Comparative Analysis of Bat Genomes Provides Insight into the Evolution of Flight and Immunity
Abstract
Bats are of great interest because of their ability to fly and as hosts for infectious disease. Zhang et al. (p. 456 , published online 20 December) sequenced the genomes of two distantly related bat species, David's Myotis and Black flying fox. Analysis of the two genomes revealed likely changes that accompanied the evolution of bats, including selection for increased expression of genes involved in the oxidative phosphorylation pathway needed to generate the energy required for flight. Furthermore, while some immune genes have been lost, others are under positive selection, which may potentially explain bats' status as viral reservoirs.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Jan 25, 2013
- Source ID
- 10.1126/science.1230835
Entities
People
- Christopher C Broder
- Christopher Cowled
- Gary Crameri
- Glenn A. Marsh
- Guojie Zhang
- James W. Wynne
- Jin Xiao
- Jun Wang
- Justin Ng
- Kenneth G. Frey
- Kimberly A Bishop-Lilly
- Lan Yang
- Lijun Wu
- Lin-Fa Wang
- Mary Tachedjian
- Michelle L. Baker
- Peng Zhou
- Shi Zhengli
- Wei Zhao
- Xiaodong Fang
- Xiaoqing Sun
- Xuanting Jiang
- Yabing Zhu
- Yong Zhang
- Yuanxin Chen
- Yue Feng
- Zhiqiang Xiong
- Zhiyong Huang
Organizations
- BGI Genomics
- Chinese Academy of Sciences
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation
- Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine
- Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
- University of Copenhagen