The tammar wallaby (Macropus eugenii) is a model marsupial species that has been intensively used for research into various aspects of marsupial biology. Recently, it became one of only three marsupial species to have its genome sequenced. Comparisons of genome sequence from all three marsupials with those of other vertebrates have made it possible to begin identifying marsupial-specific genome features. Our knowledge of the biology of the tammar wallaby has informed the interpretation of these unique features and provided insight into their evolution. Among these unique features are genes involved in the sophisticated marsupial lactation system and genes encoding for potent antimicrobial peptides. Comparisons of genome organisation have also provided insight into marsupial genome evolution. Key Concepts: Uncovering the genetic basis of unique marsupial features is now possible due to the availability of genome sequences for three marsupial species. The tammar wallaby is a model species used for studies into marsupial biology, making it possible to link genomic features with the biological characteristics. As the tammar wallaby genome was only lightly sequenced, other genomic resources such as transcriptome sequences and genome maps have enhanced the genome assembly. A number of novel genes are associated with the complex marsupial lactation system and immunity. Five novel genes have been identified on the marsupial Y chromosome. The organisation of the tammar wallaby major histocompatibility complex is vastly different to that of any other species studied to date. A decades old debate over chromosome number in the ancestral marsupial has been resolved by comparing genome organisation among the sequenced marsupials species and the outgroup species human and chicken. The wallaby genome assembly in combination with other genomic resources are proving valuable for the discovery of marsupial-specific features. Keywords: marsupial; genome evolution; mammals; comparative genomics; lactation
Genome sequence of an Australian kangaroo, Macropus eugenii, provides insight into the evolution of mammalian reproduction and development
M. Renfree,A. Papenfuss,J. Deakin,James Lindsay,Thomas Heider,K. Belov,W. Rens,P. Waters,E. Pharo,G. Shaw,Emily S. Wong,C. Lefèvre,K. Nicholas,Y. Kuroki,M. Wakefield,K. Zenger,Chenwei Wang,M. Ferguson-Smith,F. Nicholas,D. Hickford,Hongshi Yu,K. R. Short,H. Siddle,S. Frankenberg,K. Chew,B. Menzies,J. Stringer,Shunsuke Suzuki,T. Hore,M. Delbridge,H. Patel,A. Mohammadi,Nanette Schneider,Yanqiu Hu,William O'Hara,Shafagh Al Nadaf,Chen Wu,Zhi-Ping Feng,B. Cocks,Jianghui Wang,Paul Flicek,S. Searle,S. Fairley,Kathryn M Beal,Javier Herrero,Dawn M. Carone,Yutaka Suzuki,S. Sugano,A. Toyoda,Y. Sakaki,S. Kondo,Yuichiro Nishida,Shoji Tatsumoto,Ion Mandiou,A. Hsu,K. McColl,B. Lansdell,G. Weinstock,E. Kuczek,A. McGrath,Peter J. Wilson,A. Men,M. Hazar-Rethinam,Allison R Hall,John Davis,David L. A. Wood,Sarah Williams,Y. Sundaravadanam,D. Muzny,S. Jhangiani,L. Lewis,M. Morgan,Geoffrey O. Okwuonu,S. Ruiz,J. Santibanez,L. Nazareth,Andrew Cree,G. Fowler,C. Kovar,H. Dinh,Vandita Joshi,Chyn Jing,F. Lara,Rebecca L. Thornton,Lei Chen,Jixin Deng,Yue Liu,J. Y. Shen,Xing-Zhi Song,Janette Edson,Carmen Troon,Daniela Thomas,Amber E Stephens,L. Yapa,T. Levchenko,R. Gibbs,D. Cooper,T. Speed,A. Fujiyama,Jennifer A M Graves,R. O’Neill,A. Pask,S. Forrest,K. Worley
Published 2013 in Genome Biology
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- Publication year
2013
- Venue
Genome Biology
- Publication date
2013-03-15
- Fields of study
Biology, Environmental Science
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