7848 alignments with Gblocks of cetaceans

Cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises) have undergone a radical transformation from the typical terrestrial mammalian body plan to a streamlined one while exhibited dramatic inter-specific size ranges. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the diversifying evolution of cetacean body size are largely unknown. Here, by using genome and phenotypic data from 22 cetaceans, we seek to investigate the genome-wide gene-phenotype correlation and to explore the genetic basis under the high diversity of body size in cetaceans. Results of the functional enrichment showed that body size-related genes in cetaceans were enriched in pathways associated with immunity, cell growth, and metabolism, suggesting their potential roles in the diversifying evolution of body size in cetaceans. A series of genes was also found coevolution with body size that are mainly involved in immune surveillance, tumor suppression function, and development of ‘cheater’ tumors. This in turn suggests that the genes...

鲸类（鲸、海豚与鼠海豚）经历了从典型陆生哺乳动物体型构型到流线型体型的剧烈转变，同时物种间体型跨度差异极为显著。然而，鲸类体型多样化演化背后的分子机制在很大程度上仍属未知。本研究依托22种鲸类的基因组与表型数据，旨在探究全基因组范围内的基因-表型关联，并解析鲸类体型高度多样性背后的遗传基础。功能富集分析（functional enrichment）结果显示，鲸类体型相关基因富集于免疫、细胞生长及代谢相关通路，提示这些基因可能在鲸类体型多样化演化中发挥潜在作用。研究还发现一系列与体型协同演化的基因，这些基因主要参与免疫监视、肿瘤抑制功能以及“作弊型肿瘤”（cheater tumors）的发生发展。这进一步表明，相关基因...