Terrestrial Wildlife Rescue and Epidemic Diseases Surveillance Center of Guangxi, Nanning, Guangxi, 530003, China.
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Pre-Clinical Medicine, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi, 530021, China.
BMC Biol. 2021 Apr 8;19(1):67. doi: 10.1186/s12915-021-00998-2.
Trachypithecus leucocephalus, the white-headed langur, is a critically endangered primate that is endemic to the karst mountains in the southern Guangxi province of China. Studying the genomic and transcriptomic mechanisms underlying its local adaptation could help explain its persistence within a highly specialized ecological niche.
In this study, we used PacBio sequencing and optical assembly and Hi-C analysis to create a high-quality de novo assembly of the T. leucocephalus genome. Annotation and functional enrichment revealed many genes involved in metabolism, transport, and homeostasis, and almost all of the positively selected genes were related to mineral ion binding. The transcriptomes of 12 tissues from three T. leucocephalus individuals showed that the great majority of genes involved in mineral absorption and calcium signaling were expressed, and their gene families were significantly expanded. For example, FTH1 primarily functions in iron storage and had 20 expanded copies.
These results increase our understanding of the evolution of alkali tolerance and other traits necessary for the persistence of T. leucocephalus within an ecologically unique limestone karst environment.
白头叶猴是一种极度濒危的灵长类动物，仅分布于中国广西南部的喀斯特山区。研究其适应局部环境的基因组和转录组机制，可以帮助解释其在高度特化的生态位中得以存续的原因。
本研究采用 PacBio 测序和光学组装以及 Hi-C 分析，创建了白头叶猴基因组的高质量从头组装。注释和功能富集揭示了许多与代谢、运输和内稳态相关的基因，几乎所有的正选择基因都与矿物质离子结合有关。来自 3 只白头叶猴个体的 12 种组织的转录组表明，参与矿物质吸收和钙信号传导的大多数基因都有表达，且其基因家族显著扩张。例如，FTH1 主要功能是铁储存，有 20 个扩张的拷贝。
这些结果增加了我们对碱耐受性进化和其他适应石灰岩喀斯特生态环境的特征的理解，这对白头叶猴的生存至关重要。
