Genetic basis of brain size evolution in cetaceans: insights from adaptive evolution of seven primary microcephaly (MCPH) genes

Abstract Background Cetacean brain size expansion is an enigmatic event in mammalian evolution, yet its genetic basis remains poorly explored. Here, all exons of the seven primary microcephaly (MCPH) genes that play key roles in size regulation during brain development were investigated in represent...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Shixia Xu, Xiaohui Sun, Xu Niu, Zepeng Zhang, Ran Tian, Wenhua Ren, Kaiya Zhou, Guang Yang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2017-08-01
Series:BMC Evolutionary Biology
Subjects:
EQ
Online Access:http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12862-017-1051-7