Eurasian common shrews (Sorex araneus) shrink their brains and other organs in winter. This seasonal change is called Dehnel’s phenomenon. In spring the organs grow back to normal size.
Researchers from Stony Brook University and international partners published two papers in Genome Research and in Molecular Biology and Evolution. The teams used a chromosome-scale genome assembly and seasonal brain transcriptomes to study how gene activity changes across seasons.
The studies found shifts in energy use, including changes in oxidative phosphorylation and more fatty acid metabolism in winter. They also saw higher gluconeogenesis and increased FOXO signaling. One paper suggests chromosome arrangement helps control these seasonal changes.
Difficult words
- shrink — become smaller in size or amount
- seasonal — happening at a particular time of year
- phenomenon — something that happens and can be studied
- genome — all genetic material of an organism
- transcriptome — all RNA molecules made from genestranscriptomes
- metabolism — chemical processes that use and make energy
- chromosome — a structure with DNA that carries geneschromosome-scale
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Discussion questions
- Why might shrews shrink their organs in winter?
- Do you know other animals that change in winter? Give one example.
- Which part of this research do you find most interesting and why?
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