Evolution and transcriptional dynamics of toxin resistance in the grasshopper mouse.

Predatory grasshopper mice (Onychomys torridus) have co-evolved resistance to painful and lethal neurotoxins produced by the bark scorpion and pinacate beetle. We are employing a comparative genomics framework to understand the genetic adaptations for toxin resistance in grasshopper mice.

We have created reference genomes for the three Onychomys species and deer mouse (Peromyscus eremicus), the closest outgroup. We are currently identifying loci that have undergone species-specific changes of evolutionary constraint in coding genes, non-coding genes, and regulatory elements contributing to toxin resistance. In this project, we will carry out functional data experiments to determine genes which are involved in the response to toxin exposure in Onychomys.

Collaborators

Rowe lab, University of Oklahoma