The genome of the miiuy croaker reveals well-developed innate immune and sensory systems.

Tianjun Xu,Jiang Liu,Tianxing Liu,Rixin Wang,Shanchen Wang,Jinrui Li,Guoliang Xu,Aishuai Wang,Chang Shu,Jingjing Han,Yuena Sun,Qiong Yang,Yanjin Wang,Qing Chu,Rongbo Che

doi:10.1038/srep21902

Abstract

The miiuy croaker, Miichthys miiuy, is a representative Sciaenidae known for its exceptionally large otoliths. This species mainly inhabits turbid aquatic environments with mud to sandy mud bottoms. However, the characteristics of the immune system of this organism and its specific aquatic environment adaptations are poorly understood. Thus, we present a high-quality draft genome of miiuy croaker. The expansions of several gene families which are critical for the fish innate immune system were identified. Compared with the genomes of other fishes, some changes have occurred in the miiuy croaker sensory system including modification of vision and expansion of taste and olfaction receptors. These changes allow miiuy croaker to adapt to the environment during the long-term natural selection. The genome of miiuy croaker may elucidate its relatively well-developed immune defense and provide an adaptation model of the species thriving in turbid deep aquatic environments.

Highlights

The miiuy croaker, Miichthys miiuy, is a representative Sciaenidae known for its exceptionally large otoliths
We performed a whole-genome shotgun strategy to sequence the genome of a wild female miiuy croaker by using an Illumina Hiseq 2000 sequencing platform
Our comprehensive and comparative analyses based on the genome sequences of the miiuy croaker enhanced our understanding of the genomic and evolutionary levels of this fish

Summary

Introduction

The miiuy croaker, Miichthys miiuy, is a representative Sciaenidae known for its exceptionally large otoliths This species mainly inhabits turbid aquatic environments with mud to sandy mud bottoms. The genome of miiuy croaker may elucidate its relatively well-developed immune defense and provide an adaptation model of the species thriving in turbid deep aquatic environments. As an important link to vertebrate evolution, teleost fish is believed as an important model in the studies on complicated innate immune system and evolutionary origin of the adaptive immune system[8] With these features, the miiuy croaker is a useful species for understanding the evolution of immune systems and the genetic bases of sensory adaptations of Sciaenidae. Comparative genomic analyses provide insights into the characteristics of the immune system and evolutionary sensory adaptations to the turbid-deep aquatic habitats

Methods

Results

Conclusion