Spotted Hyena (Crocuta crocuta) placental transcriptome

Capture of retroviral envelope genes from endogenous retroviruses has played a role in the evolution of placental mammals, with evidence for an impact of these genes in the formation of the materno-fetal interface. It has been shown that the diversity of captured genes is likely to be responsible for the diversity of placental structures, ranging from poorly invasive (epitheliochorial) to highly invasive (hemochorial) with an intermediate state (endotheliochorial) as found in carnivorans. The latter recapitulate part of this evolution, with the hyena being the sole carnivoran with a hemochorial placenta. Here we performed RNAsequencing on a hyena placental transcriptome, and searched for endogenous retroviral envelope genes that have been captured specifically in the Hyaenidae clade and are not found in any other carnivoran.