Insights into the Evolution of Neoteny from the Genome of the Asian Icefish Protosalanx chinensis
Jie Zhang,
Jiwei Qi,
Fanglei Shi,
Huijuan Pan,
Meng Liu,
Ran Tian,
Yuepan Geng,
Huaying Li,
Yujie Qu,
Jinping Chen,
Inge Seim,
Ming Li
Affiliations
Jie Zhang
Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Beijing 100101, China; Corresponding author
Jiwei Qi
Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Beijing 100101, China
Fanglei Shi
Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Beijing 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
Huijuan Pan
School of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
Meng Liu
Novogene Bioinformatics Institute, Beijing 100083, China
Ran Tian
Integrative Biology Laboratory, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210046, China
Yuepan Geng
Integrative Biology Laboratory, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210046, China
Huaying Li
Novogene Bioinformatics Institute, Beijing 100083, China
Yujie Qu
Novogene Bioinformatics Institute, Beijing 100083, China
Jinping Chen
Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource, Utilization, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Guangdong Institute of Applied Biological Resources, Guangzhou 510260, China; Corresponding author
Inge Seim
Integrative Biology Laboratory, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210046, China; Comparative and Endocrine Biology Laboratory, Translational Research Institute-Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, School of Biomedical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia; Corresponding author
Ming Li
Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Beijing 100101, China; Center for Excellence in Animal Evolution and Genetics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650223, China; Corresponding author
Summary: Salangids, known as Asian icefishes, represent a peculiar radiation within the bony fish order Protacanthopterygii where adult fish retain larval characteristics such as transparent and miniaturized bodies and a cartilaginous endoskeleton into adulthood. Here, we report a de novo genome of Protosalanx chinensis, the most widely distributed salangid lineage. The P. chinensis genome assembly is more contiguous and complete than a previous assembly. We estimate that P. chinensis, salmons, trouts, and pikes diverged from a common ancestor 185 million years ago. A juxtaposition with other fish genomes revealed loss of the genes encoding ectodysplasin-A receptor (EDAR), SCPP1, and four Hox proteins and likely lack of canonical fibroblast growth factor 5 (FGF5) function. We also report genomic variations of P. chinensis possibly reflecting the immune system repertoire of a species with a larval phenotype in sexually mature individuals. The new Asian icefish reference genome provides a solid foundation for future studies.
