Complementary Evolution of Coding and Noncoding Sequence Underlies Mammalian Hairlessness
March 2022
Studysummary This study identified genetic regions evolving at different rates in hairless mammals, suggesting that specific genomic changes may contribute to the evolution of hairlessness across various species.
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The study "Complementary evolution of coding and noncoding sequence underlies mammalian hairlessness" examines the evolutionary mechanisms behind hairlessness in mammals by analyzing both coding and noncoding sequences across 62 species. The authors addressed reviewers' feedback by conducting additional analyses and clarifying their methods. They found that genes with shared rate shifts among hairless species are more hair-specific, while individual hairless species do not show significant enrichment of hair follicle genes. The study also explores gene pathway overlaps, revealing that related pathways, such as those for skin and hair, cluster together but contain distinct genes, supporting the conclusion that both coding and noncoding sequences contribute to mammalian hairlessness.
