Evolutionary phenome-genome analysis of cranial suture closure in mammals

Cranial sutures are growth and stress diffusion sites that connect the bones protecting the brain. The closure of cranial suture is a key feature of mammalian late development and evolution, which can also lead to head malformations when it occurs prematurely (craniosynostosis). To unveil the phenotypic and genetic causes of suture closure in evolution, we examined 48 mammalian species searching for (i) causal links between suture patency, brain size, and diet using phylogenetic path analysis; and (ii) instances of genome-phenome convergence amino acid substitutions. Here we show that brain size and the anteroposterior order of ossification of the skull are the two main causes of sutures patency in evolution. We also identified three novel candidate genes for suture closure in evolution (HRNR, KIAA1549, and TTN), which have never been reported in clinical studies of craniosynostosis. Our results suggest that different genetic pathways underlie cranial suture closure in evolution and disease.