title: Nonhuman genetics. Genomic basis for the convergent evolution of electric organs.
abstract: Little is known about the genetic basis of convergent traits that originate repeatedly over broad taxonomic scales. The myogenic electric organ has evolved six times in fishes to produce electric fields used in communication, navigation, predation, or defense. We have examined the genomic basis of the convergent anatomical and physiological origins of these organs by assembling the genome of the electric eel (Electrophorus electricus) and sequencing electric organ and skeletal muscle transcriptomes from three lineages that have independently evolved electric organs. Our results indicate that, despite millions of years of evolution and large differences in the morphology of electric organ cells, independent lineages have leveraged similar transcription factors and developmental and cellular pathways in the evolution of electric organs.
authors: Department of Zoology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA. BEACON Center for the Study of Evolution in Action, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
authors: Jason R
authors: JR
authors: Gallant
authors: Department of Genetics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA. Biotechnology Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA.
authors: Lindsay L
authors: LL
authors: Traeger
authors: Biotechnology Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA. Department of Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA.
authors: Jeremy D
authors: JD
authors: Volkening
authors: Department of Cancer Immunology and AIDS, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02115, USA. Department of Microbiology and Immunobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
authors: Howell
authors: H
authors: Moffett
authors: Department of Cancer Immunology and AIDS, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02115, USA. Department of Microbiology and Immunobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA. Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA 02141, USA.
authors: Po-Hao
authors: PH
authors: Chen
authors: Department of Cancer Immunology and AIDS, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02115, USA. Department of Microbiology and Immunobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA. Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA 02141, USA.
authors: Carl D
authors: CD
authors: Novina
authors: Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology and Department of Chemistry, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA.
authors: George N
authors: GN
authors: Phillips
authors: Department of Pharmacology and Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
authors: Rene
authors: R
authors: Anand
authors: Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77483, USA.
authors: Gregg B
authors: GB
authors: Wells
authors: Department of Biology, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM 88003, USA.
authors: Matthew
authors: M
authors: Pinch
authors: Department of Biology, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM 88003, USA.
authors: Robert
authors: R
authors: Güth
authors: Department of Biology, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM 88003, USA.
authors: Graciela A
authors: GA
authors: Unguez
authors: Department of Biology, University of Louisiana, Lafayette, LA 70503, USA.
authors: James S
authors: JS
authors: Albert
authors: BEACON Center for the Study of Evolution in Action, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA. University of Texas, Austin, TX 78712, USA. The Josephine Bay Paul Center for Comparative Molecular Biology and Evolution, The Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA. msussman@wisc.edu manoj.samanta@systemix.org h.zakon@austin.utexas.edu.
authors: Harold H
authors: HH
authors: Zakon
authors: Systemix Institute, Redmond, WA 98053, USA. msussman@wisc.edu manoj.samanta@systemix.org h.zakon@austin.utexas.edu.
authors: Manoj P
authors: MP
authors: Samanta
authors: Biotechnology Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA. Department of Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA. msussman@wisc.edu manoj.samanta@systemix.org h.zakon@austin.utexas.edu.
authors: Michael R
authors: MR
authors: Sussman
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D002397:Catfishes / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D004555:Electric Fish / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D004557:Electric Organ / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology*; D004593:Electrophorus / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D053263:Gene Regulatory Networks; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D010802:Phylogeny; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D059467:Transcriptome
chemical_list: D014157:Transcription Factors