Convergent degenerated regulatory elements associated with limb loss in limbless amphibians and reptiles.

Abstract

Limbs are a defining characteristic of tetrapods, yet numerous taxa, primarily among amphibians and reptiles, have independently lost limbs as an adaptation to new ecological niches. To elucidate the genetic factors contributing to this convergent limb loss, we present a 12 Gb chromosome-level assembly of the Banna caecilian (Ichthyophis bannanicus), a limbless amphibian. Our comparative analysis, which includes the reconstruction of amphibian karyotype evolution, reveals constrained gene length evolution in a subset of developmental genes across three large genomes. Investigation of limb development genes uncovered the loss of Grem1 in caecilians and Tulp3 in snakes. Interestingly, caecilians and snakes share a significantly larger number of convergent degenerated conserved non-coding elements (dCNEs) than limbless lizards, which have a shorter evolutionary history of limb loss. These convergent dCNEs overlap significantly with active genomic regions during mouse limb development and are conserved in limbed species, suggesting their essential role in limb patterning in the tetrapod common ancestor. While most convergent dCNEs emerged in the jawed vertebrate ancestor, coinciding with the origin of paired appendage, more recent dCNEs also contribute to limb development, as demonstrated through functional experiments. Our study provides novel insights into the regulatory elements associated with limb development and loss, offering an evolutionary perspective on the genetic basis of morphological specialization.