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Genome-wide adaptive complexes to underground stresses in blind mole rats Spalax

Author

Listed:
  • Xiaodong Fang

    (BGI-Tech, BGI-Shenzhen
    University of Copenhagen)

  • Eviatar Nevo

    (Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Mount Carmel)

  • Lijuan Han

    (BGI-Tech, BGI-Shenzhen)

  • Erez Y. Levanon

    (The Mina & Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University)

  • Jing Zhao

    (University of Copenhagen
    China National GeneBank, BGI-Shenzhen)

  • Aaron Avivi

    (Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Mount Carmel)

  • Denis Larkin

    (Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences, Aberystwyth University)

  • Xuanting Jiang

    (BGI-Tech, BGI-Shenzhen)

  • Sergey Feranchuk

    (Tauber Bioinformatics Research Center, University of Haifa, Mount Carmel)

  • Yabing Zhu

    (BGI-Tech, BGI-Shenzhen)

  • Alla Fishman

    (Tauber Bioinformatics Research Center, University of Haifa, Mount Carmel)

  • Yue Feng

    (BGI-Tech, BGI-Shenzhen)

  • Noa Sher

    (Tauber Bioinformatics Research Center, University of Haifa, Mount Carmel)

  • Zhiqiang Xiong

    (BGI-Tech, BGI-Shenzhen)

  • Thomas Hankeln

    (Institute of Molecular Genetics, Johannes Gutenberg University)

  • Zhiyong Huang

    (BGI-Tech, BGI-Shenzhen)

  • Vera Gorbunova

    (University of Rochester)

  • Lu Zhang

    (BGI-Tech, BGI-Shenzhen
    City University of Hong Kong)

  • Wei Zhao

    (BGI-Tech, BGI-Shenzhen)

  • Derek E. Wildman

    (Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, Wayne State University School of Medicine)

  • Yingqi Xiong

    (China National GeneBank, BGI-Shenzhen)

  • Andrei Gudkov

    (Roswell Park Cancer Institute)

  • Qiumei Zheng

    (China National GeneBank, BGI-Shenzhen)

  • Gideon Rechavi

    (Edmond and Lily Safra Children’s Hospital and Sheba Cancer Research Center, The Chaim Sheba Medical Center
    Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University)

  • Sanyang Liu

    (BGI-Tech, BGI-Shenzhen)

  • Lily Bazak

    (The Mina & Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University)

  • Jie Chen

    (BGI-Tech, BGI-Shenzhen)

  • Binyamin A. Knisbacher

    (The Mina & Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University)

  • Yao Lu

    (BGI-Tech, BGI-Shenzhen)

  • Imad Shams

    (Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Mount Carmel)

  • Krzysztof Gajda

    (Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences, Aberystwyth University)

  • Marta Farré

    (Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences, Aberystwyth University)

  • Jaebum Kim

    (Konkuk University)

  • Harris A. Lewin

    (University of California)

  • Jian Ma

    (Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
    University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)

  • Mark Band

    (Roy J. Carver Biotechnology Center, University of Illinois)

  • Anne Bicker

    (Institute of Molecular Genetics, Johannes Gutenberg University)

  • Angela Kranz

    (Institute of Molecular Genetics, Johannes Gutenberg University)

  • Tobias Mattheus

    (Institute of Molecular Genetics, Johannes Gutenberg University)

  • Hanno Schmidt

    (Institute of Molecular Genetics, Johannes Gutenberg University)

  • Andrei Seluanov

    (University of Rochester)

  • Jorge Azpurua

    (University of Rochester)

  • Michael R. McGowen

    (Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, Wayne State University School of Medicine)

  • Eshel Ben Jacob

    (School of Physics and Astronomy, Maguy-Glass Chair in Physics of Complex Systems, Tel Aviv University)

  • Kexin Li

    (Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Mount Carmel)

  • Shaoliang Peng

    (School of Computer Science & State Key Laboratory of High Performance Computing, National University of Defense Technology)

  • Xiaoqian Zhu

    (School of Computer Science & State Key Laboratory of High Performance Computing, National University of Defense Technology)

  • Xiangke Liao

    (School of Computer Science & State Key Laboratory of High Performance Computing, National University of Defense Technology)

  • Shuaicheng Li

    (City University of Hong Kong)

  • Anders Krogh

    (University of Copenhagen)

  • Xin Zhou

    (China National GeneBank, BGI-Shenzhen)

  • Leonid Brodsky

    (Tauber Bioinformatics Research Center, University of Haifa, Mount Carmel
    University of Haifa, Mount Carmel)

  • Jun Wang

    (BGI-Tech, BGI-Shenzhen
    University of Copenhagen
    Princess Al Jawhara Center of Excellence in the Research of Hereditary Disorders, King Abdulaziz University)

Abstract

The blind mole rat (BMR), Spalax galili, is an excellent model for studying mammalian adaptation to life underground and medical applications. The BMR spends its entire life underground, protecting itself from predators and climatic fluctuations while challenging it with multiple stressors such as darkness, hypoxia, hypercapnia, energetics and high pathonecity. Here we sequence and analyse the BMR genome and transcriptome, highlighting the possible genomic adaptive responses to the underground stressors. Our results show high rates of RNA/DNA editing, reduced chromosome rearrangements, an over-representation of short interspersed elements (SINEs) probably linked to hypoxia tolerance, degeneration of vision and progression of photoperiodic perception, tolerance to hypercapnia and hypoxia and resistance to cancer. The remarkable traits of the BMR, together with its genomic and transcriptomic information, enhance our understanding of adaptation to extreme environments and will enable the utilization of BMR models for biomedical research in the fight against cancer, stroke and cardiovascular diseases.

Suggested Citation

  • Xiaodong Fang & Eviatar Nevo & Lijuan Han & Erez Y. Levanon & Jing Zhao & Aaron Avivi & Denis Larkin & Xuanting Jiang & Sergey Feranchuk & Yabing Zhu & Alla Fishman & Yue Feng & Noa Sher & Zhiqiang Xi, 2014. "Genome-wide adaptive complexes to underground stresses in blind mole rats Spalax," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 5(1), pages 1-11, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:5:y:2014:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms4966
    DOI: 10.1038/ncomms4966
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