Genetic basis of ruminant headgear and rapid antler regeneration.
Yu WangChenzhou ZhangNini WangZhipeng LiRasmus HellerRong LiuYue ZhaoJiangang HanXiangyu PanZhuqing ZhengXueqin DaiCeshi ChenMingle DouShujun PengXianqing ChenJing LiuMing LiKun WangChang LiuZeshan LinLei ChenFei HaoWenbo ZhuChengchuang SongChen ZhaoChengli ZhengJianming WangShengwei HuCunyuan LiHui YangLin JiangGuangyu LiMingjun LiuTad S SonstegardGuo-Jie ZhangYu JiangWen WangQiang QiuPublished in: Science (New York, N.Y.) (2020)
Ruminants are the only extant mammalian group possessing bony (osseous) headgear. We obtained 221 transcriptomes from bovids and cervids and sequenced three genomes representing the only two pecoran lineages that convergently lack headgear. Comparative analyses reveal that bovid horns and cervid antlers share similar gene expression profiles and a common cellular basis developed from neural crest stem cells. The rapid regenerative properties of antler tissue involve exploitation of oncogenetic pathways, and at the same time some tumor suppressor genes are under strong selection in deer. These results provide insights into the evolutionary origin of ruminant headgear as well as mammalian organ regeneration and oncogenesis.