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Dryad

Data from: Natural selection and the genetic basis of osmoregulation in Heteromyid rodents as revealed by RNA-seq

Cite this dataset

Marra, Nicholas J.; Romero, Andrea; DeWoody, J. Andrew (2014). Data from: Natural selection and the genetic basis of osmoregulation in Heteromyid rodents as revealed by RNA-seq [Dataset]. Dryad. https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.ts98d

Abstract

One adaptation of ecological and evolutionary interest is the extraordinary ability of desert rodents to retain water during waste production. Much is known regarding the unique kidney physiology of kangaroo rats (Dipodomys spp.) and their ability to retain water during waste production, yet the genetic basis of these physiological adaptations is relatively unknown. Herein, we utilized RNA-seq data to conduct a comparative study to identify osmoregulatory genes expressed in Heteromyid rodents. We sequenced kidney tissue from two temperate desert species (Dipodomys spectabilis and Chaetodipus baileyi) from two separate subfamilies of the Heteromyidae and compared these transcriptomes to a tropical mesic species (Heteromys desmarestianus) from a third subfamily. The evolutionary history of these subfamilies provided a robust phylogenetic control that allowed us to separate shared evolutionary history from convergence. Using two methods to detect differential expression (DE), we identified 1,890 genes that showed consistent patterns of DE between the arid and mesic species. A three-species reciprocal BLAST analysis revealed 3,511 sets of putative orthologues that, upon comparison to known Mus musculus sequences, revealed 323 annotated and full length genic regions. Selection tests displayed evidence of positive selection (dn/ds >1) on 6 genes in the two desert species and remained significant for one of these genes after correction for multiple testing. Thus, our data suggest that both the coding sequence and expression of genes have been shaped by natural selection to provide the genetic architecture for efficient osmoregulation in desert-adapted Heteromyid rodents.

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Location

Portal Arizona
La Selva Biological Station Puerto Viejo Costa Rica