RUNX2 repeat variation does not drive craniofacial diversity in marsupials
| Autor: | Axel H. Newton, Andrew J Pask, Charles Y Feigin |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2017 |
| Předmět: |
0106 biological sciences
0301 basic medicine Evolution RUNX2 Core Binding Factor Alpha 1 Subunit Repeat purity 010603 evolutionary biology 01 natural sciences Infraclass 03 medical and health sciences Negative selection Craniofacial stomatognathic system Tandem repeat CBFA1 Phylogenetics Osteogenesis QH359-425 Animals Marsupial Ecology Evolution Behavior and Systematics Repetitive Sequences Nucleic Acid Genetics Mammals Repeat variation biology Skull biology.organism_classification Biological Evolution 030104 developmental biology Marsupialia Sister group Pouch Research Article |
| Zdroj: | BMC Evolutionary Biology BMC Evolutionary Biology, Vol 17, Iss 1, Pp 1-9 (2017) |
| ISSN: | 1471-2148 |
| Popis: | Background Runt-related transcription factor 2 (RUNX2) is a transcription factor essential for skeletal development. Variation within the RUNX2 polyglutamine / polyalanine (QA) repeat is correlated with facial length within orders of placental mammals and is suggested to be a major driver of craniofacial diversity. However, it is not known if this correlation exists outside of the placental mammals. Results Here we examined the correlation between the RUNX2 QA repeat ratio and facial length in the naturally evolving sister group to the placental mammals, the marsupials. Marsupials have a diverse range of facial lengths similar to that seen in placental mammals. Despite their diversity there was almost no variation seen in the RUNX2 QA repeat across individuals spanning the entire marsupial infraclass. The extreme conservation of the marsupial RUNX2 QA repeat indicates it is under strong purifying selection. Despite this, we observed an unexpectedly high level of repeat purity. Conclusions Unlike within orders of placental mammals, RUNX2 repeat variation cannot drive craniofacial diversity in marsupials. We propose conservation of the marsupial RUNX2 QA repeat is driven by the constraint of accelerated ossification of the anterior skeleton to facilitate life in the pouch. Thus, marsupials must utilize alternate pathways to placental mammals to drive craniofacial evolution. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12862-017-0955-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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