planck-Gesellschaft (SAW-2016-SGN-2)
  • Max-Planck-Institut für Physik Komplexer Systeme
  • Leibniz-Gemeinschaft (SAW‐2016‐SGN‐2)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Genomics and Phylogenetic Studies
  • Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Paleontology › Evolution and Paleontology Studies
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Chromosomal and Genetic Variations
Keywords
gene loss, adaptive evolution, mammalian evolution, aquatic mammals, flying mammals, relaxed selection, phenotypic adaptation, morphological adaptation, metabolic adaptation, protein-coding genes, macroevolution
MeSH terms
Adaptation, Physiological, Animals, Cattle, Cetacea, Chiroptera, Dogs, Epidermis, Biological Evolution, Mutation, Phenotype, Phylogeny, Species Specificity, Genome, Evolution, Molecular, Genomics, Biodiversity, Sperm Whale, Mice, Rats

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