Abstract
Orestias ascotanensis (Cyprinodontidae) is a teleost pupfish endemic to springs feeding into the Ascotan saltpan in the Chilean Altiplano (3,700 m.a.s.l.) and represents an opportunity to study adaptations to high-altitude aquatic environments. We have de novo assembled the genome of O. ascotanensis at high coverage. Comparative analysis of the O. ascotanensis genome showed an overall process of contraction, including loss of genes related to G-protein signaling, chemotaxis and signal transduction, while there was expansion of gene families associated with microtubule-based movement and protein ubiquitination. We identified 818 genes under positive selection, many of which are involved in DNA repair. Additionally, we identified novel and conserved microRNAs expressed in O. ascotanensis and its closely-related species, Orestias gloriae. Our analysis suggests that positive selection and expansion of genes that preserve genome stability are a potential adaptive mechanism to cope with the increased solar UV radiation to which high-altitude animals are exposed to.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 305-315 |
Number of pages | 11 |
Journal | Genomics |
Volume | 114 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jan 2022 |
Externally published | Yes |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This work is part of the Chilean 1000 Genomes Initiative and is carried out within the framework of the Earth Biogenome Project ( www.earthbiogenome.org ). Funding has been provided by ANID/FONDAP 15090007 and 15200002, ANID/FONDECYT 1180606 (to MLA), ANID/FONDECYT 3190720 (to RMA) and ANID/FONDECYT 1200419 (to M Mendez). This research was partially supported by the supercomputing infrastructure of the NLHPC (ECM-02) and ANID-PIA AFB 170001.
Funding Information:
The authors thank Dr. Juan C. Opazo for his technical support with the Phylogenetic Analysis by Maximum Likelihood (PAML) analysis. This work is part of the Chilean 1000 Genomes Initiative and is carried out within the framework of the Earth Biogenome Project (www.earthbiogenome.org). Funding has been provided by ANID/FONDAP 15090007 and 15200002, ANID/FONDECYT 1180606 (to MLA), ANID/FONDECYT 3190720 (to RMA) and ANID/FONDECYT 1200419 (to M Mendez). This research was partially supported by the supercomputing infrastructure of the NLHPC (ECM-02) and ANID-PIA AFB 170001.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021
Keywords
- Altiplano
- Desert pupfish
- DNA repair
- High-altitude
- microRNAs
- Orestias ascotanensis