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Solenodons are insectivores found only in Hispaniola and Cuba, with a Mesozoic divergence date versus extant mainland mammals. Solenodons are the oldest lineage of living eutherian mammal for which a mitogenome sequence has not been reported. We determined complete mitogenome sequences for six Hispaniolan solenodons (Solenodon paradoxus) using next-generation sequencing. The solenodon mitogenomes were 16,454–16,457 bp long and carried the expected repertoire of genes. A mitogenomic phylogeny confirmed the basal position of solenodons relative to shrews and moles, with solenodon mitogenomes estimated to have diverged from those of other mammals ca. 78 Mya. Control region sequences of solenodons from the northern (n = 3) and southern (n = 5) Dominican Republic grouped separately in a network, withFST= 0.72 (p = 0.036) between north and south. This regional genetic divergence supports previous morphological and genetic reports recognizing northern (S. p. paradoxus) and southern (S. p. woodi) subspecies in need of separate conservation plans. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: The mitochondria produce up to 95% of a eukaryotic cell's energy through oxidative phosphorylation. The proteins involved in this vital process are under high functional constraints. However, metabolic requirements vary across species, potentially modifying selective pressures. We evaluate the adaptive evolution of 12 protein-coding mitochondrial genes in 41 placental mammalian species by assessing amino acid sequence variation and exploring the functional implications of observed variation in secondary and tertiary protein structures. Results: Wide variation in the properties of amino acids were observed at functionally important regions of cytochrome b in species with more-specialized metabolic requirements (such as adaptation to low energy diet or large body size, such as in elephant, dugong, sloth, and pangolin, and adaptation to unusual oxygen requirements, for example diving in cetaceans, flying in bats, and living at high altitudes in alpacas). Signatures of adaptive variation in the NADH dehydrogenase complex were restricted to the loop regions of the transmembrane units which likely function as protons pumps. Evidence of adaptive variation in the cytochrome c oxidase complex was observed mostly at the interface between the mitochondrial and nuclear-encoded subunits, perhaps evidence of co-evolution. The ATP8 subunit, which has an important role in the assembly of F0, exhibited the highest signal of adaptive variation. ATP6, which has an essential role in rotor performance, showed a high adaptive variation in predicted loop areas. Conclusion: Our study provides insight into the adaptive evolution of the mtDNA genome in mammals and its implications for the molecular mechanism of oxidative phosphorylation. We present a framework for future experimental characterization of the impact of specific mutations in the function, physiology, and interactions of the mtDNA encoded proteins involved in oxidative phosphorylation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapidly developing comparative gene maps in selected mammal species are providing an opportunity to reconstruct the genomic architecture of mammalian ancestors and study rearrangements that transformed this ancestral genome into existing mammalian genomes. Here, the recently developed Multiple Genome Rearrangement (MGR) algorithm is applied to human, mouse, cat and cattle comparative maps (with 311-470 shared markers) to impute the ancestral mammalian genorne. Reconstructed ancestors consist of 70-100 conserved segments shared across the genomes that have been exchanged by rearrangement events along the ordinal lineages leading to modern species genomes. Genomic distances between species. dominated by inversions (reversals) and translocations, are presented in a first multispecies attempt using ordered mapping data to reconstruct the evolutionary exchanges that preceded modern placental mammal genomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mammalian major histocompability complex (MHC) has taught both immunologists and evolutionary biologists a great deal about the patterns and processes that have led to immune defenses. Driven principally by human and mouse studies, comparative MHC projects among other mammalian species offer certain advantages in connecting MHC genome characters to natural situations. We have studied the MHC in the domestic cat and in several wild species of Felidae. Our observations affirm class I and class II homology with other mammalian orders, derivative gene duplications during the Felidae radiation, abundant persistent trans-species allele polymorphism, recombination-derived amino acid motifs, and inverted ratios of non-synonymous to silent substitutions in the MHC peptide-binding regions, consistent with overdominant selection in class I and II genes. MHC diversity as quantified in population studies is a powerful barometer of historic demographic reduction for several endangered species including cheetahs, Asiatic lions, Florida panthers and tigers. In two cases (Florida panther and cheetah), reduced MHC variation may be contributing to uniform population sensitivity to emerging infectious pathogens. The Felidae species, nearly all endangered and monitored for conservation concerns, have allowed a glimpse of species adaptation, mediated by MHC divergence, using comparative inferences drawn from human and mouse models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Based on evolutionary patterns of the vertebrate eye, Walls (1942) hypothesized that early placental mammals evolved primarily in nocturnal habitats. However, not only Eutheria, but all mammals show photic characteristics (i.e. dichromatic vision, rod-dominated retina) suggestive of a scotopic eye design. Results: Here, we used integrative comparative genomic and phylogenetic methodologies employing the photoreceptive opsin gene family in 154 mammals to test the likelihood of a nocturnal period in the emergence of all mammals. We showed that mammals possess genomic patterns concordant with a nocturnal ancestry. The loss of the RH2, VA, PARA, PARIE and OPN4x opsins in all mammals led us to advance a probable and most-parsimonious hypothesis of a global nocturnal bottleneck that explains the loss of these genes in the emerging lineage (> > 215.5 million years ago). In addition, ancestral character reconstruction analyses provided strong evidence that ancestral mammals possessed a nocturnal lifestyle, ultra-violet-sensitive vision, low visual acuity and low orbit convergence (i.e. panoramic vision). Conclusions: Overall, this study provides insight into the evolutionary history of the mammalian eye while discussing important ecological aspects of the photic paleo-environments ancestral mammals have occupied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights the results of three studies which compare the genome maps and chromosomes of 15 species of primate, using four non-primate orders as a reference standard for the organization of ancestral mammalian genomes. Differences between distantly related species; Genome rearrangements that punctuate adaptation and species formation.

The relatively new field of phylogenomics is beginning to reveal the potential of genomic data for evolutionary studies. As the cost of whole genome sequencing falls, anticipation of complete genome sequences from divergent species, reflecting the major lineages of modern mammals, is no longer a distant dream. In this article, we describe how comparative genomic data from mammals is progressing to resolve long-standing phylogenetic controversies, to refine dogma on how chromosomes evolve and to guide annotation of human and other vertebrate genomes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Despite its importance in cell biology and evolution, the centromere has remained the final frontier in genome assembly and annotation due to its complex repeat structure. However, isolation and characterization of the centromeric repeats from newly sequenced species are necessary for a complete understanding of genome evolution and function. In recent years, various genomes have been sequenced, but the characterization of the corresponding centromeric DNA has lagged behind. Here, we present a computational method (RepeatNet) to systematically identify higher-order repeat structures from unassembled whole-genome shotgun sequence and test whether these sequence elements correspond to functional centromeric sequences. We analyzed genome datasets from six species of mammals representing the diversity of the mammalian lineage, namely, horse, dog, elephant, armadillo, opossum, and platypus. We define candidate monomer satellite repeats and demonstrate centromeric localization for five of the six genomes. Our analysis revealed the greatest diversity of centromeric sequences in horse and dog in contrast to elephant and armadillo, which showed high-centromeric sequence homogeneity. We could not isolate centromeric sequences within the platypus genome, suggesting that centromeres in platypus are not enriched in satellite DNA. Our method can be applied to the characterization of thousands of other vertebrate genomes anticipated for sequencing in the near future, providing an important tool for annotation of centromeres. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]