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The sand rat Psammomys obesus is a gerbil species native to deserts of North Africa and the Middle East, and is constrained in its ecology because high carbohydrate diets induce obesity and type II diabetes that, in extreme cases, can lead to pancreatic failure and death. We report the sequencing of the sand rat genome and discovery of an unusual, extensive, and mutationally biased GC-rich genomic domain. This highly divergent genomic region encompasses several functionally essential genes, and spans the ParaHox cluster which includes the insulin-regulating homeobox gene Pdx1. The sequence of sand rat Pdx1 has been grossly affected by GC-biased mutation, leading to the highest divergence observed for this gene across the Bilateria. In addition to genomic insights into restricted caloric intake in a desert species, the discovery of a localized chromosomal region subject to elevated mutation suggests that mutational heterogeneity within genomes could influence the course of evolution.

Original publication

DOI

10.1073/pnas.1702930114

Type

Journal article

Journal

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A

Publication Date

18/07/2017

Volume

114

Pages

7677 - 7682

Keywords

Pdx1, desert rodent, gene conversion, homeobox, type 2 diabetes, Adaptation, Biological, Animals, Chromosome Mapping, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2, Ecosystem, Evolution, Molecular, Genes, Homeobox, Genome, Gerbillinae, Homeodomain Proteins, Insulin, Male, Multigene Family, Mutation, Sequence Analysis, DNA, Trans-Activators, Transcriptional Activation, Transcriptome