The shift from terrestrial to aquatic life by whales was a substantial evolutionary event. Here we report the whole-genome sequencing and de novo assembly of the minke whale genome, as well as the whole-genome sequences of three minke whales, a fin whale, a bottlenose dolphin and a finless porpoise. Our comparative genomic analysis identified an expansion in the whale lineage of gene families associated with stress-responsive proteins and anaerobic metabolism, whereas gene families related to body hair and sensory receptors were contracted. Our analysis also identified whale-specific mutations in genes encoding antioxidants and enzymes controlling blood pressure and salt concentration. Overall the whale-genome sequences exhibited distinct features that are associated with the physiological and morphological changes needed for life in an aquatic environment, marked by resistance to physiological stresses caused by a lack of oxygen, increased amounts of reactive oxygen species and high salt levels. © 2014 Nature America, Inc.
CITATION STYLE
Yim, H. S., Cho, Y. S., Guang, X., Kang, S. G., Jeong, J. Y., Cha, S. S., … Lee, J. H. (2014). Minke whale genome and aquatic adaptation in cetaceans. Nature Genetics, 46(1), 88–92. https://doi.org/10.1038/ng.2835
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