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Updated: Jun 14, 2025
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Adaptive Evolution and Functional Differentiation of Testis-Expressed Genes in Theria
Yukako Katsura1, Shuji Shigenobu2, Yoko Satta3
1Center for the Evolutionary Origins of Human Behavior, Kyoto University, Inuyama 484-8506, Japan.
Animals : an Open Access Journal From MDPI
|August 29, 2024
Summary
Testis gene expression evolved uniquely in marsupials and eutherians. Marsupials acquired new testis-specific genes, while eutherians showed rapid gene evolution and expression pattern changes.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary biology
- Genomics
- Mammalian reproduction
Background:
- Mammalian testis gene expression patterns exhibit significant interspecies variability.
- Understanding the evolutionary trajectory of these patterns is crucial for reproductive biology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the evolutionary history of the adult testis transcriptome in Theria.
- To compare gene acquisition and evolution between marsupial and eutherian lineages.
Main Methods:
- Comparative transcriptomic analysis of adult testes from 10 species (2 marsupials, 6 eutherians, 2 outgroups).
- Phylogenetic analysis, focusing on testis-expressed genes and specific gene families like ARHGAP28.
Main Results:
- Identified 22 marsupial-specific testis-expressed genes, acquired post-eutherian divergence.
- Observed rapid gene evolution and species-specific expression pattern differentiation in eutherians, rather than new gene acquisition.
- Found 15 therian-specific testis-expressed genes, with accelerated evolution in eutherians for three genes, including ARHGAP28.
Conclusions:
- Testis transcriptome evolution followed distinct paths in marsupials and eutherians.
- Adaptive evolution of genes like ARHGAP28 likely contributed to eutherian testis expression pattern diversification.
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