University of Massachusetts Medical School Faculty Publications
Title
The meadow jumping mouse genome and transcriptome suggest mechanisms of hibernation [preprint]
UMMS Affiliation
Program in Bioinformatics and Integrative Biology
Publication Date
2020-11-03
Document Type
Article Preprint
Disciplines
Biochemical Phenomena, Metabolism, and Nutrition | Bioinformatics | Genomics | Physiological Processes | Zoology
Abstract
Hibernating mammals exhibit medically relevant phenotypes, but the genetic basis of hibernation remains poorly understood. Using the meadow jumping mouse (Zapus hudsonius), we investigated the genetic underpinnings of hibernation by uniting experimental and comparative genomic approaches. We assembled a Z. hudsonius genome and identified widespread expression changes during hibernation in genes important for circadian rhythm, membrane fluidity, and cell cycle arrest. Tissue-specific gene expression changes during torpor encompassed Wnt signaling in the brain and structural and transport functions in the kidney brush border. Using genomes from the closely related Zapus oregonus (previously classified as Z. princeps) and leveraging a panel of hibernating and non-hibernating rodents, we found selective pressure on genes involved in feeding behavior, metabolism, and cell biological processes potentially important for function at low body temperature. Leptin stands out with elevated conservation in hibernating rodents, implying a role for this metabolic hormone in triggering fattening and hibernation. These findings illustrate that mammalian hibernation requires adaptation at all levels of organismal form and function and lay the groundwork for future study of hibernation phenotypes.
Keywords
Genomics, hibernation, meadow jumping mouse, phenotypes
Rights and Permissions
The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under a CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license.
DOI of Published Version
10.1101/2020.11.02.365791
Source
bioRxiv 2020.11.02.365791; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.11.02.365791. Link to preprint on bioRxiv
Journal/Book/Conference Title
bioRxiv
Repository Citation
Cong Q, Brem EA, Zhang J, Alfoldi J, Johnson J, Karlsson EK, Lindblad-Toh K, Malaney JL, Israelsen WJ. (2020). The meadow jumping mouse genome and transcriptome suggest mechanisms of hibernation [preprint]. University of Massachusetts Medical School Faculty Publications. https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.11.02.365791. Retrieved from https://escholarship.umassmed.edu/faculty_pubs/1843
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Included in
Biochemical Phenomena, Metabolism, and Nutrition Commons, Bioinformatics Commons, Genomics Commons, Physiological Processes Commons, Zoology Commons
Comments
This article is a preprint. Preprints are preliminary reports of work that have not been certified by peer review.