Egg yolk gene loss was mammals' gain

Mammals lost their egg yolk genes after acquiring genes for milk proteins, according to a linkurl:study;http://biology.plosjournals.org/perlserv/?request=get-document&doi=10.1371/journal.pbio.0060063/ published yesterday in PLoS Biology. The results pinpoint an important step in how mammals evolved, the authors say. Lactation is "what makes us mammals, basically," said linkurl:Henrik Kaessmann,;http://www.unil.ch/cig/page7858_en.html/ who led the study. "Using egg yolk genes as markers, we found a unique way to put a timeframe on how key transitions in mammals occurred." There are three types of mammals: true placental mammals, linkurl:marsupials;http://www.the-scientist.com/news/home/53187/ and monotremes. Though each type nourishes its young in a different way, they all use milk to some extent, and their eggs have far less yolk than their reptilian and bird-like ancestors. But in the evolution of mammals, there's a longstanding "chicken and egg" question, or rather, a milk and egg question: What came first in the mammalian lineage — genes involved in lactation, or the loss of genes...