An international team of genetic scientists has completed the genomic sequence of the Tibetan antelope (Pantholops hodgsonii), a native of the high mountain steppes and semi-desert areas of the Tibetan plateau. The scientists have decoded the genome of Tibetan antelope and studied the underlying genetic mechanism of high-altitude adaptations (it can live at elevations of 2.5 – 3.1 miles).
“The completed genome sequence of the Tibetan antelope provides a more complete blueprint for researchers to study the genetic mechanisms of highland adaptation,” explained Dr Qingle Cai from the BGI-Shenzhen, co-author of the study published in Nature Communications. This work may also open a new way to understand the adaptation of the low partial pressure of oxygen in human activities.”
