Comparative Genomic and Transcriptomic Analyses Revealed Twenty-Six Candidate Genes Involved in the Air-Breathing Development and Function of the Bighead Catfish Clarias macrocephalus

Author(s):  
Xiaoli Ma ◽  
Baofeng Su ◽  
Max Bangs ◽  
Veronica Alston ◽  
Nathan J. C. Backenstose ◽  
...  
2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jay F. Storz ◽  
Chandrasekhar Natarajan ◽  
Magnus K. Grouleff ◽  
Michael Vandewege ◽  
Federico G. Hoffmann ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTAmong the numerous lineages of teleost fish that have independently transitioned from obligate water-breathing to facultative air-breathing, evolved properties of hemoglobin (Hb)-O2 transport may have been shaped by the prevalence and severity of aquatic hypoxia (which influences the extent to which fish are compelled to switch to aerial respiration) as well as the anatomical design of air-breathing structures and the cardiovascular system. Here we examine the structure and function of Hbs in an amphibious, facultative air-breathing fish, the blue-spotted mudskipper (Boleophthalmus pectinirostris). We also characterized the genomic organization of the globin gene clusters of the species and we integrated phylogenetic and comparative genomic analyses to unravel the duplicative history of the genes that encode the subunits of structurally distinct mudskipper Hb isoforms (isoHbs). The B. pectinirostris isoHbs exhibit high intrinsic O2-affinities, similar to those of hypoxia-tolerant, water-breathing teleosts, and remarkably large Bohr effects. Genomic analysis of conserved synteny revealed that the genes that encode the α-type subunits of the two main adult isoHbs are members of paralogous gene clusters that represent products of the teleost-specific whole-genome duplication. Experiments revealed no appreciable difference in the oxygenation properties of co-expressed isoHbs in spite of extensive amino acid divergence between the alternative α-chain subunit isoforms. It therefore appears that the ability to switch between aquatic and aerial respiration does not necessarily require a division of labor between functionally distinct isoHbs with specialized oxygenation properties.Summary statementThe blue-spotted mudskipper routinely switches between aquatic and aerial respiration. This respiratory versatility is associated with properties of hemoglobin-oxygen transport that are similar to those found in hypoxia-adapted water-breathing fishes.


2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 83-94
Author(s):  
O. V. Balberova ◽  
E. V. Bykov ◽  
G. V. Medvedev

It is generally recognized that an elite athlete's status is a multifactorial phenotype depending on many environmental and genetic factors. Variations in the sequence of nucleotides in deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), in particular, single-nucleotide variants (SNVs) act as key internal factors associated with achieving high results in sports. The determination of specific individuals' genetic characteristics allows us to identify athletes who have the greatest genetically determined potential for certain sports that require speed, strength or endurance manifestation. Of course, peculiarities of the structure and function of skeletal muscles are among the most important characteristics in sports results context, in sports associated with the development of power / strength or endurance phenotypes. The composition and function of skeletal muscles are controlled by many different genes, and their SNVs can serve as strength or endurance athletes' status biomarkers. (1) Background: to conduct a thematic review of candidate genes studies and their single-nucleotide variants (SNVs) associated with the functioning of skeletal muscles in athletes. (2) Methods: A search for articles for the period from 2010 to 2020 was conducted in the databases SCOPUS, Web of Science, Google Calendar, Clinical keys, PubMed, e-LIBRARY using keywords and their combinations; (3) Conclusions: The identification of genetic biomarkers associated with muscular system regulation can help neurologists, sports doctors and coaches in developing personalized strategies for selecting children, adolescents and young adults for endurance, strength and speed sports (for example, running short, medium or long distances). Such a personalized approach will increase sports performance and reduce the risk of sports injuries of the musculoskeletal system.


2021 ◽  
Vol 288 (1963) ◽  
Author(s):  
Iker Irisarri ◽  
Tatyana Darienko ◽  
Thomas Pröschold ◽  
Janine M. R. Fürst-Jansen ◽  
Mahwash Jamy ◽  
...  

Streptophytes are one of the major groups of the green lineage (Chloroplastida or Viridiplantae). During one billion years of evolution, streptophytes have radiated into an astounding diversity of uni- and multicellular green algae as well as land plants. Most divergent from land plants is a clade formed by Mesostigmatophyceae, Spirotaenia spp. and Chlorokybophyceae. All three lineages are species-poor and the Chlorokybophyceae consist of a single described species, Chlorokybus atmophyticus. In this study, we used phylogenomic analyses to shed light into the diversity within Chlorokybus using a sampling of isolates across its known distribution. We uncovered a consistent deep genetic structure within the Chlorokybus isolates, which prompted us to formally extend the Chlorokybophyceae by describing four new species. Gene expression differences among Chlorokybus species suggest certain constitutive variability that might influence their response to environmental factors. Failure to account for this diversity can hamper comparative genomic studies aiming to understand the evolution of stress response across streptophytes. Our data highlight that future studies on the evolution of plant form and function can tap into an unknown diversity at key deep branches of the streptophytes.


2018 ◽  
Vol 115 (20) ◽  
pp. 5247-5252 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qihui Zhu ◽  
Frances A. High ◽  
Chengsheng Zhang ◽  
Eliza Cerveira ◽  
Meaghan K. Russell ◽  
...  

Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH), characterized by malformation of the diaphragm and hypoplasia of the lungs, is one of the most common and severe birth defects, and is associated with high morbidity and mortality rates. There is growing evidence demonstrating that genetic factors contribute to CDH, although the pathogenesis remains largely elusive. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms have been studied in recent whole-exome sequencing efforts, but larger copy number variants (CNVs) have not yet been studied on a large scale in a case control study. To capture CNVs within CDH candidate regions, we developed and tested a targeted array comparative genomic hybridization platform to identify CNVs within 140 regions in 196 patients and 987 healthy controls, and identified six significant CNVs that were either unique to patients or enriched in patients compared with controls. These CDH-associated CNVs reveal high-priority candidate genes including HLX, LHX1, and HNF1B. We also discuss CNVs that are present in only one patient in the cohort but have additional evidence of pathogenicity, including extremely rare large and/or de novo CNVs. The candidate genes within these predicted disease-causing CNVs form functional networks with other known CDH genes and play putative roles in DNA binding/transcription regulation and embryonic development. These data substantiate the importance of CNVs in the etiology of CDH, identify CDH candidate genes and pathways, and highlight the importance of ongoing analysis of CNVs in the study of CDH and other structural birth defects.


2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (9) ◽  
pp. 1323-1329
Author(s):  
Changlong Guo ◽  
Xin Tian ◽  
Feifei Han ◽  
Lihong Liu ◽  
Jianen Gao ◽  
...  

Objective.SAPHO (synovitis, acne, pustulosis, hyperostosis, osteitis) syndrome is a type of rare chronic aseptic inflammation of unknown etiology. To date, no research to our knowledge has reported copy number variation (CNV) of genes that could affect predisposition to SAPHO syndrome. We investigated the association between CNV profile and SAPHO syndrome.Methods.We used array comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) to screen for CNV in a nuclear family including 2 patients and a healthy control. We then validated the copy numbers of candidate genes found in the array CGH assay and other candidate genes by TaqMan real-time PCR in 360 case and control samples.Results.Ten regions from 8 chromosomes were found to have abnormal gene copies in the nuclear family, so the CNV of candidate genes (ADAM5, CSF2RA, IL3RA, and 9 other genes) were tested by TaqMan PCR. Significant copy number loss of CSF2RA (p = 0.000) and NOD2 (p = 0.005), and significant copy number gain of MEGF6 (p = 0.002) and ADAM5 (p = 0.000) were seen in patients with SAPHO compared with controls at the a = 0.05 level. There were no differences in the other 8 candidate genes between patient and control samples (p > 0.05).Conclusion.Our study established the first association between CNV in CSF2RA, NOD2, MEGF6, and ADAM5 and SAPHO syndrome. These findings may offer insight into the pathogenesis of SAPHO and provide the basis for improved diagnosis and treatment.


BMC Genomics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marina Athanasouli ◽  
Hanh Witte ◽  
Christian Weiler ◽  
Tobias Loschko ◽  
Gabi Eberhardt ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Nematode model organisms such as Caenorhabditis elegans and Pristionchus pacificus are powerful systems for studying the evolution of gene function at a mechanistic level. However, the identification of P. pacificus orthologs of candidate genes known from C. elegans is complicated by the discrepancy in the quality of gene annotations, a common problem in nematode and invertebrate genomics. Results Here, we combine comparative genomic screens for suspicious gene models with community-based curation to further improve the quality of gene annotations in P. pacificus. We extend previous curations of one-to-one orthologs to larger gene families and also orphan genes. Cross-species comparisons of protein lengths, screens for atypical domain combinations and species-specific orphan genes resulted in 4311 candidate genes that were subject to community-based curation. Corrections for 2946 gene models were implemented in a new version of the P. pacificus gene annotations. The new set of gene annotations contains 28,896 genes and has a single copy ortholog completeness level of 97.6%. Conclusions Our work demonstrates the effectiveness of comparative genomic screens to identify suspicious gene models and the scalability of community-based approaches to improve the quality of thousands of gene models. Similar community-based approaches can help to improve the quality of gene annotations in other invertebrate species, including parasitic nematodes.


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