Huang Guangping, Liu Xing, Huang Xin, Gao Chuang, Wang Zhilin, Li Junxia, Wei Xiaocui, Yu Wen-Hua, Wu Yi, Liu Ying, Feng Jiang, Li Yang, Wei Fuwen
CAS Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
Jiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Conservation Biology, College of Forestry, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, China.
Natl Sci Rev. 2024 Jul 16;12(3):nwae245. doi: 10.1093/nsr/nwae245. eCollection 2025 Mar.
Deciphering the mechanisms underlying the transmission and spillover of zoonoses from reservoir hosts is essential in preventing future global pandemics. Bat flies-obligate blood-feeding ectoparasites of bats-are known carriers of diverse viruses. Here, we conducted a assembly of a chromosome-level genome for the bat fly species sp. Comparative genomic analysis unveiled genes associated with specialized traits, such as the loss of eyes and wings, as well as elongated legs, which have adapted to parasitism on the dense fur of bats. Utilizing small RNA sequencing, we identified a spectrum of known and previously unclassified viruses in bat flies. Notably, experimental evidence indicated that bat flies can also feed on mammalian hosts other than bats, suggesting the potential for the spillover of bat-borne viruses. Furthermore, we demonstrated the role of the bat fly's RNA interference pathway in influencing the diversity and evolution of viruses. In summary, this study not only presents a new genome catalog to unveil the evolutionary mechanisms underpinning bat fly parasitism, but also provides a novel research system that can be used to investigate the mechanisms of cross-species transmission of bat-borne viruses and the co-evolution of bats and viruses.
破解人畜共患病从宿主传播和溢出的潜在机制对于预防未来的全球大流行至关重要。蝙蝠蝇——蝙蝠专性吸血的体外寄生虫——是多种病毒的已知携带者。在此，我们对蝙蝠蝇物种 进行了染色体水平基因组的组装。比较基因组分析揭示了与特殊性状相关的基因，比如眼睛和翅膀的退化，以及适应在蝙蝠浓密毛发上寄生的长腿。利用小RNA测序，我们在蝙蝠蝇中鉴定出一系列已知和以前未分类的病毒。值得注意的是，实验证据表明蝙蝠蝇也可以吸食除蝙蝠以外的哺乳动物宿主的血液，这表明蝙蝠携带的病毒存在溢出的可能性。此外，我们证明了蝙蝠蝇的RNA干扰途径在影响病毒多样性和进化中的作用。总之，本研究不仅提供了一个新的基因组目录来揭示蝙蝠蝇寄生的进化机制，还提供了一个新的研究系统，可用于研究蝙蝠携带的病毒跨物种传播机制以及蝙蝠与病毒的共同进化。
