Comparative genomics sheds new light on the convergent evolution of infrared vision in snakes

Infrared vision is a highly specialized sensory system that evolved independently in three clades of snakes. Apparently, convergent evolution occurred in the transient receptor potential ankyrin 1 (TRPA1) proteins of infrared-sensing snakes. However, this gene can only explain how infrared signals are received, and not the transduction and processing of those signals. We sequenced the genome of Xenopeltis unicolor, a key outgroup species for pythons, and performed a genome-wide analysis of convergence between two clades of infrared-sensing snakes. Our results revealed pervasive molecular adaptation in pathways associated with neural development and other functions, with parallel selection on loci associated with trigeminal nerve structural organization. Additionally, we found evidence of convergent amino acid substitutions in a set of genes, including TRPA1 and TRPM2. Analysis also identified convergent accelerated evolution in non-coding elements near 12 genes involved in facial nerve ..., , , # Comparative genomics sheds new light on the convergent evolution of infrared vision in snakes

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.z8w9ghxnc](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.z8w9ghxnc)

Scripts, and data used to detect convergence in multiple dimensions of sequence evolution, including changes in amino acid sequences, gene sequences, gene function, and non-coding regions.

## Description of the data and file structure

We have submitted genome sequence of sunbeam snake (SK_yunnan.fasta), orthologous sequence for python (03.Python_bivittatus.zip), orthologous sequence for vipers (04.Viper.zip), scripts (GenomicPipelines-master.zip), and supplementary information (SI.docx).

SK_yunnan.fasta #  genome sequence of sunbeam snake, assembled by NextDenovo v2.4.0 using PacBio and Hi-C reads.

03.Python_bivittatus.zip # orthologous gene sequences for *Python bivittatus,* generated using reciprocal best hit approach.

04.Viper.zip # orthologous gene sequences that containing at least one of the two vi...