Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41517999›Full record

ArticleMolecular biology and evolution2026

Genomic comparisons and the adaptive basis of brain size plasticity and chromosomal instability in the Eurasian common shrew.

William R Thomas, Tanya M Lama, Cecilia Baldoni, Laia Marín-Gual, Diana Moreno Santillán, Marta Farré, Linelle Abueg, Jennifer Balacco, Olivier Fedrigo, Giulio Formenti and 14 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Molecular biology and evolution, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

24 authors.

William R ThomasDepartment of Ecology and Evolution, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA.ORCID 0009-0002-3858-2440
Tanya M LamaDepartment of Ecology and Evolution, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-7372-8081
Cecilia BaldoniDepartment of Migration, Max-Planck Institute for Animal Behavior, Radolfzell 78315, Germany.ORCID 0009-0008-1341-9456
Laia Marín-GualDepartament de Biologia Celular, Fisiologia i Immunologia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès 08193, Spain.ORCID 0000-0003-1480-0976
Diana Moreno SantillánDepartment of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-2153-0732
Marta FarréSchool of Biosciences, University of Kent, Canterbury, NJ, UK.ORCID 0000-0001-9170-5767
Linelle AbuegThe Vertebrate Genomes Lab, Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-6879-3954
Jennifer BalaccoThe Vertebrate Genomes Lab, Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-7102-1632
Olivier FedrigoThe Vertebrate Genomes Lab, Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-6450-7551
Giulio FormentiThe Vertebrate Genomes Lab, Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-7554-5991
Nivesh JainThe Vertebrate Genomes Lab, Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-8134-2904
Jacquelyn MountcastleThe Vertebrate Genomes Lab, Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-1078-4905
Tatiana TilleyThe Vertebrate Genomes Lab, Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA.ORCID 0009-0001-9277-7743
Ying SimsTree of Life, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-4765-4872
Alan TraceyTree of Life, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-4805-9058
Jo WoodTree of Life, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-7545-2162
David A RayDepartment of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-3340-3987
Dominik von ElverfeldtDepartment of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Medical Center Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg 79211, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-6219-3528
John NielandHealth Science and Technology, Aalborg University, Aalborg 9100, Denmark.ORCID 0000-0001-7423-0122
Angelique P CorthalsDepartment of Science, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, New York, NY 10019, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-5610-2992
Aurora Ruiz-HerreraDepartament de Biologia Celular, Fisiologia i Immunologia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès 08193, Spain.ORCID 0000-0003-3868-6151
Dina K N DechmannDepartment of Migration, Max-Planck Institute for Animal Behavior, Radolfzell 78315, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-0043-8267
Erich JarvisThe Vertebrate Genomes Lab, Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-8931-5049
Liliana M DávalosDepartment of Ecology and Evolution, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-4327-7697

Funding

Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca 2021SGR00122Human Frontiers of Science Program RGP0013/2019Ministry of Science, Innovation and University FPU18/03867Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation PID2020-112557GB-I00Stony Book University Presidential Innovation and Excellence NSF-DBI 2010853Stony Book University Presidential Innovation and Excellence NSF-DEB 1838273Stony Book University Presidential Innovation and Excellence NSF-IOS 2031926
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Sorex araneus, the Eurasian common shrew, has seasonal brain size plasticity (Dehnel's phenomenon) and many intraspecific chromosomal rearrangements. Genomic contributions to these traits, however, remain unknown. We couple a chromosome-scale genome assembly with seasonal brain transcriptomes to discover relationships between molecular evolution and both traits. While Positively Selected Genes (PSGs) enriched the Fanconi anemia DNA repair pathway (FANCI, FAAP100), which is likely involved in chromosomal rearrangements by preventing the accumulation of chromosomal aberrations, genes under positive selection or showing seasonal differential expression in the brain implicate neurogenesis (PCDHA6, SOX9, Notch signaling) and metabolic regulation (VEGFA, SPHK2) as key mechanisms underlying Dehnel's phenomenon. We also find that both positively selected and differentially expressed genes in the hippocampus are overrepresented near S. araneus evolutionary breakpoints. This relates both positive selection and differential expression to accessible chromatin configuration, suggesting that chromosomal rearrangements are integral to adaptive evolution and the regulation of brain size plasticity.

Indexed as

BrainChromosomal InstabilityShrewsAnimalsEvolution, MolecularSelection, Geneticchromosomal evolutioncortexDehnel’s phenomenonevolutionary breakpointshighly contiguous genome assemblyhippocampusshrew

Identifiers

PMID41517999
PMCPMC12885640

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.