Editorial Material
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Matt Friedman
Summary: Scarce evidence suggests that important evolutionary developments for jawed vertebrates may have taken place during or prior to the Silurian period. Fossil discoveries unveil insights into this particular interval.
Review
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Yorgui Santiago-Andres, Matan Golan, Tatiana Fiordelisio
Summary: The pituitary gland, a master endocrine gland in vertebrates, has recently been found to consist of tightly wired large-scale networks of cells that communicate with each other in homo and heterotypic manners, optimizing hormone pulse generation in response to changing physiological demands. The development of 3D imaging methods and transgenic models has allowed for further research into functional pituitary networks across different vertebrate classes.
FRONTIERS IN ENDOCRINOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Andrea Baucon, Annalisa Ferretti, Chiara Fioroni, Luca Pandolfi, Enrico Serpagli, Armando Piccinini, Carlos Neto de Carvalho, Mario Cachao, Thomas Linley, Fernando Muniz, Zain Belaustegui, Alan Jamieson, Girolamo Lo Russo, Filippo Guerrini, Sara Ferrando, Imants Priede
Summary: This study reveals that fish have been inhabiting the deep seafloor since the Early Cretaceous, using various techniques to feed on prey. These findings shed light on the evolutionary history of deep-seafloor fishes and the availability of new food sources in the deep sea.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Review
Ecology
M. E. McNamara, V Rossi, T. S. Slater, C. S. Rogers, A-L Ducrest, S. Dubey, A. Roulin
Summary: This study integrates fossil data with current understanding of melanin function, biochemistry, and genetics to identify potential genomic controls on melanin evolution. Taxonomic trends in the anatomical location, geometry, and chemistry of vertebrate melanosomes are linked to the evolution of endothermy, suggesting fundamental links between melanization and vertebrate ecology. Tissue-specific and taxonomic trends in melanin chemistry support evidence for evolutionary tradeoffs between function and cytotoxicity.
TRENDS IN ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Biology
Diyan Li, Mengnan He, Qianzi Tang, Shilin Tian, Jiaman Zhang, Yan Li, Danyang Wang, Long Jin, Chunyou Ning, Wei Zhu, Silu Hu, Keren Long, Jideng Ma, Jing Liu, Zhihua Zhang, Mingzhou Li
Summary: The three-dimensional architecture of the genome plays a crucial role in gene expression regulation and conservation across species. This study compares the 3D genomes of fish, chickens, and 10 mammalian species, and reveals that genome size and chromosome length influence the higher hierarchical organization of the genome, while local transcriptional availability is selected through vertebrate evolution. Additionally, conservation of topologically associating domains is associated with modularity of expression profiles, and LINE and SINE transposable elements contribute to heterochromatin and euchromatin organization during genome evolution.
Editorial Material
Biology
Thomas F. Schilling, Pierre Le Pabic
Summary: A newly discovered enhancer region may have played a key role in the evolution of vertebrates' ability to open and close their jaws.
Review
Cell Biology
Kornsorn Srikulnath, Syed Farhan Ahmad, Worapong Singchat, Thitipong Panthum
Summary: Vertebrates, with over 70,000 living species, play a significant role in biology and research, especially in the study of karyotype evolution. The mysterious presence of microchromosomes in many vertebrate karyotypes raises questions about their evolutionary origins and unique genome structure characteristics. Recent studies have shed light on the high gene densities, low heterochromatin levels, and high recombination rates of microchromosomes, expanding our understanding of karyotype evolution dynamics.
Editorial Material
Genetics & Heredity
Laurie A. Graham, Peter L. Davies
Summary: The recent assembly of the herring genome suggests that the fish acquired its antifreeze protein gene through horizontal transfer and passed a copy on to the smelt. This direction of gene transfer is confirmed by accompanying transposable elements and the breakage of gene synteny.
TRENDS IN GENETICS
(2021)
Review
Urology & Nephrology
Akira Nishiyama, Kento Kitada, Miwa Suzuki
Summary: The cardiovascular systems of terrestrial vertebrates have evolved with strong hearts and high blood pressure to cope with dryness and gravity. However, modern humans rarely utilize these evolved high levels of physical functions. Understanding the ways blood pressure adjustments have occurred in vertebrate evolution is crucial for adaptation to new environments.
KIDNEY INTERNATIONAL
(2022)
Review
Cell Biology
Carmen Falcone
Summary: The central nervous system (CNS) in vertebrates exhibits incredible diversity at multiple levels. Astrocytes, a type of glial cell, play a crucial role in regulating various features of the CNS, but their definition and research in vertebrates are still limited. This article elucidates the current understanding of astrocytes and astrocyte-like cells in vertebrates, expanding our knowledge of their evolution and relevance to the structure and function of the vertebrate brain.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Orlando B. Giorgetti, Prashant Shingate, Connor P. O'Meara, Vydianathan Ravi, Nisha E. Pillai, Boon-Hui Tay, Aravind Prasad, Norimasa Iwanami, Heok Hui Tan, Michael Schorpp, Byrappa Venkatesh, Thomas Boehm
Summary: The structure of antigen receptor repertoires in vertebrates exhibits self-similarity regardless of body size, with minifish achieving immunocompetence through robust scale-free networks composed of thousands of lymphocytes. This ensures immune reactivity even when cells are lost or clone sizes fluctuate during immune responses.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sarah Z. Dungan, Belinda S. W. Chang
Summary: This study reconstructs and experiments on the light-activation metrics of rhodopsin pigments in the eyes of cetaceans, revealing significant changes in their visual system during the evolution from terrestrial to aquatic environments. The findings show a blue-shift in the spectral sensitivity of cetaceans' vision and an increased decay rate of light-activated rhodopsin. These transitions may be related to cetaceans' adaptation to deep-diving underwater environments.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Lucie A. Bergeron, Soren Besenbacher, Jiao Zheng, Panyi Li, Mads Frost Bertelsen, Benoit Quintard, Joseph I. Hoffman, Zhipeng Li, Judy St Leger, Changwei Shao, Josefin Stiller, M. Thomas P. Gilbert, Mikkel H. Schierup, Guojie Zhang
Summary: We sequenced and compared high-coverage genomes of 151 parent-offspring trios from 68 species of vertebrates and found that the per-generation mutation rate varies greatly among species, with males having higher rates than females in mammals and birds. We identified generation time, age at maturity, and species-level fecundity as key factors influencing this variation. Species with larger long-term effective population sizes tend to have lower mutation rates, supporting the drift barrier hypothesis. Domesticated animals with shorter generation times display exceptionally high yearly mutation rates, emphasizing the importance of generation time in mutation rate evolution.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Alejandro Gil-Galvez, Sandra Jimenez-Gancedo, Alberto Perez-Posada, Martin Franke, Rafael D. Acemel, Che-Yi Lin, Cindy Chou, Yi-Hsien Su, Jr-Kai Yu, Stephanie Bertrand, Michael Schubert, Hector Escriva, Juan J. Tena, Jose Luis Gomez-Skarmeta
Summary: This study suggests that the increased interconnectivity between signaling pathways and gene regulatory networks in vertebrates may have played a critical role in the origins of new cell types and morphological novelties.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Matthew B. Toomey, Cristiana Marques, Pedro M. Araujo, Delai Huang, Siqiong Zhong, Yu Liu, Gretchen D. Schreiner, Connie A. Myers, Paulo Pereira, Sandra Afonso, Pedro Andrade, Malgorzata A. Gazda, Ricardo J. Lopes, Ivan Viegas, Rebecca E. Koch, Maureen E. Haynes, Dustin J. Smith, Yohey Ogawa, Daniel Murphy, Rachel E. Kopec, David M. Parichy, Miguel Carneiro, Joseph C. Corbo
Summary: This study reveals the mechanism of red color production in vertebrates and identifies the crucial roles of two enzymes and one protein.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Rosie Drinkwater, Ida Baerholm Schnell, Kristine Bohmann, Henry Bernard, Geraldine Veron, Elizabeth Clare, M. Thomas P. Gilbert, Stephen J. Rossiter
MOLECULAR ECOLOGY RESOURCES
(2019)
Article
Ecology
Rosie Drinkwater, Joseph Williamson, Tom Swinfield, Nicolas J. Deere, Matthew J. Struebig, Elizabeth L. Clare, David Coomes, Stephen J. Rossiter
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Brandon P. Hedrick, Gregory L. Mutumi, V. David Munteanu, Alexa Sadier, Kalina T. J. Davies, Stephen J. Rossiter, Karen E. Sears, Liliana M. Davalos, Elizabeth Dumont
JOURNAL OF MAMMALIAN EVOLUTION
(2020)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Chunzheng He, Yujia Wei, Yubo Zhu, Yu Xia, David M. Irwin, Yang Liu
JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR EVOLUTION
(2019)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Francisco Amorim, Orly Razgour, Vanessa A. Mata, Susana Lopes, Raquel Godinho, Carlos Ibanez, Javier Juste, Stephen J. Rossiter, Pedro Beja, Hugo Rebelo
JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGICAL SYSTEMATICS AND EVOLUTIONARY RESEARCH
(2020)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Laurel R. Yohe, Kalina T. J. Davies, Nancy B. Simmons, Karen E. Sears, Elizabeth R. Dumont, Stephen J. Rossiter, Liliana M. Davalos
MOLECULAR ECOLOGY RESOURCES
(2020)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Michael R. McGowen, Georgia Tsagkogeorga, Sandra Alvarez-Carretero, Mario dos Reis, Monika Struebig, Robert Deaville, Paul D. Jepson, Simon Jarman, Andrea Polanowski, Phillip A. Morin, Stephen J. Rossiter
SYSTEMATIC BIOLOGY
(2020)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Hai Chi, Yimeng Cui, Stephen J. Rossiter, Yang Liu
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2020)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Joshua H. T. Potter, Rosie Drinkwater, Kalina T. J. Davies, Nicolas Nesi, Marisa C. W. Lim, Laurel R. Yohe, Hai Chi, Xiaoqing Zhang, Ilya Levantis, Burton K. Lim, Christopher C. Witt, Georgia Tsagkogeorga, Mario dos Reis, Yang Liu, William Furey, Matthew J. Whitley, Dunja Aksentijevic, Liliana M. Davalos, Stephen J. Rossiter
Summary: This study analyzed gene sequences from 22 nectar-feeding bat and bird genera, revealing pervasive molecular adaptation in sugar catabolism pathways and parallel selection in key enzymes. Convergent amino acid substitutions were also found in evolutionarily conserved proteins, associated with increased respiratory flux.
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Xiaoqing Zhang, Hai Chi, Gang Li, David M. Irwin, Shuyi Zhang, Stephen J. Rossiter, Yang Liu
Summary: This study investigates the evolution of g-type lysozymes across over 250 mammals, revealing widespread losses of either Lyg 1 or Lyg2 in several divergent taxa. Extensive losses of both gene copies are reported in cetaceans and sirenians, with a possible parallel loss in tarsiers. Despite these losses, intact g-type lysozyme genes show stronger purifying selection compared to c-type lysozymes, suggesting conserved function. The evolutionary loss of g-type lysozymes in fully aquatic mammals may be related to their hairlessness, with Lyg2 gene becoming obsolete due to the absence of body hair.
GENOME BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yu Xia, Yimeng Cui, Aishan Wang, Fangnan Liu, Hai Chi, Joshua H. T. Potter, Joseph Williamson, Xiaolan Chen, Stephen J. Rossiter, Yang Liu
Summary: Research shows that deep-diving vertebrates have undergone convergent increases in retinal release rate in their rhodopsin pigments, allowing their visual systems to adjust quickly to changing light levels. Comparison of gene sequences and mutagenesis experiments found parallel amino acids between penguins and diving mammals, with a critical residue explaining the observed increases in retinal release rate.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Xin Guo, Yimeng Cui, David M. M. Irwin, Yang Liu
Summary: Arrestins play a crucial role in the signaling of light-sensation in retinal photoreceptor cells. The evolution of arrestins in deep-diving amniotes shows co-adaptation with rhodopsin. Furthermore, changes in selective pressure have been observed in the cone arrestin gene of cetaceans.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yulin Gai, Ran Tian, Fangnan Liu, Yuan Mu, Lei Shan, David M. Irwin, Yang Liu, Shixia Xu, Guang Yang
Summary: Photic niche shifts of mammals are associated with changes in visual capabilities, mediated by three visual pigments: SWS1, M/LWS, and RH1. Evolutionary analyses and in vitro assays revealed accelerated evolution of SWS1 pigment in species living in bright-light environments, and a similar pattern was observed for RH1 in aquatic cetaceans, indicating potential ecological adaptations. Further studies using site-directed mutagenesis identified critical sites responsible for violet and ultraviolet sensitivities in SWS1 and a substitution at site 195 critical for dim-light sensation in RH1.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Biology
Jinqu Guo, Hai Chi, Linghan Zhang, Shengjing Song, Stephen J. Rossiter, Yang Liu
Summary: The visual ecology of early mammals, particularly the transition from nocturnal to crepuscular conditions, and the phenotypic shifts in ancestral monotremes and therians are explored. The study reveals that ancestral monotremes and crocodilians independently underwent niche expansion to adapt to rapidly changing light conditions, resulting in changes in the release rate of rhodopsin retinal. However, minimal to moderate changes were observed in the spectral tuning of cone visual pigments in these groups.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
