CAS Key Laboratory of Coastal Environmental Processes and Ecological Remediation, Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yantai, Shandong, 264003, China.
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.
Nat Commun. 2024 Jul 15;15(1):5936. doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-49848-z.
Jellyfish exhibit innovative swimming patterns that contribute to exploring the origins of animal locomotion. However, the genetic and cellular basis of these patterns remains unclear. Herein, we generated chromosome-level genome assemblies of two jellyfish species, Turritopsis rubra and Aurelia coerulea, which exhibit straight and free-swimming patterns, respectively. We observe positive selection of numerous genes involved in statolith formation, hair cell ciliogenesis, ciliary motility, and motor neuron function. The lineage-specific absence of otolith morphogenesis- and ciliary movement-related genes in T. rubra may be associated with homeostatic structural statocyst loss and straight swimming pattern. Notably, single-cell transcriptomic analyses covering key developmental stages reveal the enrichment of diapause-related genes in the cyst during reverse development, suggesting that the sustained diapause state favours the development of new polyps under favourable conditions. This study highlights the complex relationship between genetics, locomotion patterns and survival strategies in jellyfish, thereby providing valuable insights into the evolutionary lineages of movement and adaptation in the animal kingdom.
水母表现出创新的游动模式，有助于探索动物运动的起源。然而，这些模式的遗传和细胞基础仍不清楚。在此，我们生成了两种水母（海月水母和海蜇）的染色体水平基因组组装，它们分别表现出直线和自由游动的模式。我们观察到众多与耳石形成、毛细胞纤毛发生、纤毛运动和运动神经元功能相关的基因受到正选择。海月水母中与耳石形态发生和纤毛运动相关的基因的谱系特异性缺失可能与稳态结构平衡囊的丧失和直线游动模式有关。值得注意的是，涵盖关键发育阶段的单细胞转录组分析显示，在逆行发育过程中，休眠相关基因在休眠囊中富集，这表明休眠状态的持续有利于在有利条件下发育新的息肉。本研究强调了遗传学、运动模式和水母生存策略之间的复杂关系，为动物王国的运动和适应进化谱系提供了有价值的见解。
