趋同和谱系特异性的基因组变化塑造了食糖鸟类的适应性，这一成果由哈佛大学
该团队通过生成9个新的基因组和90个组织特异性转录组，研究了蜂鸟、鹦鹉、蜜鸟和太阳鸟的潜在分子机制。比较筛选显示，在糖食性鸟类中，蛋白质编码和调控序列都存在过量的重复选择，这表明遗传元件发生了重新定位。食糖动物的序列或表达变化影响与血压调节、脂质、氨基酸和碳水化合物代谢有关的基因，实验显示蜜水己糖激酶3的功能变化。MLXIPL是糖和脂质稳态的关键调控因子，在所有食糖进化支中序列和调控变化趋同；实验发现，糖诱导的蜂鸟MLXIPL转录活性增强，突出了其在高糖饮食中的适应性作用。
据了解，高糖饮食与人类代谢疾病有关，但一些鸟类谱系逐渐适应以富含糖的花蜜或水果为食。
附：英文原文
Title: Convergent and lineage-specific genomic changes shape adaptations in sugar-consuming birds
Author: Ekaterina Osipova, Meng-Ching Ko, Konstantin M. Petricek, Simon Yung Wa Sin, Thomas Brown, Sylke Winkler, Martin Pippel, Julia Jarrells, Susanne Weiche, Mai-Britt Mosbech, Fanny Taborsak-Lines, Chuan Wang, Orlando Contreras-Lopez, Remi-Andre Olsen, Philip Ewels, Daniel Mendez-Aranda, Andrea H. Gaede, Keren Sadanandan, Gabriel Weijie Low, Amanda Monte, Ninon Ballerstdt, Nicolas M. Adreani, Lucia Mentesana, Auguste von Bayern, Alejandro Rico-Guevara, Scott V. Edwards, Carolina Frankl-Vilches, Heiner Kuhl, Antje Bakker, Manfred Gahr, Douglas L. Altshuler, William A. Buttemer, Michael Schupp, Maude W. Baldwin, Michael Hiller, Timothy B. Sackton
Issue&Volume: 2026-02-26
Abstract: High-sugar diets cause human metabolic diseases, yet several bird lineages convergently adapted to feeding on sugar-rich nectar or fruits. We investigated the underlying molecular mechanisms in hummingbirds, parrots, honeyeaters, and sunbirds by generating nine new genomes and 90 tissue-specific transcriptomes. Comparative screens revealed an excess of repeated selection in both protein-coding and regulatory sequences in sugar-feeding birds, suggesting reuse of genetic elements. Sequence or expression changes in sugar-feeders affect genes involved in blood pressure regulation and lipid, amino acid, and carbohydrate metabolism, with experiments showing functional changes in honeyeater hexokinase 3. MLXIPL, a key regulator of sugar and lipid homeostasis, showed convergent sequence and regulatory changes across all sugar-feeding clades; experiments revealed enhanced sugar-induced transcriptional activity of hummingbird MLXIPL, highlighting its adaptive role in high-sugar diets.
DOI: adt1522
Source: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adt1522