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| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Convergent and lineage-specific genomic changes shape adaptations in sugar-consuming birds |
| Creators: |
Osipova, Ekaterina  ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6769-7223, Ko, Meng-Ching ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2234-9380, Petricek, Konstantin M. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3352-093X, Sin, Simon Yung Wa ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2484-2897, Brown, Thomas ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8293-4816, Winkler, Sylke ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0915-3316, Pippel, Martin ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8134-5929, Jarrells, Julia, Weiche, Susanne ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-8390-291X, Mosbech, Mai-Britt, Taborsak-Lines, Fanny, Wang, Chuan, Contreras-Lopez, Orlando ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4048-6637, Olsen, Remi-Andre, Ewels, Philip ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4101-2502, Mendez-Aranda, Daniel ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9668-941X, Gaede, Andrea H. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1909-7004, Sadanandan, Keren ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6554-8091, Low, Gabriel Weijie ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1276-7618, Monte, Amanda ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7871-3404, Ballerstädt, Ninon ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-9616-4197, Adreani, Nicolas M. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5043-0389, Mentesana, Lucia ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4090-2570, von Bayern, Auguste ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0981-9456, Rico-Guevara, Alejandro ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4067-5312, Edwards, Scott V. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2535-6217, Frankl-Vilches, Carolina ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-2147-5863, Kuhl, Heiner ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7623-9227, Bakker, Antje, Gahr, Manfred ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6602-2291, Altshuler, Douglas L. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1364-3617, Buttemer, William A. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3176-4452, Schupp, Michael ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3720-1052, Baldwin, Maude W. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7601-8894, Hiller, Michael ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3024-1449 and Sackton, Timothy B. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1673-9216
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| 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. |
| Keywords: | Animals, Birds |
| Source: | Science |
| ISSN: | 0036-8075 |
| Publisher: | American Association for the Advancement of Science |
| Volume: | 391 |
| Number: | 6788 |
| Page Range: | eadt1522 |
| Date: | 26 February 2026 |
| Official Publication: | https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adt1522 |
| PubMed: | View item in PubMed |
| Related to: |
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