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Lu B, Wang X, Fu J, Shi J, Wu Y, Qi Y. Genetic Adaptations of an Island Pit-Viper to a Unique Sedentary Life with Extreme Seasonal Food Availability. G3 (BETHESDA, MD.) 2020; 10:1639-1646. [PMID: 32184370 PMCID: PMC7202027 DOI: 10.1534/g3.120.401101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2019] [Accepted: 03/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/05/2022]
Abstract
The Shedao pit-viper (Gloydius shedaoensis) exhibits an extreme sedentary lifestyle. The island species exclusively feeds on migratory birds during migratory seasons and experiences prolonged hibernation and aestivation period each year (up to eight months). The sedentary strategy reduces energy expenditure, but may trigger a series of adverse effects and the snakes have likely evolved genetic modifications to alleviate these effects. To investigate the genetic adaptations, we sequenced and compared the transcriptomes of the Shedao pit-viper and its closest mainland relative, the black eyebrow pit-viper (G. intermedius). The Shedao pit-viper revealed a low rate of molecular evolution compared to its mainland relative, which is possibly associated with metabolic suppression. Signals of positive selection were detected in two genes related to antithrombin (SERPINC1) and muscle atrophy (AARS). Those genes exert significant functions in thrombosis, inhibiting oxidation and prolonged fasting. Convergent and parallel substitutions of amino acid with two other sedentary vertebrates, which often suggest adaptation, were found in a fatty acid beta-oxidation related gene (ACATA1) and a circadian link gene (KLF10), which regulate lipogenesis, gluconeogenesis, and glycolysis. Furthermore, a circadian clock gene (CRY2) exhibited two amino acid substitutions specific to the Shedao pit-viper and one variant was predicted to affect protein function. Modifications of these genes and their related functions may have contributed to the survival of this island snake species with a sedentary lifestyle and extreme seasonal food availability. Our study demonstrated several important clues for future research on physiological and other phenotypic adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin Lu
- Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Xiaoping Wang
- Nature Conservation of Snake Island and Laotieshan Mountain, Dalian 116041, China
| | - Jinzhong Fu
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - Jingsong Shi
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing 100044, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yayong Wu
- Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610041, China
- College of life sciences and food engineering, Yibin University, Yibin 644007, China
| | - Yin Qi
- Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610041, China
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Schweizer M, Triebskorn R, Köhler H. Snails in the sun: Strategies of terrestrial gastropods to cope with hot and dry conditions. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:12940-12960. [PMID: 31788227 PMCID: PMC6875674 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2019] [Revised: 07/15/2019] [Accepted: 08/05/2019] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Terrestrial gastropods do not only inhabit humid and cool environments but also habitat in which hot and dry conditions prevail. Snail species that are able to cope with such climatic conditions are thus expected to having developed multifaceted strategies and mechanisms to ensure their survival and reproduction under heat and desiccation stress. This review paper aims to provide an integrative overview of the numerous adaptation strategies terrestrial snails have evolved to persist in hot and dry environments as well as their mutual interconnections and feedbacks, but also to outline research gaps and questions that remained unanswered. We extracted relevant information from more than 140 publications in order to show how biochemical, cellular, physiological, morphological, ecological, thermodynamic, and evolutionary parameters contribute to provide an overall picture of this classical example in stress ecology. These mechanisms range from behavioral and metabolic adaptations, including estivation, to the induction of chaperones and antioxidant enzymes, mucocyte and digestive gland cell responses and the modification and frequency of morphological features, particularly shell pigmentation. In this context, thermodynamic constraints call for processes of complex adaptation at varying levels of biological organization that are mutually interwoven. We were able to assemble extensive, mostly narrowly focused information from the literature into a web of network parameters, showing that future work on this subject requires multicausal thinking to account for the complexity of relationships involved in snails' adaptation to insolation, heat, and drought.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mona Schweizer
- Animal Physiological EcologyInstitute of Evolution and EcologyUniversity of TübingenTübingenGermany
| | - Rita Triebskorn
- Animal Physiological EcologyInstitute of Evolution and EcologyUniversity of TübingenTübingenGermany
- Steinbeis Transfer Center for Ecotoxicology and EcophysiologyRottenburgGermany
| | - Heinz‐R. Köhler
- Animal Physiological EcologyInstitute of Evolution and EcologyUniversity of TübingenTübingenGermany
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Smith MK, Bose U, Mita M, Hall MR, Elizur A, Motti CA, Cummins SF. Differences in Small Molecule Neurotransmitter Profiles From the Crown-of-Thorns Seastar Radial Nerve Revealed Between Sexes and Following Food-Deprivation. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2018; 9:551. [PMID: 30374327 PMCID: PMC6196772 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2018.00551] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2018] [Accepted: 08/30/2018] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Neurotransmitters serve as chemical mediators of cell communication, and are known to have important roles in regulating numerous physiological and metabolic events in eumetazoans. The Crown-of-Thorns Seastar (COTS) is an asteroid echinoderm that has been the focus of numerous ecological studies due to its negative impact on coral reefs when in large numbers. Research devoted to its neural signaling, from basic anatomy to the key small neurotransmitters, would expand our current understanding of neural-driven biological processes, such as growth and reproduction, and offers a new approach to exploring the propensity for COTS population explosions and subsequent collapse. In this study we investigated the metabolomic profiles of small molecule neurotransmitters in the COTS radial nerve cord. Multivariate analysis shows differential abundance of small molecule neurotransmitters in male and female COTS, and in food-deprived individuals with significant differences between sexes in gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), histamine and serotonin, and significant differences in histamine and serotonin between satiation states. Annotation established that the majority of biosynthesis enzyme genes are present in the COTS genome. The spatial distribution of GABA, histamine and serotonin in the radial nerve cord was subsequently confirmed by immunolocalization; serotonin is most prominent within the ectoneural regions, including unique neural bulbs, while GABA and histamine localize primarily within neuropil fibers. Glutamic acid, which was also found in high relative abundance and is a precursor of GABA, is known as a spawning inhibitor in seastars, and as such was tested for inhibition of ovulation ex-vivo which resulted in complete inhibition of oocyte maturation and ovulation induced by 1-Methyladenine. These findings not only advance our knowledge of echinoderm neural signaling processes but also identify potential targets for developing novel approaches for COTS biocontrol.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meaghan K. Smith
- Genecology Research Centre, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore, DC, Australia
| | - Utpal Bose
- Genecology Research Centre, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore, DC, Australia
| | - Masatoshi Mita
- Center for Advanced Biomedical Sciences, TWIns Research Institute for Science and Engineering, Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Michael R. Hall
- Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS), Cape Ferguson, Townsville, QLD, Australia
| | - Abigail Elizur
- Genecology Research Centre, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore, DC, Australia
| | - Cherie A. Motti
- Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS), Cape Ferguson, Townsville, QLD, Australia
| | - Scott F. Cummins
- Genecology Research Centre, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore, DC, Australia
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Mitu SA, Bose U, Suwansa-Ard S, Turner LH, Zhao M, Elizur A, Ogbourne SM, Shaw PN, Cummins SF. Evidence for a Saponin Biosynthesis Pathway in the Body Wall of the Commercially Significant Sea Cucumber Holothuria scabra. Mar Drugs 2017; 15:E349. [PMID: 29112144 PMCID: PMC5706039 DOI: 10.3390/md15110349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2017] [Revised: 10/30/2017] [Accepted: 10/31/2017] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
The sea cucumber (phylum Echinodermata) body wall is the first line of defense and is well known for its production of secondary metabolites; including vitamins and triterpenoid glycoside saponins that have important ecological functions and potential benefits to human health. The genes involved in the various biosynthetic pathways are unknown. To gain insight into these pathways in an echinoderm, we performed a comparative transcriptome analysis and functional annotation of the body wall and the radial nerve of the sea cucumber Holothuria scabra; to define genes associated with body wall metabolic functioning and secondary metabolite biosynthesis. We show that genes related to signal transduction mechanisms were more highly represented in the H. scabra body wall, including genes encoding enzymes involved in energy production. Eight of the core triterpenoid biosynthesis enzymes were found, however, the identity of the saponin specific biosynthetic pathway enzymes remains unknown. We confirm the body wall release of at least three different triterpenoid saponins using solid phase extraction followed by ultra-high-pressure liquid chromatography-quadrupole time of flight-mass spectrometry. The resource we have established will help to guide future research to explore secondary metabolite biosynthesis in the sea cucumber.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shahida Akter Mitu
- Genecology Research Center, Faculty of Science, Health, Engineering and Education, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore DC 4558, Queensland, Australia.
| | - Utpal Bose
- Genecology Research Center, Faculty of Science, Health, Engineering and Education, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore DC 4558, Queensland, Australia.
- CSIRO Agriculture and Food, St Lucia, Brisbane 4067, Queensland, Australia.
- School of Pharmacy, The University of Queensland, Brisbane 4067, Queensland, Australia.
| | - Saowaros Suwansa-Ard
- Genecology Research Center, Faculty of Science, Health, Engineering and Education, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore DC 4558, Queensland, Australia.
| | - Luke H Turner
- Genecology Research Center, Faculty of Science, Health, Engineering and Education, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore DC 4558, Queensland, Australia.
| | - Min Zhao
- Genecology Research Center, Faculty of Science, Health, Engineering and Education, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore DC 4558, Queensland, Australia.
| | - Abigail Elizur
- Genecology Research Center, Faculty of Science, Health, Engineering and Education, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore DC 4558, Queensland, Australia.
| | - Steven M Ogbourne
- Genecology Research Center, Faculty of Science, Health, Engineering and Education, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore DC 4558, Queensland, Australia.
| | - Paul Nicholas Shaw
- School of Pharmacy, The University of Queensland, Brisbane 4067, Queensland, Australia.
| | - Scott F Cummins
- Genecology Research Center, Faculty of Science, Health, Engineering and Education, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore DC 4558, Queensland, Australia.
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Bose U, Kruangkum T, Wang T, Zhao M, Ventura T, Mitu SA, Hodson MP, Shaw PN, Sobhon P, Cummins SF. Biomolecular changes that occur in the antennal gland of the giant freshwater prawn (Machrobrachium rosenbergii). PLoS One 2017; 12:e0177064. [PMID: 28662025 PMCID: PMC5490968 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0177064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2017] [Accepted: 04/22/2017] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
In decapod crustaceans, the antennal gland (AnG) is a major primary source of externally secreted biomolecules, and some may act as pheromones that play a major role in aquatic animal communication. In aquatic crustaceans, sex pheromones regulate reproductive behaviours, yet they remain largely unidentified besides the N-acetylglucosamine-1,5-lactone (NAGL) that stimulates male to female attraction. In this study, we used an AnG transcriptome of the female giant freshwater prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii) to predict the secretion of 226 proteins, including the most abundantly expressed transcripts encoding the Spaetzle protein, a serine protease inhibitor, and an arthropodial cuticle protein AMP 8.1. A quantitative proteome analysis of the female AnG at intermolt, premolt and postmolt, identified numerous proteins of different abundances, such as the hemocyanin subunit 1 that is most abundant at intermolt. We also show that hemocyanin subunit 1 is present within water surrounding females. Of those metabolites identified, we demonstrate that the NAGL and N-acetylglucosamine (NAG) can bind with high affinity to hemocyanin subunit 1. In summary, this study has revealed components of the female giant freshwater prawn AnG that are released and contribute to further research towards understanding crustacean conspecific signalling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Utpal Bose
- Genetic, Ecology and Physiology Centre, Faculty of Science, Health, Education and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore DC, Queensland, Australia
- Metabolomics Australia, Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Thanapong Kruangkum
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Center of Excellence for Shrimp Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (Centex Shrimp), Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Tianfang Wang
- Genetic, Ecology and Physiology Centre, Faculty of Science, Health, Education and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore DC, Queensland, Australia
| | - Min Zhao
- Genetic, Ecology and Physiology Centre, Faculty of Science, Health, Education and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore DC, Queensland, Australia
| | - Tomer Ventura
- Genetic, Ecology and Physiology Centre, Faculty of Science, Health, Education and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore DC, Queensland, Australia
| | - Shahida Akter Mitu
- Genetic, Ecology and Physiology Centre, Faculty of Science, Health, Education and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore DC, Queensland, Australia
| | - Mark P. Hodson
- Metabolomics Australia, Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- S chool of Pharmacy, The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia
| | - Paul N. Shaw
- S chool of Pharmacy, The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia
| | - Prasert Sobhon
- Center of Excellence for Shrimp Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (Centex Shrimp), Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Burapha University, Chonburi, Thailand
| | - Scott F. Cummins
- Genetic, Ecology and Physiology Centre, Faculty of Science, Health, Education and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore DC, Queensland, Australia
- * E-mail:
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