The Late Miocene Radiation of Modern Felidae: A Genetic Assessment
- W. Johnson, E. Eizirik, S. O’Brien
- Biology, Environmental ScienceScience
- 6 January 2006
The phylogenetic performance of distinct gene classes showed that Y-chromosome segments are appreciably more informative than mitochondrial DNA, X-linked, or autosomal genes in resolving the rapid Felidae species radiation.
Comparative genomics reveals insights into avian genome evolution and adaptation
- Guojie Zhang, Cai Li, Jun Wang
- BiologyScience
- 12 December 2014
This work explored bird macroevolution using full genomes from 48 avian species representing all major extant clades to reveal that pan-avian genomic diversity covaries with adaptations to different lifestyles and convergent evolution of traits.
The adaptive evolution of the mammalian mitochondrial genome
- R. D. da Fonseca, W. Johnson, S. O’Brien, M. Ramos, A. Antunes
- BiologyBMC Genomics
- 4 March 2008
This study provides insight into the adaptive evolution of the mtDNA genome in mammals and its implications for the molecular mechanism of oxidative phosphorylation, and presents a framework for future experimental characterization of the impact of specific mutations in the function, physiology, and interactions of themtDNA encoded proteins involved in oxidativeosphorylation.
Initial sequence and comparative analysis of the cat genome.
- J. Pontius, J. Mullikin, S. O’Brien
- BiologyGenome Research
- 1 November 2007
The genome sequence of an inbred Abyssinian domestic cat was assembled, mapped, and annotated with a comparative approach that involved cross-reference to annotated genome assemblies of six mammals, shedding new light on the tempo and mode of gene/genome evolution in mammals and promising several research applications for the cat.
The Evolutionary Dynamics of the Lion Panthera leo Revealed by Host and Viral Population Genomics
- A. Antunes, J. Troyer, W. Johnson
- BiologyPLoS Genetics
- 1 November 2008
Lion and FIVPle variation affirms that the large, well-studied lion population occupying the greater Serengeti Ecosystem is derived from three distinct populations that admixed recently.
Sea Anemone (Cnidaria, Anthozoa, Actiniaria) Toxins: An Overview
- B. Frazão, V. Vasconcelos, A. Antunes
- Biology, ChemistryMarine Drugs
- 1 August 2012
The phylogentic relationships of sea anemone toxins are assessed, characterized such toxins, the genes encoding them and the toxins three-dimensional structures are characterized, further providing a state-of-the-art description of the procedures involved in the isolation and purification of bioactive toxins.
First report on the occurrence of microcystins in planktonic cyanobacteria from Central Mexico.
- V. Vasconcelos, A. Martins, G. Montejano
- Environmental ScienceToxicon
- 1 September 2010
The phosphoprotein phosphatase family of Ser/Thr phosphatases as principal targets of naturally occurring toxins
- S. Pereira, V. Vasconcelos, A. Antunes
- Biology, ChemistryCritical Reviews in Toxicology
- 1 February 2011
The interaction of the toxins with the enzymes is evaluated in atomic detail to obtain insight on two complementary aspects: which specific structural differences within the similarly folded catalytic core of the PPP enzymes explain their diverse sensitivities to toxin inhibition and which structural features presented by the various toxins account for the differential inhibitory potency towards each PPP.
Evolution of separate predation- and defence-evoked venoms in carnivorous cone snails
- S. Dutertre, A. Jin, R. Lewis
- BiologyNature Communications
- 24 March 2014
It is proposed that defensive toxins, originally evolved in ancestral worm-hunting cone snails to protect against cephalopod and fish predation, have been repurposed in predatory venoms to facilitate diversification to fish and mollusk diets.
Genomic legacy of the African cheetah, Acinonyx jubatus
- P. Dobrynin, Shiping Liu, S. O’Brien
- BiologyGenome Biology
- 10 December 2015
The genome sequence of wild-born African cheetahs reveals extreme genomic depletion in SNV incidence, SNV density, SNVs of coding genes, MHC class I and II genes, and mitochondrial DNA SNVs, with potential relevance to the species’ natural history, physiological adaptations and unique reproductive disposition.
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