Adaptation and conservation insights from the koala genome

Johnson, Rebecca N., O’Meally, Denis, Chen, Zhiliang, Etherington, Graham J., Ho, Simon Y. W., Nash, Will J., Grueber, Catherine E., Cheng, Yuanyuan, Whittington, Camilla M., Dennison, Siobhan, Peel, Emma, Haerty, Wilfried ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0111-191X, O’Neill, Rachel J., Colgan, Don, Russell, Tonia L., Alquezar-Planas, David E., Attenbrow, Val, Bragg, Jason G., Brandies, Parice A., Chong, Amanda Yoon-Yee, Deakin, Janine E., Di Palma, Federica, Duda, Zachary, Eldridge, Mark D. B., Ewart, Kyle M., Hogg, Carolyn J., Frankham, Greta J., Georges, Arthur, Gillett, Amber K., Govendir, Merran, Greenwood, Alex D., Hayakawa, Takashi, Helgen, Kristofer M., Hobbs, Matthew, Holleley, Clare E., Heider, Thomas N., Jones, Elizabeth A., King, Andrew, Madden, Danielle, Marshall Graves, Jennifer A., Morris, Katrina M., Neaves, Linda E., Patel, Hardip R., Polkinghorne, Adam, Renfree, Marilyn B., Robin, Charles, Salinas, Ryan, Tsangaras, Kyriakos, Waters, Paul D., Waters, Shafagh A., Wright, Belinda, Wilkins, Marc R., Timms, Peter and Belov, Katherine (2018) Adaptation and conservation insights from the koala genome. Nature Genetics, 50. 1102–1111. ISSN 1061-4036

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Abstract

The koala, the only extant species of the marsupial family Phascolarctidae, is classified as ‘vulnerable’ due to habitat loss and widespread disease. We sequenced the koala genome, producing a complete and contiguous marsupial reference genome, including centromeres. We reveal that the koala’s ability to detoxify eucalypt foliage may be due to expansions within a cytochrome P450 gene family, and its ability to smell, taste and moderate ingestion of plant secondary metabolites may be due to expansions in the vomeronasal and taste receptors. We characterized novel lactation proteins that protect young in the pouch and annotated immune genes important for response to chlamydial disease. Historical demography showed a substantial population crash coincident with the decline of Australian megafauna, while contemporary populations had biogeographic boundaries and increased inbreeding in populations affected by historic translocations. We identified genetically diverse populations that require habitat corridors and instituting of translocation programs to aid the koala’s survival in the wild.

Item Type:	Article
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Science > The Sainsbury Laboratory Faculty of Science > School of Biological Sciences Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Norwich Medical School
UEA Research Groups:	Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Research Centres > Norwich Institute for Healthy Aging
Related URLs:	http://www.nature.com/articles/s41588-01...
Depositing User:	LivePure Connector
Date Deposited:	20 Jul 2018 10:54
Last Modified:	20 Apr 2023 03:31
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/67690
DOI:	10.1038/s41588-018-0153-5

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