Genomic insights into adaptation to bipedal saltation and desert-like habitats of jerboas

Jerboas are a lineage of small rodents displaying atypical mouse-like morphology with elongated strong hindlimbs and short forelimbs. A research team has recently sequenced and reported the chromosome-scale genome of the Mongolian five-toed jerboa (Orientallactaga sibirica), which spans 2.85 GB and contains 21,074 annotated protein-coding genes. Comparative genomic analyses and in vitro functional assays showed that the genetic innovations in both protein-coding and non-coding regions played an important role in morphological and physiological adaptations of jerboas.