Molecular identification and biochemical characteristics of a delta class glutathione S-transferase gene(FcδGST)from Chinese shrimp Fenneropenaeus chinensis

Glutathione S-transferases(GSTs)are a superfamily of multifunction enzymes involved in the regulation of redox homeostasis and innate immune responses against various pathogenic infections in marine invertebrates.In the present study,a delta class GST gene(designated as FcδGST)was cloned from Fenneropenaeus chinensis using rapid amplification of c DNA ends(RACE)technology.The complete cDNA sequence of FcδGST was 780 bp in length,which includes a 27-bp 5′non-coding region(UTR),a 117-bp 3′UTR,a 636-bp open reading frame(ORF),and a polyadenylate signal site(AATAAA)presented at the upstream of poly A tail.The FcδGST gene encoded 211 amino acids peptide,including a GST_N domain and a GST_C domain,and exhibited high similarity with previously reported delta GSTs.The predicted molecular mass of FcδGST protein was 23.39 kDa,and its theoretical isoelectric point(pI)was 5.34.The FcδGST mRNA transcripts were ubiquitously expressed in all the tested tissues,with the highest expression level in hemocytes and hepatopancreas.During the stimulation of Vibrio anguillarum or white spot syndrome virus(WSSV),the m RNA expression of FcδGST in hemocytes and hepatopancreas revealed significant up-regulation.The purified recombinant FcδGST protein(designated as rFcδGST)exhibited specific catalytic activity against 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene(CDNB)substrate with relatively low stable enzymatic activities.These results indicated that FcδGST was a fragile but typical novel delta class GST member and potentially involved in the innate immune responses of F.chinensis.

Erratum to“Targeted Genotyping of a Whole-Gene Repertoire by an Ultrahigh-Multiplex and Flexible HD-Marker Approach”[Engineering 13(2022)186–196]

There was a mistake in affiliation a,the correct one should be“MOE Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding and Sars-Fang Center,Ocean University of China,Qingdao 266003,China”as updated above;Affiliations c and d should be reversed:Affiliation c should be“Laboratory for Marine Fisheries Science and Food Production Processes,Pilot Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology,Qingdao 266237,China,”and the affiliation d should be“Laboratory of Tropical Marine Germplasm Resources and Breeding Engineering,Sanya Oceanographic Institution,Ocean University of China,Sanya 572000,China.”

Targeted Genotyping of a Whole-Gene Repertoire by an Ultrahigh-Multiplex and Flexible HD-Marker Approach

Targeted genotyping is an extremely powerful approach for the detection of known genetic variations that are biologically or clinically important.However,for non-model organisms,large-scale target geno-typing in a cost-effective manner remains a major challenge.To address this issue,we present an ultrahigh-multiplex,in-solution probe array-based high-throughput diverse marker genotyping(HD-Marker)approach that is capable of targeted genotyping of up to 86000 loci,with coverage of the whole gene repertoire,in what is a 27-fold and six-fold multiplex increase in comparison with the conventional Illumina GoldenGate and original HD-Marker assays,respectively.We perform extensive analyses of var-ious ultrahigh-multiplex levels of HD-Marker(30 k-plex,56 k-plex,and 86 k-plex)and show the power and excellent performance of the proposed method with an extremely high capture rate(about 96%)and genotyping accuracy(about 96%).With great advantages in terms of cost(as low as 0.0006 USD per geno-type)and high technical flexibility,HD-Marker is a highly efficient and powerful tool with broad appli-cation potential for genetic,ecological,and evolutionary studies of non-model organisms.

Fine‑mapping and association analysis of candidate genes for papilla number in sea cucumber,Apostichopus japonicus

The papilla number is one of the most economically important traits of sea cucumber in the China marketing trade.However,the genetic basis for papilla number diversity in holothurians is still scarce.In the present study,we conducted genomewide association studies(GWAS)for the trait papilla number of sea cucumbers utilizing a set of 400,186 high-quality SNPs derived from 200 sea cucumbers.Two significant trait-associated SNPs that passed Bonferroni correction(P<1.25E−7)were located in the intergenic region near PATS1 and the genic region of EIF4G,which were reported to play a pivotal role in cell growth and proliferation.The fine-mapping regions around the top two lead SNPs provided precise causative loci/genes related to papilla formation and cellular activity,including PPP2R3C,GBP1,and BCAS3.Potential SNPs with P<1E−4 were acquired for the following GO and KEGG enrichment analysis.Moreover,the two lead SNPs were verified in another population of sea cucumber,and the expressive detection of three potential candidate genes PATS1,PPP2R3C,and EIF4G that near or cover the two lead SNPs was conducted in papilla tissue of TG(Top papilla number group)and BG(Bottom papilla number group)by qRT-PCR.We found the significantly higher expression profile of PATS1(3.34-fold),PPP2R3C(4.90-fold),and EIF4G(4.23-fold)in TG,implying their potential function in papilla polymorphism.The present results provide valuable information to decipher the phenotype differences of the papilla trait and will provide a scientific basis for selective breeding in sea cucumbers.

Adaptive Bird-like Genome Miniaturization During the Evolution of Scallop Swimming Lifestyle

Genome miniaturization drives key evolutionary innovations of adaptive traits in vertebrates,such as the flight evolution of birds.However,whether similar evolutionary processes exist in invertebrates remains poorly understood.Derived from the second-largest animal phylum,scallops are a special group of bivalve molluscs and acquire the evolutionary novelty of the swimming lifestyle,providing excellent models for investigating the coordinated genome and lifestyle evolution.Here,we show for the first time that genome sizes of scallops exhibit a generally negative correlation with locomotion activity.To elucidate the co-evolution of genome size and swimming lifestyle,we focus on the Asian moon scallop(Amusium pleuronectes)that possesses the smallest known scallop genome while being among scallops with the highest swimming activity.Whole-genome sequencing of A.pleuronectes reveals highly conserved chromosomal macrosynteny and microsynteny,suggestive of a highly contracted but not degenerated genome.Genome reduction of A.pleuronectes is facilitated by significant inactivation of transposable elements,leading to reduced gene length,elevated expression of genes involved in energy-producing pathways,and decreased copy numbers and expression levels of biomineralization-related genes.Similar evolutionary changes of relevant pathways are also observed for bird genome reduction with flight evolution.The striking mimicry of genome miniaturization underlying the evolution of bird flight and scallop swimming unveils the potentially common,pivotal role of genome size fluctuation in the evolution of novel lifestyles in the animal kingdom.