Journal Article
Towards the massive genome of Proteus anguinus, illuminating longevity, regeneration, convergent evolution and metabolic disorders
Kostanjšek, R. et al.
Record Number:
5886
Year:
2022
Journal:
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
Pages:
5-11
Volume:
1507
Abstract:
Deciphering the genetic code of organisms with unusual phenotypes can help answer fundamental biological questions
and provide insight into mechanisms relevant to human biomedical research. The cave salamander Proteus
anguinus (Urodela: Proteidae), also known as the olm, is an example of a species with unique morphological and
physiological adaptations to its subterranean environment, including regenerative abilities, resistance to prolonged
starvation, and a life span of more than 100 years. However, the structure and sequence of the olm genome is still
largely unknown owing to its enormous size, estimated at nearly 50 gigabases. An international Proteus Genome
Research Consortium has been formed to decipher the olm genome. This perspective provides the scientific and
biomedical rationale for exploring the olm genome and outlines potential outcomes, challenges, and methodological
approaches required to analyze and annotate the genome of this unique amphibian.
Keywords: olm; large genome sequencing; biomedical application; subterranean environment; conservation genomics
Times Cited:
1
Relevent Species: