Liu Xiaoli, Liu Haiyang, Wang Yakun, Li Mingzhi, Ji Liqin, Wang Kaikuo, Wei Chengqing, Li Wei, Chen Chen, Yu Lingyun, Zhu Xinping, Hong Xiaoyou
Key Laboratory of Tropical and Subtropical Fishery Resources Application and Cultivation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Pearl River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Guangzhou 510380, China.
Guangzhou Bio & Data Technology Co., Ltd., Guangzhou 510555, China.
Biology (Basel). 2023 Jun 30;12(7):939. doi: 10.3390/biology12070939.
The Asian giant soft-shelled turtle, (Trionychidae), is one of the largest aquatic turtles in China and was designated as a First-Grade Protected Animal in China in 1989. Previous investigation based on a combination of Illumina short-read, PacBio long-read and Hi-C scaffolding technologies acquired a high-quality chromosome-level genome of . In this study, comparative genomic analysis between and 16 other vertebrate genomes indicated that turtles separated from the ancestor of archosaurians approximately 256.6 (95% highest posterior density interval, 263.6-251.9) million years ago (Mya) (Upper Permian to Triassic) and that separated from the ancestor of and approximately 59.3 (95% highest posterior density interval, 64.3-54.3) Mya. Moreover, several candidate genes, such as , , and associated with tumor suppression, growth and age were expanded, implicating their potential roles in the exceptional longevity of turtles. This new chromosome-level assembly has important scientific value in the study of conservation of and also enriches the evolutionary investigation of turtle species.
亚洲巨鳖（鳖科）是中国最大的水龟之一，1989年被列为中国一级保护动物。此前基于Illumina短读长、PacBio长读长和Hi-C染色体挂载技术相结合的研究获得了高质量的亚洲巨鳖染色体水平基因组。在本研究中，对亚洲巨鳖与其他16种脊椎动物基因组进行的比较基因组分析表明，龟类大约在2.566亿年（95%最高后验密度区间，2.636 - 2.519亿年）前（上二叠纪至三叠纪）从主龙类祖先中分化出来，而亚洲巨鳖与中华鳖和鼋的祖先大约在5930万年（95%最高后验密度区间，6430 - 5430万年）前分化。此外，几个与肿瘤抑制、生长和衰老相关的候选基因，如[具体基因名称缺失]、[具体基因名称缺失]、[具体基因名称缺失]和[具体基因名称缺失]发生了扩增，这暗示了它们在龟类超长寿命中的潜在作用。这个新的染色体水平组装在亚洲巨鳖保护研究中具有重要的科学价值，也丰富了龟类物种的进化研究。
