Complementary Evolution of Coding and Noncoding Sequence Underlies Mammalian Hairlessness

November 2022 in “ eLife ”

Amanda Kowalczyk, Maria Chikina, Nathan L Clark

hairlessness hair growth keratin proteins FGF11 GLRA4 KRT2 KRT35 PKP1 PTPRM noncoding regions genetic changes regulatory sequences keratin

Studysummary This study found that specific genetic changes in both coding and noncoding regions may have independently driven the evolution of hairlessness in various mammalian species through accelerated evolution.

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The study "Complementary evolution of coding and noncoding sequence underlies mammalian hairlessness" analyzed the genomes of 62 mammalian species to identify genetic changes contributing to hairlessness. The research found that genes and regulatory sequences associated with hair growth evolved at significantly different rates in hairless versus hairy mammals. This includes several genes that encode keratin proteins, the main material that makes up hair. The study also identified an increased rate of evolution in genes and regulatory sequences not previously known to be involved in hair growth or hairlessness. The top-accelerated gene associated with hairlessness was FGF11, which is highly expressed in the skin. Other identified genes include GLRA4, KRT2, KRT35, PKP1, and PTPRM, all of which have known connections to hair-related functions. The study also found that noncoding regions near hair-related genes evolve faster in hairless species. These findings suggest that a specific set of genetic changes have occurred multiple times in different mammalian lineages to drive the evolution of hairlessness. This research could potentially be used to develop treatments for hair loss in humans.

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