English (United Kingdom)

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/featured_content/oa?rat=en

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/highlighted_journal/

Global: Zendy Tools annual

Presents the keyphrase highlighting as premium feature

Keyphrase Highlighting

Presents the summarisation as premium feature

Summarisation

Insights

Presents the pdf analysis as premium feature

PDF Analysis

Presents the zaia usage as premium feature

ZAIA

Global: Zendy Tools monthly

Global: Zendy Plus monthly

Presents the access of premium content as premium feature

Premium Content

Global: Zendy Plus annual

Global: Zendy Free Plan

The ability of bats and toothed whales to echolocate is a remarkable case of convergent evolution. Previous genetic studies have documented parallel evolution of nucleotide sequences in  Prestin  and  KCNQ4 , both of which are associated with voltage motility during the cochlear amplification of signals. Echolocation involves complex mechanisms. The most important factors include cochlear amplification, nerve transmission, and signal re-coding. Herein, we screen three genes that play different roles in this auditory system. Cadherin 23 ( Cdh23 ) and its ligand, protocadherin 15 ( Pcdh15 ), are essential for bundling motility in the sensory hair. Otoferlin ( Otof ) responds to nerve signal transmission in the auditory inner hair cell. Signals of parallel evolution occur in all three genes in the three groups of echolocators—two groups of bats (Yangochiroptera and Rhinolophoidea) plus the dolphin. Significant signals of positive selection also occur in  Cdh23  in the Rhinolophoidea and dolphin, and  Pcdh15  in Yangochiroptera. In addition, adult echolocating bats have higher levels of  Otof  expression in the auditory cortex than do their embryos and non-echolocation bats.  Cdh23  and  Pcdh15  encode the upper and lower parts of tip-links, and both genes show signals of convergent evolution and positive selection in echolocators, implying that they may co-evolve to optimize cochlear amplification. Convergent evolution and expression patterns of  Otof  suggest the potential role of nerve and brain in echolocation. Our synthesis of gene sequence and gene expression analyses reveals that positive selection, parallel evolution, and perhaps co-evolution and gene expression affect multiple hearing genes that play different roles in audition, including voltage and bundle motility in cochlear amplification, nerve transmission, and brain function.

Parallel Evolution of Auditory Genes for Echolocation in Bats and Toothed Whales