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Minke whale genome and aquatic adaptation in cetaceans

2013; Nature Portfolio; Volume: 46; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1038/ng.2835

1546-1718

Hyung‐Soon Yim, Yun Sung Cho, Xuanmin Guang, Sung Gyun Kang, Jae-Yeon Jeong, Sun‐Shin Cha, Hyun-Myung Oh, Jae‐Hak Lee, Eun Chan Yang, Kae Kyoung Kwon, Yun Jae Kim, Tae‐Wan Kim, Wonduck Kim, Jeong Ho Jeon, Sang‐Jin Kim, Dong Han Choi, Sungwoong Jho, Hak‐Min Kim, Junsu Ko, Hyunmin Kim, Young-Ah Shin, Hyun-Ju Jung, Zheng Yuan, Zhuo Wang, Yan Chen, Ming Chen, Awei Jiang, Erli Li, Shu Zhang, Haolong Hou, Tae‐Hyung Kim, Lili Yu, Sha Liu, Kung Ahn, Jesse Cooper, Sin-Gi Park, Chang Pyo Hong, Wook Jin, Heui‐Soo Kim, Chankyu Park, Kyooyeol Lee, Sung Chun, Phillip A. Morin, Stephen J. O’Brien, Hang Lee, Jumpei M. Kimura, Dae Yeon Moon, Andrea Manica, Jeremy S. Edwards, Byung Chul Kim, Sangsoo Kim, Jun Wang, Jong Bhak, Hyun Sook Lee, Jung‐Hyun Lee,

Cephalopods and Marine Biology

Jung-Hyun Lee, Jong Bhak and their colleagues report the whole-genome sequencing and de novo assembly of a male minke whale genome, as well as the genome sequences of three additional minke whales, a fin whale, a bottlenose dolphin and a finless porpoise. Their comparative analysis across cetaceans provides insights into adaptation to an aquatic lifestyle. The shift from terrestrial to aquatic life by whales was a substantial evolutionary event. Here we report the whole-genome sequencing and de novo assembly of the minke whale genome, as well as the whole-genome sequences of three minke whales, a fin whale, a bottlenose dolphin and a finless porpoise. Our comparative genomic analysis identified an expansion in the whale lineage of gene families associated with stress-responsive proteins and anaerobic metabolism, whereas gene families related to body hair and sensory receptors were contracted. Our analysis also identified whale-specific mutations in genes encoding antioxidants and enzymes controlling blood pressure and salt concentration. Overall the whale-genome sequences exhibited distinct features that are associated with the physiological and morphological changes needed for life in an aquatic environment, marked by resistance to physiological stresses caused by a lack of oxygen, increased amounts of reactive oxygen species and high salt levels.