PUBLICATION

The genome of the platyfish, Xiphophorus maculatus, provides insights into evolutionary adaptation and several complex traits

Authors
Schartl, M., Walter, R.B., Shen, Y., Garcia, T., Catchen, J., Amores, A., Braasch, I., Chalopin, D., Volff, J.N., Lesch, K.P., Bisazza, A., Minx, P., Hillier, L., Wilson, R.K., Fuerstenberg, S., Boore, J., Searle, S., Postlethwait, J.H., and Warren, W.C.
ID
ZDB-PUB-140903-21
Date
2013
Source
Nature Genetics   45(5): 567-572 (Journal)
Registered Authors
Amores, Angel, Braasch, Ingo, Schartl, Manfred
Keywords
none
MeSH Terms
  • Adaptation, Physiological/genetics*
  • Animals
  • Biological Evolution*
  • Cyprinodontiformes/genetics*
  • Female
  • Fish Proteins/genetics*
  • Gene Duplication
  • Genome*
  • Meiosis/genetics
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Phylogeny
  • Selection, Genetic*
  • Sex Chromosomes/genetics*
  • Synteny
  • Viviparity, Nonmammalian
PubMed
23542700 Full text @ Nat. Genet.
Abstract

Several attributes intuitively considered to be typical mammalian features, such as complex behavior, live birth and malignant disease such as cancer, also appeared several times independently in lower vertebrates. The genetic mechanisms underlying the evolution of these elaborate traits are poorly understood. The platyfish, X. maculatus, offers a unique model to better understand the molecular biology of such traits. We report here the sequencing of the platyfish genome. Integrating genome assembly with extensive genetic maps identified an unexpected evolutionary stability of chromosomes in fish, in contrast to in mammals. Genes associated with viviparity show signatures of positive selection, identifying new putative functional domains and rare cases of parallel evolution. We also find that genes implicated in cognition show an unexpectedly high rate of duplicate gene retention after the teleost genome duplication event, suggesting a hypothesis for the evolution of the behavioral complexity in fish, which exceeds that found in amphibians and reptiles.

Genes / Markers
Figures
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping