Genomic insights into adaptation to high-altitude environments

Cheviron, Zachary A.; Brumfield, Robb T.

doi:10.1038/hdy.2011.85

Cited by 142 publications

(125 citation statements)

References 116 publications

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“…Finally, interleukin 21 signaling has a critical role in promoting the lung inflammatory response to acute pneumovirus infection (Spolski et al, 2012). Adaptation to altitude has received attention in humans (see Cheviron and Brumfield, 2012 for a review), and physiological differences caused by altitude have been studied in cattle (Wuletaw et al, 2011). However, to our knowledge, this is the first report of indirect evidence of genetic adaptation to altitude in livestock.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 56%

Porcine colonization of the Americas: a 60k SNP story

et al. 2012

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The pig, Sus scrofa, is a foreign species to the American continent. Although pigs originally introduced in the Americas should be related to those from the Iberian Peninsula and Canary islands, the phylogeny of current creole pigs that now populate the continent is likely to be very complex. Because of the extreme climates that America harbors, these populations also provide a unique example of a fast evolutionary phenomenon of adaptation. Here, we provide a genome wide study of these issues by genotyping, with a 60k SNP chip, 206 village pigs sampled across 14 countries and 183 pigs from outgroup breeds that are potential founders of the American populations, including wild boar, Iberian, international and Chinese breeds. Results show that American village pigs are primarily of European ancestry, although the observed genetic landscape is that of a complex conglomerate. There was no correlation between genetic and geographical distances, neither continent wide nor when analyzing specific areas. Most populations showed a clear admixed structure where the Iberian pig was not necessarily the main component, illustrating how international breeds, but also Chinese pigs, have contributed to extant genetic composition of American village pigs. We also observe that many genes related to the cardiovascular system show an increased differentiation between altiplano and genetically related pigs living near sea level.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 56%

Porcine colonization of the Americas: a 60k SNP story

et al. 2012

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“…This reversible modification of complex physiological traits can be driven by changes in the regulation of genes at several levels of hierarchical organization (Cheviron and Brumfield, 2012). Our acclimation treatments successfully altered junco thermogenic performance, and we found that changes in performance were associated with underlying transcriptomic changes in interacting hierarchical pathways.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 76%

“…For instance, deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) living at high altitude exhibit greater thermogenic capacities compared with their lowland counterparts, and this enhanced performance has been linked to regulatory changes in the expression of genes that influence the use of metabolic fuel and oxygen (Cheviron et al, , 2014. Because changes in gene regulation allow the genome to rapidly and reversibly respond to environmental variation, transcriptomic studies can provide key insights into the mechanistic underpinnings of phenotypic flexibility and the adaptive modification of complex physiological traits, both of which require concerted changes in hierarchical and interacting regulatory networks (Cheviron and Brumfield, 2012). The hierarchical nature of complex physiological traits is well illustrated by the following three levels of physiological adjustment that enhance aerobic thermogenic performance (Fig.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Regulatory mechanisms of metabolic flexibility in the dark-eyed junco (Junco hyemalis)

Stager

Swanson

Cheviron

2015

Journal of Experimental Biology

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Small temperate birds reversibly modify their aerobic performance to maintain thermoregulatory homeostasis under seasonally changing environmental conditions and these physiological adjustments may be attributable to changes in the expression of genes in the underlying regulatory networks. Here, we report the results of an experimental procedure designed to gain insight into the fundamental mechanisms of metabolic flexibility in the dark-eyed junco (Junco hyemalis). We combined genomic transcriptional profiles with measures of metabolic enzyme activities and wholeanimal thermogenic performance from juncos exposed to four 6-week acclimation treatments that varied in temperature (cold, 3°C; warm, 24°C) and photoperiod (short day, 8 h light:16 h dark; long day, 16 h light:8 h dark). Cold-acclimated birds increased thermogenic capacity compared with warm-acclimated birds, and this enhanced performance was associated with upregulation of genes involved in muscle hypertrophy, angiogenesis, and lipid transport and oxidation, as well as with catabolic enzyme activities. These physiological changes occurred over ecologically relevant timescales, suggesting that birds make regulatory adjustments to interacting, hierarchical pathways in order to seasonally enhance thermogenic capacity.

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“…Physiological studies have shown that Andeans and Tibetans are different at high altitude with Tibetans being more adapted to high altitude with attributes more similar to sealevel populations [84]. Genetic studies have shown that differences in the genetics between Andean and Tibetans resulted in convergent phenotypic evolution between high and low altitude populations [85,88,89]. Recently, a genome-wide study compared two populations native to high altitude for several millennia: (i) the native inhabitants of the Tibetan Plateau and (ii) the native inhabitants of the Andean Altiplano of South America.…”

Section: Natural Human Models For Studying Placental Dysfunctionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A review of inter- and intraspecific variation in the eutherian placenta

Gundling

Wildman

2015

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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The placenta is one of the most morphologically variable mammalian organs. Four major characteristics are typically discussed when comparing the placentas of different eutherian species: placental shape, maternal-fetal interdigitation, intimacy of the maternal-fetal interface and the pattern of maternal-fetal blood flow. Here, we describe the evolution of three of these features as well as other key aspects of eutherian placentation. In addition to interspecific anatomical variation, there is also variation in placental anatomy and function within a single species. Much of this intraspecific variation occurs in response to different environmental conditions such as altitude and poor maternal nutrition. Examinations of variation in the placenta from both intra-and interspecies perspectives elucidate different aspects of placental function and dysfunction at the maternal-fetal interface. Comparisons within species identify candidate mechanisms that are activated in response to environmental stressors ultimately contributing to the aetiology of obstetric syndromes such as pre-eclampsia. Comparisons above the species level identify the evolutionary lineages on which the potential for the development of obstetric syndromes emerged.

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Genomic insights into adaptation to high-altitude environments

Cited by 142 publications

References 116 publications

Porcine colonization of the Americas: a 60k SNP story

Porcine colonization of the Americas: a 60k SNP story

Regulatory mechanisms of metabolic flexibility in the dark-eyed junco (Junco hyemalis)

A review of inter- and intraspecific variation in the eutherian placenta

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