TADs drive evolution
Earlier research has shown that changes in TADs can affect the expression of genes and cause diseases in humans. In this study, scientists show a role for TADs in driving evolution that has been previously noted for moles, too.
After the primitive fish ancestor duplicated its genome, many unused and redundant parts were subsequently lost. “It was not only the genes that disappeared, but also the associated regulatory elements and the TADs they are contained in,” Lupiáñez said. “I think it’s an exciting finding as it suggests that the 3D structure of the genome has an influence on its evolution.”
TADs are important for gene regulation -- 40 percent of them are conserved in all vertebrates, Acemel says. “However, 60 percent of TADs have evolved in some way or another. What were the consequences of these changes for species evolution? I think that we are just scratching the surface of this exciting phenomenon,” Acemel said.
This mechanism of evolution constrained by TADs could be prevalent in nature. “We suspect that these mechanisms might explain many other interesting phenotypes that we observe in nature,” Lupiáñez said. “By adding these new layers of gene expression, gene regulation, and 3D chromatin organization, the field of evolutionary genomics is entering into a new era of discovery.”
Citation:
Ferdinand Marlétaz, Elisa de la Calle-Mustienes, Rafael D. Acemel, Christina Paliou et al. (2023): The little skate genome and the evolutionary emergence of wing-like fin appendages. Nature, DOI:
Further information
Selected Articles:
Hunting Down the Enhancers of Evolution: How Does a Fin Become a Limb? (Marine Biological Laboratory, 2018)
(previous example of TADs drinving evolution) (Max Delbrück Center, 2020)
(Max Delbrück Center, 2022)
Selected Literature:
Nakamura T, Klomp J, Pieretti J, Schneider I, Gehrke AR, Shubin NH (2015) Molecular mechanisms underlying the exceptional adaptations of batoid fins. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U S A, DOI:
Turner N, Mikalauskaite D, Barone K, Flaherty K, Senevirathne G, Adachi N, Shubin NH, Nakamura T (2019) The evolutionary origins and diversity of the neuromuscular system of paired appendages in batoids. Proc. Royal Soc. B, DOI:
Chiara Anania, Rafael Acemel (2022) In vivo dissection of a clustered-CTCF domain boundary reveals developmental principles of regulatory insulation. Nature Genetics. DOI:
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