The Novel Evolution of the Sperm Whale Genome

Wesley C Warren; Lukas Kuderna; Alana Alexander; Julian Catchen; José G Pérez-Silva; Carlos López-Otín; Víctor Quesada; Patrick Minx; Chad Tomlinson; Michael J Montague; Fabiana H G Farias; Ronald B Walter; Tomas Marques-Bonet; Travis Glenn; Troy J Kieran; Sandra S Wise; John Pierce Wise Jr; Robert M Waterhouse; John Pierce Wise Sr

doi:10.1093/gbe/evx187

The Novel Evolution of the Sperm Whale Genome

Genome Biol Evol. 2017 Dec 1;9(12):3260-3264. doi: 10.1093/gbe/evx187.

Authors

Wesley C Warren¹, Lukas Kuderna², Alana Alexander³, Julian Catchen⁴, José G Pérez-Silva⁵, Carlos López-Otín⁵, Víctor Quesada⁵, Patrick Minx¹, Chad Tomlinson¹, Michael J Montague⁶, Fabiana H G Farias¹, Ronald B Walter⁷, Tomas Marques-Bonet², Travis Glenn⁸, Troy J Kieran⁸, Sandra S Wise⁹, John Pierce Wise Jr⁹, Robert M Waterhouse¹⁰, John Pierce Wise Sr⁹

Affiliations

¹ McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University, St Louis.
² Institute of Evolutionary Biology (UPF-CSIC), PRBB, Barcelona, Spain.
³ Biodiversity Institute, University of Kansas.
⁴ Department of Animal Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana.
⁵ Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Medicina, Instituto Universitario de Oncología, Universidad de Oviedo, Spain.
⁶ Department of Neuroscience, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania.
⁷ Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Texas State University.
⁸ Department of Environmental Health Science, University of Georgia, Environmental Health Science Bldg, Athens, Georgia.
⁹ Wise Laboratory of Environmental and Genetic Toxicology, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Medicine, University of Louisville.
¹⁰ Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Switzerland.

Abstract

The sperm whale, made famous by Moby Dick, is one of the most fascinating of all ocean-dwelling species given their unique life history, novel physiological adaptations to hunting squid at extreme ocean depths, and their position as one of the earliest branching toothed whales (Odontoceti). We assembled the sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) genome and resequenced individuals from multiple ocean basins to identify new candidate genes for adaptation to an aquatic environment and infer demographic history. Genes crucial for skin integrity appeared to be particularly important in both the sperm whale and other cetaceans. We also find sperm whales experienced a steep population decline during the early Pleistocene epoch. These genomic data add new comparative insight into the evolution of whales.

Keywords: cetaceans; genome; sperm whale.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

Animals
DNA, Mitochondrial / genetics
Evolution, Molecular*
Genome*
Phylogeny
Sperm Whale / genetics*

Substances

DNA, Mitochondrial

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Substances

Grants and funding