Dear Editor,The genetic mechanism of large-scale interspecies traits,including evolutionary novelties and the characteristics of high taxa,is a central issue in evolutionary *** present,genome-wide association studies...
详细信息
Dear Editor,The genetic mechanism of large-scale interspecies traits,including evolutionary novelties and the characteristics of high taxa,is a central issue in evolutionary *** present,genome-wide association studies(GWAS)are known as one of the most powerful and affordable tools for understanding the association between heritable variations and phenotypic changes in populations of single ***,it would be interesting to determine whether GWAS can be applied to study large-scale interspecies traits.
The giant panda(Ailuropoda melanoleuca) is an iconic bear native to China,famous for eating almost exclusively *** unusual dietary behavior for a carnivore is enabled by several key adaptations including low physical ...
详细信息
The giant panda(Ailuropoda melanoleuca) is an iconic bear native to China,famous for eating almost exclusively *** unusual dietary behavior for a carnivore is enabled by several key adaptations including low physical activity,reduced organ sizes and hypothyroidism leading to lowered energy *** adaptive phenotypes have been hypothesized to arise from a panda-unique single-nucleotide mutation in the dual-oxidase 2(DUOX2) gene,involved in thyroid hormone *** test this hypothesis,we created genome-edited mice carrying the same point mutation as the panda and investigated its effect on metabolic *** mice were 27% smaller than heterozygous and wild-type ones,had 13 % lower body mass-adjusted food intake,5 5 % decreased physical activity,lower mass of kidneys(11%) and brain(5%),lower serum thyroxine(T4:36%),decreased absolute(12%) and mass-adjusted(5%) daily energy expenditure,and altered gut *** with T4 reversed the effects of the *** work uses a state-of-the-art genome editing approach to demonstrate the link between a single-nucleotide mutation in a key endocrine-related gene and profound adaptive changes in the metabolic phenotype,with great importance in ecology and evolution.
Characteristics of the gut microbiome vary synchronously with changes in host diet. However, the underlying effects of these fluctuations remain unclear. Here, we performed fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) of di...
详细信息
Characteristics of the gut microbiome vary synchronously with changes in host diet. However, the underlying effects of these fluctuations remain unclear. Here, we performed fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) of diet-specific feces from an endangered mammal (the giant panda) into a germ-free mouse model. We demonstrated that the butyrate-producing bacterium Clostridium butyricum was more abundant during shoot eating season than during the leaf-eating season, congruent with the significant increase in host body mass. Following season-specific FMT, the microbiota of the mouse model resembled that of the donor, and mice transplanted with the microbiota from the shoot-eating season grew faster and stored more fat. Mechanistic investigations revealed that butyrate extended the upregulation of hepatic circadian gene Per2, subsequently increasing phospholipid biosynthesis. Validation experiments further confirmed this causal relationship. This study demonstrated that seasonal shifts in the gut microbiome affect growth performance, facilitating a deeper understanding of host-microbe interactions in wild mammals.
Gut microbiota plays a critical role in host physiology and *** coevolution between the host and its gut microbes facilitates animal adaptation to its specific ecological *** factors such as host diet and phylogeny mo...
详细信息
Gut microbiota plays a critical role in host physiology and *** coevolution between the host and its gut microbes facilitates animal adaptation to its specific ecological *** factors such as host diet and phylogeny modulate the structure and function of gut ***,the relative contribution of each factor in shaping the structure of gut microbiota remains *** giant(Ailuropoda melanoleuca)and red(Ailurus styani)pandas belong to different families of order *** have evolved as obligate bamboo-feeders and can be used as a model system for studying the gut microbiome convergent ***,we compare the structure and function of gut microbiota of the two pandas with their carnivorous relatives using 16S rRNA and metagenome *** found that both panda species share more similarities in their gut microbiota structure with each other than each species shares with its carnivorous *** indicates that the specialized herbivorous diet rather than host phylogeny is the dominant driver of gut microbiome convergence within *** analysis revealed that the symbiotic gut microbiota of both pandas possesses a high level of starch and sucrose metabolism and vitamin B12 *** findings suggest a diet-driven convergence of gut microbiomes and provide new insight into host-microbiota coevolution of these endangered species.
After hundreds of years of technological revolution and rapid development, humanity has reached a moment of crisis in its relationship with nature [1]. To find better solutions to address global challenges, holistic t...
After hundreds of years of technological revolution and rapid development, humanity has reached a moment of crisis in its relationship with nature [1]. To find better solutions to address global challenges, holistic thinking is required to integrate environmental goals with human activities. Some of these approaches include sustainable development (SD), the planetary boundaries (PB) and, in China,ecological civilization (EC) based on the unity of nature and man (UNM)[2].
Noninvasive genetic sampling greatly facilitates studies on the genetics, ecology, and conservation of threatened species. Species identification is often a prerequisite for noninvasive sampling-based biological studi...
详细信息
Noninvasive genetic sampling greatly facilitates studies on the genetics, ecology, and conservation of threatened species. Species identification is often a prerequisite for noninvasive sampling-based biological studies. Due to the low quantity and quality of genomic DNA from noninvasive samples, high-performance short-target PCR primers are necessary for DNA barcoding applications. The order Carnivora is characterized by an elusive habit and threatened status. In this study, we developed three pairs of short-target primers for identifying Carnivora species. The COI279 primer pair was suitable for samples with better DNA quality. The COI157a and COI157b primer pairs performed well for noninvasive samples and reduced the interference of nuclear mitochondrial pseudogenes (numts). COI157a could effectively identify samples from Felidae, Canidae, Viverridae, and Hyaenidae, while COI157b could be applied to samples from Ursidae, Ailuridae, Mustelidae, Procyonidae, and Herpestidae. These short-target primers will facilitate noninvasive biological studies and efforts to conserve Carnivora species.
Mammalian chemosignals-or scent marks-are characterized by astounding chemical diversity, reflecting both complex biochemical pathways that produce them and rich information exchange with conspecifics. The microbiome ...
Mammalian chemosignals-or scent marks-are characterized by astounding chemical diversity, reflecting both complex biochemical pathways that produce them and rich information exchange with conspecifics. The microbiome of scent glands was thought to play prominent role in the chemical signal synthesis, with diverse microbiota metabolizing glandular products to produce odorants that may be used as chemosignals. Here, we use gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and metagenomic shotgun sequencing to explore this phenomenon in the anogenital gland secretions (AGS) of the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca). We find that this gland contains a diverse community of fermentative bacteria with enzymes that support metabolic pathways (e.g., lipid degradation) for the productions of volatile odorants specialized for chemical communication. We found quantitative and qualitative differences in the microbiota between AGS and digestive tract, a finding which was mirrored by differences among chemical compounds that could be used for olfactory communication. Volatile chemical compounds were more diverse and abundant in AGS than fecal samples, and our evidence suggests that metabolic pathways have been specialized for the synthesis of chemosignals for communication. The panda's microbiome is rich with genes coding for enzymes that participate in the fermentation pathways producing chemical compounds commonly deployed in mammalian chemosignals. These findings illuminate the poorly understood phenomena involved in the role of symbiotic bacteria in the production of chemosignals.
Antagonistic coevolution between host and parasite drives species evolution. However, most of the studies only focus on parasitism adaptation and do not explore the coevolution mechanisms from the perspective of both ...
详细信息
Antagonistic coevolution between host and parasite drives species evolution. However, most of the studies only focus on parasitism adaptation and do not explore the coevolution mechanisms from the perspective of both host and parasite. Here, through the de novo sequencing and assembly of the genomes of giant panda roundworm, red panda roundworm, and lion roundworm parasitic on tiger, we investigated the genomic mechanisms of coevolution between nonmodel mammals and their parasitic roundworms and those of roundworm parasitism in general. The genome-wide phylogeny revealed that these parasitic roundworms have not phylogenetically coevolved with their hosts. The CTSZ and prolyl 4-hydroxylase subunit beta (P4HB) immunoregulatory proteins played a central role in protein interaction between mammals and parasitic roundworms. The gene tree comparison identified that seven pairs of interactive proteins had consistent phylogenetic topology, suggesting their coevolution during host-parasite interaction. These coevolutionary proteins were particularly relevant to immune response. In addition, we found that the roundworms of both pandas exhibited higher proportions of metallopeptidase genes, and some positively selected genes were highly related to their larvae's fast development. Our findings provide novel insights into the genetic mechanisms of coevolution between nonmodel mammals and parasites and offer the valuable genomic resources for scientific ascariasis prevention in both pandas.
暂无评论