Rhinopithecus bieti,
or colloquially known as the Yunnan snub-nosed monkey to people from Tibet, are
a very interesting group of monkeys. Living over 4,000 miles above sea level,
it is a wonder as to how they are able to acclimate themselves to not only the
weather but also the altitude. So how do these monkeys remain at such high
altitudes?
The answer
to that question may lie in the snub nosed monkey’s genes. In a genetic study
of the monkeys’ DNA, it was determined that there were 19 major gene variations
that contribute to the monkey’s ability to thrive at such high altitudes. As
the only non human primates to live at such high elevation there must have been
many things that contributed to their selection for these genes.
Through
reconstruction of the evolutionary history of these snub nosed monkeys,
researchers determined that episodes of climate variation may have shaped these
monkeys to what they are today. One of the major genes involved in the monkey’s
ability to inhabit such high elevations is the ADAM9 gene (See genome sequenced here). Interestingly enough, there
are versions of this same gene located in yaks and chickens found in Tibet. In
relation to the selection of genes, the
ADAM9 gene was most likely selected for its ability to allow these animals
to live in such low oxygenated conditions. Similar to these monkeys, the people
of Tibet also have adaptations to the high elevation of Tibet inherited from
their extinct relatives known as the Denisovans. The genetic variant that has
been examined to be the cause of this adaptation is known as EPAS. Thanks to genes and many years of
selection, the snub nosed monkey and many others, including humans, have been
able to acclimate themselves to high altitudes where the oxygen levels are
scarce.
As someone who enjoys hiking up large mountains, I think the gene like the ADAM 9 would be something that could help me personally to climb higher mountains without having to waste time acclimating to the altitude. Perhaps in the future, the ADAM 9 gene could be isolated and potentially sequenced to find a similar allele in normal human beings like me. In that way, potentially, regular people could climb higher and higher like these snub nosed monkeys or even Denisovans.
As someone who enjoys hiking up large mountains, I think the gene like the ADAM 9 would be something that could help me personally to climb higher mountains without having to waste time acclimating to the altitude. Perhaps in the future, the ADAM 9 gene could be isolated and potentially sequenced to find a similar allele in normal human beings like me. In that way, potentially, regular people could climb higher and higher like these snub nosed monkeys or even Denisovans.
Very cool how the genomes of these species allow them to live at such high altitudes. I wonder if the ADAM 9 gene has something to do with the organisms cellular respiration and ability to obtain oxygen from the thin air up there. On the contrast, I wonder if there are genes in organisms that give them an advantage to living in very low altitudes like in Death Valley.
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