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Fleming JF, Pisani D, Arakawa K. The Evolution of Temperature and Desiccation-Related Protein Families in Tardigrada Reveals a Complex Acquisition of Extremotolerance. Genome Biol Evol 2024; 16:evad217. [PMID: 38019582 PMCID: PMC10799326 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evad217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2023] [Revised: 11/16/2023] [Accepted: 11/17/2023] [Indexed: 11/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Tardigrada is an ecdysozoan lineage famed for its resilience. Tardigrades can tolerate high doses of radiation, low-oxygen environments, desiccation, and both high and low temperatures under a dormant state called "anhydrobiosis", which is a reversible halt of metabolism upon almost complete desiccation. A large amount of research has focused on the genetic pathways related to these capabilities, and a number of genes have been identified and linked to the extremotolerant response of tardigrades. However, the history of these genes is unclear, and the origins and history of extremotolerant genes within Tardigrada remain a mystery. Here, we generate the first phylogenies of six separate protein families linked with desiccation and radiation tolerance in Tardigrada: cytosolic abundant heat-soluble protein, mitochondrial abundant heat-soluble protein, secretory abundant heat-soluble protein, meiotic recombination 11 homolog, and the newly discovered Echiniscus testudo abundant heat-soluble proteins (alpha and beta). The high number of independent gene duplications found amongst the six gene families studied suggests that tardigrades have a complex history with numerous independent adaptations to cope with aridity within the limnoterrestrial environment. Our results suggest that tardigrades likely transitioned from a marine environment to a limnoterrestrial environment only twice, once in stem Eutardigrada and once in Heterotardigrada, which explains the unique adaptations to anhydrobiosis present in both classes.
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Affiliation(s)
- James F Fleming
- Institute for Advanced Biosciences, Keio University, Tsuruoka City, Yamagata, Japan
- Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Davide Pisani
- Palaeobiology Research Group, School of Biological Sciences and School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Kazuharu Arakawa
- Institute for Advanced Biosciences, Keio University, Tsuruoka City, Yamagata, Japan
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Grollmann MM, Jørgensen A, Møbjerg N. Actinarctus doryphorus (Tanarctidae) DNA barcodes and phylogenetic reinvestigation of Arthrotardigrada with new A. doryphorus and Echiniscoididae sequences. Zootaxa 2023; 5284:351-363. [PMID: 37518733 DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5284.2.7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023]
Abstract
Little is still known about the diversity and evolution of marine arthrotardigrades, as they are generally difficult to sample, resulting in a limited amount of molecular data for barcoding and phylogenetic studies. With the current study, we provide the first investigation into COI haplotype diversity in a marine tanarctid and at the same time readdress arthrotardigrade phylogeny. Specifically, we provide COI mtDNA, 18S and 28S rDNA sequences from a population of Actinarctus doryphorus (Tanarctidae) sampled off the coast of Roscoff, France and further provide new 18S sequences from two marine echiniscoidids. A. doryphorus COI sequences confirmed the presence of a single species and further revealed five haplotypes shared among nine sequenced individuals. Our 18S and 28S rDNA datasets were individually and combined analysed with Bayesian inference and Maximum Likelihood. Actinarctus doryphorus was placed together with Tanarctus sequences within a maximally supported Tanarctidae, confirming previous interpretations that the clade is distinct from Halechiniscidae. Although several studies in recent decades have concluded that the marine arthrotardigrades are paraphyletic, recent studies have argued that the clade may not be paraphyletic. Our phylogenetic analyses consistently inferred Arthrotardigrada as paraphyletic, as the clade includes the monophyletic Echiniscoidea. Accordingly, we propose that it is time to suppress the order Arthrotardigrada as it clearly does not reflect tardigrade phylogeny.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Nadja Møbjerg
- Department of Biology; University of Copenhagen; Denmark.
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Novotná Floriančičová K, Baltzis A, Smejkal J, Czerneková M, Kaczmarek Ł, Malý J, Notredame C, Vinopal S. Phylogenetic and functional characterization of water bears (Tardigrada) tubulins. Sci Rep 2023; 13:5194. [PMID: 36997657 PMCID: PMC10063605 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-31992-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2023] [Accepted: 03/21/2023] [Indexed: 04/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Tardigrades are microscopic ecdysozoans that can withstand extreme environmental conditions. Several tardigrade species undergo reversible morphological transformations and enter into cryptobiosis, which helps them to survive periods of unfavorable environmental conditions. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms of cryptobiosis are mostly unknown. Tubulins are evolutionarily conserved components of the microtubule cytoskeleton that are crucial in many cellular processes. We hypothesize that microtubules are necessary for the morphological changes associated with successful cryptobiosis. The molecular composition of the microtubule cytoskeleton in tardigrades is unknown. Therefore, we analyzed and characterized tardigrade tubulins and identified 79 tardigrade tubulin sequences in eight taxa. We found three α-, seven β-, one γ-, and one ε-tubulin isoform. To verify in silico identified tardigrade tubulins, we also isolated and sequenced nine out of ten predicted Hypsibius exemplaris tubulins. All tardigrade tubulins were localized as expected when overexpressed in mammalian cultured cells: to the microtubules or to the centrosomes. The presence of a functional ε-tubulin, clearly localized to centrioles, is attractive from a phylogenetic point of view. Although the phylogenetically close Nematoda lost their δ- and ε-tubulins, some groups of Arthropoda still possess them. Thus, our data support the current placement of tardigrades into the Panarthropoda clade.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kamila Novotná Floriančičová
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, J. E. Purkyně University (UJEP), Usti Nad Labem, Czech Republic
- Centre for Nanotechnology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Science, UJEP, Usti Nad Labem, Czech Republic
| | | | - Jiří Smejkal
- Centre for Nanotechnology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Science, UJEP, Usti Nad Labem, Czech Republic
| | - Michaela Czerneková
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, J. E. Purkyně University (UJEP), Usti Nad Labem, Czech Republic
| | - Łukasz Kaczmarek
- Department of Animal Taxonomy and Ecology, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Poznań, Poland
| | - Jan Malý
- Centre for Nanotechnology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Science, UJEP, Usti Nad Labem, Czech Republic
| | - Cedric Notredame
- Centre for Genomic Regulation, Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Stanislav Vinopal
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, J. E. Purkyně University (UJEP), Usti Nad Labem, Czech Republic.
- Centre for Nanotechnology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Science, UJEP, Usti Nad Labem, Czech Republic.
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Fleming JF. The wealth of shared resources: Improving molecular taxonomy using eDNA and public databases. ZOOL SCR 2023. [DOI: 10.1111/zsc.12591] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/24/2023]
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Stec D, Cancellario T, Fontaneto D. Diversification rates in Tardigrada indicate a decreasing tempo of lineage splitting regardless of reproductive mode. ORG DIVERS EVOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s13127-022-00578-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
AbstractUnderstanding the dynamics of speciation and extinction events is one of the most interesting subjects in evolutionary biology that relates to all life forms, even the smallest ones. Tardigrades are microscopic invertebrates that attracted public and scientific attention mostly due to their ability to enter into the diapause stage called cryptobiosis and in such stage resist extremely harsh environmental conditions. However, although recent research solved a considerable number of phylogenetic uncertainties and further uncovered physiological mechanisms of cryptobiosis, not much attention is given to the evolutionary forces shaping tardigrade diversity. Here, we investigated the effect of reproductive mode on diversification rates in tardigrades using three groups: macrobiotids, echiniscids and milnesids, which represent low, moderate and high levels of parthenogenesis, respectively. Our results showed a decreasing tempo of diversification events for each of the studied groups without any differences that could be ascribed to reproductive mode. We discussed the observed lack of effect in tardigrades acknowledging deficiencies in available data sets and encouraging further studies to understand whether our results can be considered reliable.
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Camarda D, Pilato G, Lisi O. Considerations on the claws of the Apochela and a novel detail of the bucco-pharyngeal apparatus of the genus Milnesium (Tardigrada: Apochela: Milnesiidae). THE EUROPEAN ZOOLOGICAL JOURNAL 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/24750263.2022.2033332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- D. Camarda
- Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - G. Pilato
- Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - O. Lisi
- Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
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Fleming JF, Pisani D, Arakawa K. New Tardigrade Opsins and Differential Expression Analyses Show Ontogenic Variation in Light Perception. Genome Biol Evol 2021; 13:6320065. [PMID: 34255030 PMCID: PMC8350360 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evab164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Opsins are light-sensitive proteins involved in many photoreceptive processes, including, but not limited to, vision and regulation of circadian rhythms. Arthropod (e.g., insects, spiders, centipedes, and crabs) opsins have been extensively researched, but the relationships and function of opsins found in lineages that are evolutionarily closely related to the arthropods remains unclear. Multiple, independent, opsin duplications are known in Tardigrada (the water bears), evidencing that protostome opsin duplications are not limited to the Arthropoda. However, the relationships, function, and expression of these new opsins are still unknown. Here, we use two tardigrade transcriptomes with deep coverage to greatly expand our knowledge of the diversity of tardigrade opsins. We reconstruct the phylogenetic relationships of the tardigrade opsins and investigate their ontogenetic expression. We found that while tardigrades have multiple opsins that evolved from lineage-specific duplications of well-understood arthropod opsins, their expression levels change during ontogeny such that most of these opsins are not co-temporally expressed. Co-temporal expression of multiple opsins underpins color vision in Arthropoda and Vertebrata. Our results clearly show duplications of both rhabdomeric and ciliary opsins within Tardigrada, forming clades specific to both the Heterotardigrada and Eutardigrada in addition to multiple independent duplications within genera. However, lack of co-temporal, ontogenetic, expression suggests that while tardigrades possess multiple opsins, they are unlikely to be able to distinguish color.
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Affiliation(s)
- James F Fleming
- Keio University Institute for Advanced Biosciences, Tsuruoka City, Yamagata, Japan.,University of Oslo Natural History Museum, Oslo, Norway
| | - Davide Pisani
- University of Bristol, Bristol Life Sciences Building, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Kazuharu Arakawa
- Keio University Institute for Advanced Biosciences, Tsuruoka City, Yamagata, Japan
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