BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Talks.cam//talks.cam.ac.uk// X-WR-CALNAME:Talks.cam BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:"\;Mammalian evolution - a biased role for the matriline"\ ; - Prof Barry Keverne\, Dept Zoology/Sub-Dept Animal Behaviour\, Universi ty of Cambirdge DTSTART:20131127T123000Z DTEND:20131127T133000Z UID:TALK48393@talks.cam.ac.uk CONTACT:Diane Pearce DESCRIPTION:Evolution of mammalian reproductive success has witnessed a st rong dependence on maternal energetics through placental in-utero developm ent\, the provisioning of post-natal milk and maternal care. The co-exist ence of three matrilineal generations as one (mother\, offspring and post- meiotic oocytes) have provided a maternal niche for transgenerational co-a daptive selection pressure to operate. In-utero foetal growth has require d increased maternal feeding in advance of foetal energetic demands\; the mammary glands are primed for milk production in advance of birth\, while the maternal hypothalamus is hormonally primed by the foetal placenta for nest building and post-natal care. Such forward planning resulted from mo ther-infant co-adaptation facilitated by co-expression of genes under matr ilineal control in the developing hypothalamus and placenta. This foetal co-expression is concurrent with the placenta interacting with the materna l hypothalamus thereby providing a transgenerational template on which sel ection pressures can operate ensuring optimal maternalism in the next gene ration. Pivotal to these mammalian evolutionary developments\, genomic im printing emerged as a gene dosage regulatory mechanism\, thought to have c o-evolved with placentation\, and providing genetic stability while increa sing heritable epigenetic variance and phenotypic heterochrony. LOCATION:Library\, Sub-Department of Animal Behaviour\, Madingley END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR