Revised data: Genomic rearrangements rewire chromatin contacts and drive adaptive gene expression divergence in mammals
Description
Genomic rearrangements can reshape regulatory context of genes, yet it remains unclear whether they constitute a generic mechanism driving phenotypic diversification across lineages. Here, we analysed 71 mammalian genomes representing eight clades and identified 206 clade-specific disruptions of ancestral synteny. We showed that genome structural divergence evolved heterogeneously across mammals, with several lineages departing from neutral Brownian expectations. These rearrangements consistently localized near genes underpinning clade-specific traits and coincided with the accelerated expression rates. The disruption of otherwise syntenic chromatin contacts and juxtaposition of domains with contrasting epigenetic states implied the underlying basis of regulatory rewiring. Rearranged genomic neighbourhoods further displayed clade-wide fixation, elevated linkage disequilibrium, reduced recombination rates, and enhanced co-expression indicating selective constraints on rearranged loci. Together, our findings supported a general model in which genomic rearrangements repeatedly reconfigured the mammalian regulatory landscapes and served as an evolutionary substrate for mammalian phenotypic diversification.