Complementary Evolution of Coding and Noncoding Sequence Underlies Mammalian Hairlessness
March 2022
TLDR Hairless mammals evolved quickly in both gene and non-gene areas related to skin and hair.
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.
