Comparative Genomics and Transcriptomics of Lactation
Lactation is an important characteristic of mammalian reproduction sometimes referred to as the quintessence of mammals. Comparative genomics and transcriptomics experiments are allowing a more in-depth molecular analysis of the evolution of lactation thr
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Comparative Genomics and Transcriptomics of Lactation Christophe M. Lefe`vre, Karensa Menzies, Julie A. Sharp, and Kevin R. Nicholas
Abstract Lactation is an important characteristic of mammalian reproduction sometimes referred to as the quintessence of mammals. Comparative genomics and transcriptomics experiments are allowing a more in-depth molecular analysis of the evolution of lactation throughout the mammalian kingdom and these recent results are reviewed here. Milk cell and mammary gland gene expression analysis with sequencing methodology have started to reveal conserved or specific milk protein and components of the lactation system of monotreme, marsupial and eutherian lineages. These experiments have confirmed the ancient origin of the complex lactation system and provided useful insight into the function of specific milk proteins in the control of the lactation programme or the role of milk in the regulation of growth and development of the young beyond simple nutritive aspects.
C.M. Lefe`vre Institute for Technology Research and Innovation, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, Geelong, VIC 3217, Australia CRC for Innovative Dairy Products, Department of Zoology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia Victorian Bioinformatics Consortium, Monash University, Clayton, Melbourne, VIC 3080, Australia e-mail: [email protected] K. Menzies, J.A. Sharp, and K.R. Nicholas Institute for Technology Research and Innovation, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, Geelong, VIC 3217, Australia CRC for Innovative Dairy Products, Department of Zoology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
P. Pontarotti (ed.), Evolutionary Biology – Concepts, Molecular and Morphological Evolution, DOI 10.1007/978-3-642-12340-5_7, # Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2010
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Introduction: Lactation Evolution and Diversity
Lactation consists in the nourishment of the young with copious milk secretion by the mammary gland. This aspect of mammalian reproduction is a defining characteristic of mammals and it is often referred to as the quintessence of mammals despite the existence of other differentiating characters (jaw bone structure, fur. . .). It has also been suggested that a key role of lactation during mammalian evolution has been to allow the development of affectivity with an opportunity for learning, therefore providing a substrate for the development of intelligence in man (Peaker 2002). Thus, due to its essential role in reproduction, lactation is in part responsible for the evolutionary success of mammals. Milk provision is a complex process, with changes in milk composition and interactions between parent and young beyond the straightforward nutritional function. The precise mechanism of how lactation evolved and its ancestral role are still unclear, but a diversity of lactation strategies has been adopted by mammals. Fossil and molecular evidence point to the appearance of early mammals toward the end of the Triassic on the synaptid branch of the tree of life sep
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