Publications by authors named "Leyan Mao"
Article Synopsis
- Tibetan sheep, introduced to the Qinghai Tibet plateau around 3,000 years ago, serve as a model to study genetic adaptations to high altitudes.
- The study identifies structural variants (SVs) in Tibetan sheep that differ from low-altitude Hu sheep, particularly affecting genes linked to cardiac function and circulation.
- Key findings reveal a high-frequency chromosomal inversion in Tibetan sheep, influencing gene expression related to heart protection and adaptation to high-altitude environments.
Article Synopsis
- Zokors, a type of subterranean rodent, evolved from lowlands to high elevations after the Qinghai-Tibet plateau uplifted around 3.6 million years ago, adapting to hypoxia and hypercapnia.
- A genomic study of six zokor species revealed 18 significant chromosomal inversions in the high-elevation species Eospalax baileyi compared to its lower-elevation relatives.
- Genetic variations linked to the upregulation of key genes involved in hypoxia response and enhanced lung size in E. baileyi highlight the genetic adaptations that help these rodents thrive in oxygen-poor environments.
The phylogeny and speciation of subterranean zokors in China are unclear, as previous studies on morphology and limited molecular markers have generated conflicting results. This study unraveled the complex evolutionary history of eight zokor species in China based on de novo assembly at chromosome level and whole-genome sequencing of 23 populations. We found extensive phylogenetic discordances between nuclear and mitochondrial phylogenies, and different coalescent phylogenies, which could be explained by introgression and incomplete lineage sorting (ILS).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSignificanceWhether sympatric speciation (SS) is rare or common is still debated. Two populations of the spiny mouse, , from Evolution Canyon I (EC I) in Israel have been depicted earlier as speciating sympatrically by molecular markers and transcriptome. Here, we investigated SS both genomically and methylomically, demonstrating that the opposite populations of spiny mice are sister taxa and split from the common ancestor around 20,000 years ago without an allopatric history.
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