The Tale of Whales Genomics in Aquatic Adaptation - Might It be Associated with Human Disease?

Abstract

Whales are under constant hypoxic conditions due to diving. Hypoxia causes damage to cell/tissue upon reoxygenation, which bursts into reactive oxygen species. Therefore, they developed antioxidant biochemical systems. By comparing different but very close whale species we have identified candidate mutations that endow ability to cope with hypoxic environment. The whale genes and mutations can be associated with human disease phenotypes although the evidence so far are still indirect.