title: Camelid genomes reveal evolution and adaptation to desert environments.
abstract: Bactrian camel (Camelus bactrianus), dromedary (Camelus dromedarius) and alpaca (Vicugna pacos) are economically important livestock. Although the Bactrian camel and dromedary are large, typically arid-desert-adapted mammals, alpacas are adapted to plateaus. Here we present high-quality genome sequences of these three species. Our analysis reveals the demographic history of these species since the Tortonian Stage of the Miocene and uncovers a striking correlation between large fluctuations in population size and geological time boundaries. Comparative genomic analysis reveals complex features related to desert adaptations, including fat and water metabolism, stress responses to heat, aridity, intense ultraviolet radiation and choking dust. Transcriptomic analysis of Bactrian camels further reveals unique osmoregulation, osmoprotection and compensatory mechanisms for water reservation underpinned by high blood glucose levels. We hypothesize that these physiological mechanisms represent kidney evolutionary adaptations to the desert environment. This study advances our understanding of camelid evolution and the adaptation of camels to arid-desert environments.
authors.affiliation: College of Life Science, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, No. 306 Zhaowuda Road, Hohhot 010018, China.
authors.forename: Huiguang
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China.
authors.forename: Xuanmin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Guang
authors.affiliation: National Centre for Biotechnology, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), P.O. Box 6086, Riyadh 11442, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Mohamed B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Al-Fageeh
authors.affiliation: College of Life Science, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, No. 306 Zhaowuda Road, Hohhot 010018, China.
authors.forename: Junwei
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.affiliation: BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China.
authors.forename: Shengkai
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.affiliation: College of Life Science, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, No. 306 Zhaowuda Road, Hohhot 010018, China.
authors.forename: Huanmin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: College of Life Science, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, No. 306 Zhaowuda Road, Hohhot 010018, China.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: National Centre for Biotechnology, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), P.O. Box 6086, Riyadh 11442, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Mohammed H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Abutarboush
authors.affiliation: College of Life Science, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, No. 306 Zhaowuda Road, Hohhot 010018, China.
authors.forename: Yanping
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xing
authors.affiliation: BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China.
authors.forename: Zhiyuan
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.affiliation: National Centre for Biotechnology, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), P.O. Box 6086, Riyadh 11442, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Ali S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Alshanqeeti
authors.affiliation: College of Life Science, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, No. 306 Zhaowuda Road, Hohhot 010018, China.
authors.forename: Yanru
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China.
authors.forename: Qiulin
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.affiliation: National Centre for Biotechnology, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), P.O. Box 6086, Riyadh 11442, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Badr M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Al-Shomrani
authors.affiliation: College of Life Science, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, No. 306 Zhaowuda Road, Hohhot 010018, China.
authors.forename: Dong
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China.
authors.forename: Jiang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: National Centre for Biotechnology, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), P.O. Box 6086, Riyadh 11442, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Manee M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Manee
authors.affiliation: College of Life Science, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, No. 306 Zhaowuda Road, Hohhot 010018, China.
authors.forename: Zili
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China.
authors.forename: Linfeng
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: College of Life Science, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, No. 306 Zhaowuda Road, Hohhot 010018, China.
authors.forename: Yiyi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China.
authors.forename: Jilin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: National Centre for Biotechnology, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), P.O. Box 6086, Riyadh 11442, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Musaad A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Altammami
authors.affiliation: College of Life Science, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, No. 306 Zhaowuda Road, Hohhot 010018, China.
authors.forename: Shenyuan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China.
authors.forename: Lili
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Institute of Bactrian Camels, Alxa League 750306, Inner Mongolia, China.
authors.forename: Wenbin
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China.
authors.forename: Sanyang
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Institute of Bactrian Camels, Alxa League 750306, Inner Mongolia, China.
authors.forename: La
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ba
authors.affiliation: College of Life Science, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, No. 306 Zhaowuda Road, Hohhot 010018, China.
authors.forename: Chunxia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China.
authors.forename: Xukui
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: College of Life Science, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, No. 306 Zhaowuda Road, Hohhot 010018, China.
authors.forename: Fanhua
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Meng
authors.affiliation: BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China.
authors.forename: Shaowei
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: College of Life Science, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, No. 306 Zhaowuda Road, Hohhot 010018, China.
authors.forename: Lu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China.
authors.forename: Erli
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: College of Life Science, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, No. 306 Zhaowuda Road, Hohhot 010018, China.
authors.forename: Xueqiong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: College of Life Science, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, No. 306 Zhaowuda Road, Hohhot 010018, China.
authors.forename: Kaifeng
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China.
authors.forename: Shu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China.
authors.forename: Junyi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China.
authors.forename: Ye
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.affiliation: BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China.
authors.forename: Huanming
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: National Centre for Biotechnology, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), P.O. Box 6086, Riyadh 11442, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Abdulaziz M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Al-Swailem
authors.affiliation: 1] BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China [2] Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen DK-2200, Denmark [3] King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological / Q000235:genetics*; D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000737:chemistry; D002162:Camelus / Q000235:genetics*; D003889:Desert Climate; D004777:Environment; D005260:Female; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D016678:Genome; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D064587:Osmoregulation; D010802:Phylogeny; D012964:Sodium / Q000378:metabolism; D013045:Species Specificity; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D059467:Transcriptome; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D014867:Water; D012964:Sodium