Science Daily February 20, 2024
Myotis bats are exceptionally species rich and have evolved viral tolerance. They also exhibit swarming, a cryptic behavior where large, multi-species assemblages gather for mating, which has been hypothesized to promote interspecific hybridization. An international team of researchers (USA – Texas A&M, Switzerland, France, Ireland) analysed 60 Old World Myotis genomes to resolve the coevolution of genome architecture and their unusual antiviral tolerance. They demonstrated an extensive history of introgressive hybridization that has replaced the species phylogeny across 17%−93% of the genome except for pericentromeric regions of macrochromosomes. They enriched introgression tracts on microchromosome regions containing key antiviral pathway genes overexpressed during viral challenge experiments. According to the researchers the results suggested that the unusual Myotis karyotype may have evolved to selectively position immune-related genes in high recombining genomic regions prone to introgression of divergent alleles, including a diversity of interleukin loci responsible for the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines… read more. Open Access TECHNICAL ARTICLE
Graphical abstract. Credit: Cell Genomics, Volume 4, Issue 2, 14 February 2024, 100482