Evolution of Lactation: Ancient Origin and Extreme Adaptations of the Lactation System Christophe M. Lef ` evre, 1,2,3 Julie A. Sharp, 1,2 and Kevin R. Nicholas 1,2 1 Institute for Technology Research and Innovation, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds VIC 3217, Australia; email: clefevre@deakin.edu.au, julie.sharp@deakin.edu.au, kevin.nicholas@deakin.edu.au 2 Collaborative Research Center for Innovative Dairy Products, Department of Zoology, University of Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia 3 Victorian Bioinformatics Consortium, Monash University, Clayton VIC 3080, Australia Annu. Rev. Genomics Hum. Genet. 2010. 11:219–38 First published online as a Review in Advance on June 21, 2010 The Annual Review of Genomics and Human Genetics is online at genom.annualreviews.org This article’s doi: 10.1146/annurev-genom-082509-141806 Copyright c  2010 by Annual Reviews. All rights reserved 1527-8204/10/0922-0219$20.00 Key Words mammals, monotreme, marsupial, eutherian, milk, transcriptomics, caseins, LALBA, involution Abstract Lactation, an important characteristic of mammalian reproduction, has evolved by exploiting a diversity of strategies across mammals. Com- parative genomics and transcriptomics experiments have now allowed a more in-depth analysis of the molecular evolution of lactation. Milk cell and mammary gland genomic studies have started to reveal con- served milk proteins and other components of the lactation system of monotreme, marsupial, and eutherian lineages. These analyses confirm the ancient origin of the lactation system and provide useful insight into the function of specific milk proteins in the control of lactation. These studies also illuminate the role of milk in the regulation of growth and development of the young beyond simple nutritive aspects. 219 Click here for quick links to Annual Reviews content online, including: • Other articles in this volume • Top cited articles • Top downloaded articles • Our comprehensive search Further ANNUAL REVIEWS Annu. Rev. Genom. Hum. Genet. 2010.11:219-238. Downloaded from www.annualreviews.org Access provided by 52.73.204.196 on 05/16/22. For personal use only.