回声定位,基因 z-bo 2020-08-17 569

　　Echo is a special sensory mechanism based on hearing ability. Animals with echolocation use recoil positioning to move, find food, avoid obstacles and so on. They play a very important role in survival and reproduction. People have studied echolocation in animal behavior and physiology, but the molecular mechanism of echolocation is not yet fully understood. The evolution and functional genomics research team of the National Institute of Genetic Resources and Evolution, led by Dr. Shi Peng and Researcher Liu Zhen, Kunming Institute of Zoology and the Chinese Academy of Sciences discovered the entire genome range through early evolutionary genomics. A series of candidate genes related to echolocation (Currentbiology2010, PLoSONE2011, Mol.Biol.Evol.2012).

　　Recently, we have further discovered the functional convergence of the auditory gene Prestin in echolocation animals through functional experiments (such as patch clamp). Compared with non-echoic mammals, certain performances have Prestin's functional parameter 1/α in all echoes. The location of mammals has increased significantly and is significantly related to the most sensitive auditory frequency of mammals.

　　This study further shows that the parallel evolution site N7T leads to the homogeneity of prestin function in echolocation mammals. The study not only identified the first gene related to echolocation, but also discussed the molecular mechanism at the molecular level of the complex characteristics of mammalian echolocation.