THE GENETIC ORIGIN OF INTERSEXUALITY IN MOLES

Evolution in Action

Genomic variation is the main source of phenotypic diversity, but how phenotypic traits are encoded in the genome remains largely unknown. We hypothesize that the regulatory non-coding genome harbors the majority of this information. We developed a strategy to identify such changes and applied it to a particularly striking example of adaptation in evolution, the development of hermaphroditism, i.e. the presence of ovary and testes, in female moles. The presence of androgen-producing testes in females is part of a series of massive adaptations of moles to their subterranean lifestyle. We identified changes in the non-coding genome that likely have a regulatory effect on genes important for sex determination and gonadal development.  To test the functionality of the sequence changes, we will synthetically produce these regions of the mole genome in order to introduce them at the corresponding site in the mouse. To study the impact of these genomic changes in vivo we will generate mice and investigate gonadal development and function in these mole/mouse chimeras. Using synthetic DNA and functional in vivo testing we can study the impact of evolutionary changes on gene expression and phenotypic traits.

IN COLLABORATION WITH:

Stefan Mundlos, PhD, Max Planck Institute

Francisca Martinez Real, PhD, Andalusian Center for Developmental Biology