ArticleBMC genomics2015
Genetic signatures of adaptation revealed from transcriptome sequencing of Arctic and red foxes.
Article in BMC genomics, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers.
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Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 29 citations in OpenAlex.
- Article
- Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms, Structural Variants, and Short Tandem Repeats Capture Distinct Signals of Adaptive Divergence in the Atlantic Puffin.Genome biology and evolution · 2025Article
- Effect of skull morphology on fox snow diving.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2024Article
- Lipidomic and transcriptomic profiles provide new insights into the triacylglycerol and glucose handling capacities of the Arctic fox.Frontiers in veterinary science · 2024Article
- Article
- Polar bear paw pad surface roughness and its relevance to contact mechanics on snow.Journal of the Royal Society, Interface · 2022Article
- Transcriptome analysis provides new insights into cold adaptation of corsac fox (Ecology and evolution · 2022Article
- Comparative transcriptome provides insights into the selection adaptation between wild and farmed foxes.Ecology and evolution · 2021Article
- Article
- Ice-Age Climate Adaptations Trap the Alpine Marmot in a State of Low Genetic Diversity.Current biology : CB · 2019Article
- Development of a genotype-by-sequencing immunogenetic assay as exemplified by screening for variation in red fox with and without endemic rabies exposure.Ecology and evolution · 2018Article
- A compendium and functional characterization of mammalian genes involved in adaptation to Arctic or Antarctic environments.BMC genetics · 2017Article
- Comparative transcriptomics of elasmobranchs and teleosts highlight important processes in adaptive immunity and regional endothermy.BMC genomics · 2017Article
- Spatio-temporal Analysis of the Genetic Diversity of Arctic Rabies Viruses and Their Reservoir Hosts in Greenland.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2016Article
- De Novo Assembly and Comparative Transcriptome Analyses of Red and Green Morphs of Sweet Basil Grown in Full Sunlight.PloS one · 2016Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe genus Vulpes (true foxes) comprises numerous species that inhabit a wide range of habitats and climatic conditions, including one species, the Arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus) which is adapted to the arctic region. A close relative to the Arctic fox, the red fox (Vulpes vulpes), occurs in subarctic to subtropical habitats. To study the genetic basis of their adaptations to different environments, transcriptome sequences from two Arctic foxes and one red fox individual were generated and analyzed for signatures of positive selection. In addition, the data allowed for a phylogenetic analysis and divergence time estimate between the two fox species.
resultsThe de novo assembly of reads resulted in more than 160,000 contigs/transcripts per individual. Approximately 17,000 homologous genes were identified using human and the non-redundant databases. Positive selection analyses revealed several genes involved in various metabolic and molecular processes such as energy metabolism, cardiac gene regulation, apoptosis and blood coagulation to be under positive selection in foxes. Branch site tests identified four genes to be under positive selection in the Arctic fox transcriptome, two of which are fat metabolism genes. In the red fox transcriptome eight genes are under positive selection, including molecular process genes, notably genes involved in ATP metabolism. Analysis of the three transcriptomes and five Sanger re-sequenced genes in additional individuals identified a lower genetic variability within Arctic foxes compared to red foxes, which is consistent with distribution range differences and demographic responses to past climatic fluctuations. A phylogenomic analysis estimated that the Arctic and red fox lineages diverged about three million years ago.
conclusionsTranscriptome data are an economic way to generate genomic resources for evolutionary studies. Despite not representing an entire genome, this transcriptome analysis identified numerous genes that are relevant to arctic adaptation in foxes. Similar to polar bears, fat metabolism seems to play a central role in adaptation of Arctic foxes to the cold climate, as has been identified in the polar bear, another arctic specialist.
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