GEPHE SUMMARY Print
Gephebase Gene
Entry Status
Published
GepheID
GP00000577
Main curator
Martin
PHENOTYPIC CHANGE
Trait Category
Trait State in Taxon A
Chaetodipus intermedius
Trait State in Taxon B
Chaetodipus intermedius
Ancestral State
Taxon A
Taxonomic Status
Taxon A
Common Name
rock pocket mouse
Synonyms
rock pocket mouse
Rank
species
Lineage
Show more ... eostomi; Sarcopterygii; Dipnotetrapodomorpha; Tetrapoda; Amniota; Mammalia; Theria; Eutheria; Boreoeutheria; Euarchontoglires; Glires; Rodentia; Castorimorpha; Heteromyidae; Perognathinae; Chaetodipus
NCBI Taxonomy ID
is Taxon A an Infraspecies?
No
Taxon B
Common Name
rock pocket mouse
Synonyms
rock pocket mouse
Rank
species
Lineage
Show more ... eostomi; Sarcopterygii; Dipnotetrapodomorpha; Tetrapoda; Amniota; Mammalia; Theria; Eutheria; Boreoeutheria; Euarchontoglires; Glires; Rodentia; Castorimorpha; Heteromyidae; Perognathinae; Chaetodipus
NCBI Taxonomy ID
is Taxon B an Infraspecies?
No
GENOTYPIC CHANGE
Generic Gene Name
MC1R
Synonyms
CMM5; MSH-R; SHEP2; MSHR
Sequence Similarities
Belongs to the G-protein coupled receptor 1 family.
UniProtKB
Homo sapiens
GenebankID or UniProtKB
Presumptive Null
No
Molecular Type
Aberration Type
SNP
SNP Coding Change
Nonsynonymous
Molecular Details of the Mutation
R109W
Experimental Evidence
Taxon A Taxon B Position
Codon - - -
Amino-acid - - -
Authors
Nachman MW; Hoekstra HE; D'Agostino SL
Abstract
Identifying the genes underlying adaptation is a major challenge in evolutionary biology. Here, we describe the molecular changes underlying adaptive coat color variation in a natural population of rock pocket mice, Chaetodipus intermedius. Rock pocket mice are generally light-colored and live on light-colored rocks. However, populations of dark (melanic) mice are found on dark lava, and this concealing coloration provides protection from avian and mammalian predators. We conducted association studies by using markers in candidate pigmentation genes and discovered four mutations in the melanocortin-1-receptor gene, Mc1r, that seem to be responsible for adaptive melanism in one population of lava-dwelling pocket mice. Interestingly, another melanic population of these mice on a different lava flow shows no association with Mc1r mutations, indicating that adaptive dark color has evolved independently in this species through changes at different genes.
Additional References
RELATED GEPHE
Related Genes
No matches found.
Related Haplotypes
3
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