Lineage-specific accelerated sequences underlying primate evolution

Abstract

Understanding the mechanisms underlying phenotypic innovation is a key goal of comparative genomic studies. Here, we investigated the evolutionary landscape of lineage-specific accelerated regions (LinARs) across 49 primate species. Genomic comparison with dense taxa sampling of primate species significantly improved LinAR detection accuracy and revealed many novel human LinARs associated with brain development or disease. Our study also yielded detailed maps of LinARs in other primate lineages that may have influenced lineage-specific phenotypic innovation and adaptation. Functional experimentation identified gibbon LinARs, which could have participated in the developmental regulation of their unique limb structures, whereas some LinARs in the Colobinae were associated with metabolite detoxification which may have been adaptive in relation to their leaf-eating diet. Overall, our study broadens knowledge of the functional roles of LinARs in primate evolution.