Genetic Adaptation in New York City Rats.

Genome Biology and Evolution
Arbel HarpakJason Munshi-South

Abstract

Brown rats (Rattus norvegicus) thrive in urban environments by navigating the anthropocentric environment and taking advantage of human resources and by-products. From the human perspective, rats are a chronic problem that causes billions of dollars in damage to agriculture, health, and infrastructure. Did genetic adaptation play a role in the spread of rats in cities? To approach this question, we collected whole-genome sequences from 29 brown rats from New York City (NYC) and scanned for genetic signatures of adaptation. We tested for 1) high-frequency, extended haplotypes that could indicate selective sweeps and 2) loci of extreme genetic differentiation between the NYC sample and a sample from the presumed ancestral range of brown rats in northeast China. We found candidate selective sweeps near or inside genes associated with metabolism, diet, the nervous system, and locomotory behavior. Patterns of differentiation between NYC and Chinese rats at putative sweep loci suggest that many sweeps began after the split from the ancestral population. Together, our results suggest several hypotheses on adaptation in rats living in proximity to humans.

Associated Datasets

Sep 15, 2020·Pleuni PenningsArbel Harpak

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Citations

May 22, 2021·Nature Communications·Pablo SalmónCaroline Isaksson

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Datasets Mentioned

BETA
ERP001276

Software Mentioned

BWA
Picard
GATK
UCSC Genome Browser

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