Phylogenetic relationships of the zokor genus (Mammalia, Rodentia, Spalacidae) inferred from whole-genome analyses, with description of a new species endemic to Hengduan Mountains.

Zokors in the genus , which are endemic to northern and western China, are subterranean rodents that inhabit various niches, including grasslands, high-altitude meadows, forests, and farmlands. Six species in were described a century ago but their taxonomy and phylogeny remain controversial. In this study, we performed high-depth whole-genome sequencing of 47 zokor samples, comprising all six previously described species.

Gene losses may contribute to subterranean adaptations in naked mole-rat and blind mole-rat.

Background: Naked mole-rats (Heterocephalus glaber, NMRs) and blind mole-rats (Spalax galili, BMRs) are representative subterranean rodents that have evolved many extraordinary traits, including hypoxia tolerance, longevity, and cancer resistance. Although multiple candidate loci responsible for these traits have been uncovered by genomic studies, many of them are limited to functional changes to amino acid sequence and little is known about the contributions of other genetic events. To address this issue, we focused on gene losses (unitary pseudogenes) and systematically analyzed gene losses in NMRs and BMRs, aiming to elucidate the potential roles of pseudogenes in their adaptation to subterranean lifestyle.

Quantitative proteomics identifies myoferlin as a novel regulator of A Disintegrin and Metalloproteinase 12 in HeLa cells.

Unlabelled: A Disintegrin and Metalloproteinase 12 (ADAM12) is expressed significantly higher in multiple tumors than in normal tissues and has been used as a prognostic marker for the evaluation of cancer progression. Although several ADAM12 substrates have been identified biochemically and its proteolytic function has been explored, the upstream regulators and the interacting proteins have not been systematically investigated. Here, we use immunoprecipitation and mass spectrometry (MS)-based quantitative proteomic approaches to identify 28 interacting partners for the long form of ADAM12 (ADAM12-L) in HeLa cells.