EST-derived SNP discovery and selective pressure analysis in Pacific white shrimp(Litopenaeus vannamei)

Pacific white shrimp has become a major aquaculture and fishery species worldwide.Although a large scale EST resource has been publicly available since 2008,the data have not yet been widely used for SNP discovery or transcriptome-wide assessment of selective pressure.In this study,a set of 155 411 expressed sequence tags(ESTs) from the NCBI database were computationally analyzed and 17 225 single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs) were predicted,including 9 546 transitions,5 124 transversions and 2 481 indels.Among the 7 298 SNP substitutions located in functionally annotated contigs,58.4%(4 262) are non-synonymous SNPs capable of introducing amino acid mutations.Two hundred and fifty nonsynonymous SNPs in genes associated with economic traits have been identified as candidates for markers in selective breeding.Diversity estimates among the synonymous nucleotides were on average 3.49 times greater than those in non-synonymous,suggesting negative selection.Distribution of non-synonymous to synonymous substitutions(Ka/Ks) ratio ranges from 0 to 4.01,(average 0.42,median 0.26),suggesting that the majority of the affected genes are under purifying selection.Enrichment analysis identified multiple gene ontology categories under positive or negative selection.Categories involved in innate immune response and male gamete generation are rich in positively selected genes,which is similar to reports in Drosophila and primates.This work is the first transcriptome-wide assessment of selective pressure in a Penaeid shrimp species.The functionally annotated SNPs provide a valuable resource of potential molecular markers for selective breeding.

Ongoing Positive Selection Drives the Evolution of SARS-CoV-2 Genomes

SARS-CoV-2 is a new RNA virus affecting humans and spreads extensively throughout the world since its first outbreak in December,2019.Whether the transmissibility and pathogenicity of SARS-CoV-2 in humans after zoonotic transfer are actively evolving,and driven by adaptation to the new host and environments is still under debate.Understanding the evolutionary mechanism underlying epidemiological and pathological characteristics of COVID-19 is essential for predicting the epidemic trend,and providing guidance for disease control and treatments.Interrogating novel strategies for identifying natural selection using within-species polymorphisms and 3,674,076 SARSCoV-2 genome sequences of 169 countries as of December 30,2021,we demonstrate with population genetic evidence that during the course of SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in humans,1)SARS-CoV-2 genomes are overall conserved under purifying selection,especially for the 14 genes related to viral RNA replication,transcription,and assembly;2)ongoing positive selection is actively driving the evolution of 6 genes(e.g.,S,ORF3a,and N)that play critical roles in molecular processes involving pathogen–host interactions,including viral invasion into and egress from host cells,and viral inhibition and evasion of host immune response,possibly leading to high transmissibility and mild symptom in SARS-CoV-2 evolution.According to an established haplotype phylogenetic relationship of 138 viral clusters,a spatial and temporal landscape of 556 critical mutations is constructed based on their divergence among viral haplotype clusters or repeatedly increase in frequency within at least 2 clusters,of which multiple mutations potentially conferring alterations in viral transmissibility,pathogenicity,and virulence of SARS-CoV-2 are highlighted,warranting attention.