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

作者：Fang Xiaodong; Nevo Eviatar^*; Han Lijuan; Levanon Erez Y; Zhao Jing; Avivi Aaron; Larkin Denis; Jiang Xuanting; Feranchuk Sergey; Zhu Yabing; Fishman Alla; Feng Yue; Sher Noa; Xiong Zhiqiang; Hankeln Thomas; Huang Zhiyong; Gorbunova Vera; Zhang Lu; Zhao Wei; Wildman Derek E; Xiong Yingqi; Gudkov Andrei; Zheng Qiumei; Rechavi Gideon; Liu Sanyang; Bazak Lily; Chen Jie; Knisbacher Binyamin A; Lu Yao; Shams Imad; Gajda Krzysztof; Farre Marta; Kim Jaebum

来源：Nature Communications, 2014, 5: 3966.

DOI：10.1038/ncomms4966

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.

• 单位
  深圳华大基因研究院; 香港城市大学; 中国人民解放军国防科学技术大学