Sugar Gliders Take Flight—Unraveling the Secrets of Gliding!
Have you ever wondered how some mammals can soar through the air? New research published this week in Nature dives into the fascinating world of patagia, the furry flight membranes that allow these amazing creatures to glide!
This study goes beyond just describing these “wings.” Led by Dr. Ricardo Mallarino (Princeton University) and Dr. Erez Lieberman Aiden (Baylor College of Medicine), in collaboration with Dr. Dr Parwinder Kaur, MAICD (The University of Western Australia), the team used Australia’s powerful Setonix supercomputer to analyse the genomes of 15 new marsupial species, including both gliders and non-gliders. 🇦🇺 Their analysis revealed a key player: the Emx2 gene. Interestingly, this gene showed unique evolutionary changes, specifically in gliding species. They used cutting edge methods like epigenomics, transcriptomics, and in vivo transgenics to find that Emx2 was a key regulator in the formation of these gliding membranes.
Further experiments using mice provided even more exciting insights. The results suggest that the specific way Emx2 functions in gliders might have evolved from an existing genetic program present in all mammals, highlighting a remarkable example of evolutionary innovation. This study sheds light on the complex genetics behind patagium development and also provides a broader understanding of how nature reuses genetic tools across species to achieve new functions in different environments. Ready to dive deeper? Check out the full story in the Nature paper: https://lnkd.in/gvQrDcqG
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