Sexual size dimorphism in mammals is associated with changes in the size of gene families related to brain development

Benjamin Padilla-Morales (), Alin P. Acuña-Alonzo, Huseyin Kilili, Atahualpa Castillo-Morales, Karina Díaz-Barba, Kathryn H. Maher, Laurie Fabian, Evangelos Mourkas, Tamás Székely, Martin-Alejandro Serrano-Meneses, Diego Cortez, Sergio Ancona and Araxi O. Urrutia ()
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Benjamin Padilla-Morales: University of Bath
Alin P. Acuña-Alonzo: UNAM
Huseyin Kilili: University of Bath
Atahualpa Castillo-Morales: School of Medicine
Karina Díaz-Barba: University of Bath
Kathryn H. Maher: University of Sheffield
Laurie Fabian: University of Bath
Evangelos Mourkas: Uppsala University
Tamás Székely: University of Bath
Martin-Alejandro Serrano-Meneses: San Andrés Cholula
Diego Cortez: UNAM
Sergio Ancona: UNAM
Araxi O. Urrutia: University of Bath

Nature Communications, 2024, vol. 15, issue 1, 1-11

Abstract: Abstract In mammals, sexual size dimorphism often reflects the intensity of sexual selection, yet its connection to genomic evolution remains unexplored. Gene family size evolution can reflect shifts in the relative importance of different molecular functions. Here, we investigate the associate between brain development gene repertoire to sexual size dimorphism using 124 mammalian species. We reveal significant changes in gene family size associations with sexual size dimorphism. High levels of dimorphism correlate with an expansion of gene families enriched in olfactory sensory perception and a contraction of gene families associated with brain development functions, many of which exhibited particularly high expression in the human adult brain. These findings suggest a relationship between intense sexual selection and alterations in gene family size. These insights illustrate the complex interplay between sexual dimorphism, gene family size evolution, and their roles in mammalian brain development and function, offering a valuable understanding of mammalian genome evolution.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-50386-x

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