Lin Gonghua, Yin Jingjing, Zhang Wenting, Huang Zuhao, Liu Zichao, Chen Huanhuan, Tang Lizhou, Zhao Fang
School of Life Sciences, Key Laboratory of Jiangxi Province for Functional Biology and Pollution Control in Red Soil Regions, Jinggangshan University, Ji'an 343009, China.
School of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Kunming University, Kunming 650214, China.
Biology (Basel). 2025 Jul 23;14(8):926. doi: 10.3390/biology14080926.
Leeches hold significant medical and pharmaceutical value for antithrombotic treatments, yet their genetic diversity patterns remain poorly understood. We performed population genetic analyses on seven populations from southern China using mitochondrial protein-coding genes (MitPCGs). Complete sequences of all 13 MitPCGs were obtained from 74 individuals. Haplotype diversity exhibited a logarithmic relationship with the gene length ( = 0.858, < 0.001), while nucleotide diversity showed a near-perfect alternating low-high pattern ( = 2.938, = 0.003). Concatenated sequence analyses indicated high haplotype diversity (>0.5) and low nucleotide diversity (<0.005) across all populations, suggesting a historical bottleneck followed by rapid expansion and mutation accumulation. The haplotype network, haplotype phylogenetics, and genetic structure analyses revealed moderate genetic differentiation across populations, dividing them into three clades: a basal Yunnan population (YNHH), sub-basal Guangxi populations (GXGG, GXLZ, and GXYL), and distal Guangdong/Hainan populations (GDMM, GDZJ, and HNDA). Analysis of historical population demography revealed five phases from ancient to recent times (P1-5): growth, prolonged stability, rapid decline, rapid growth, and secondary decline. These phases correlate strongly with past climatic events, demonstrating that glacial-interglacial cycles profoundly impacted the leech's effective population size. This study provides a key scientific basis for resource conservation and utilization.
水蛭在抗血栓治疗方面具有重要的医学和药学价值，但其遗传多样性模式仍知之甚少。我们利用线粒体蛋白质编码基因（MitPCGs）对中国南方的七个种群进行了群体遗传学分析。从74个个体中获得了所有13个MitPCGs的完整序列。单倍型多样性与基因长度呈对数关系（r = 0.858，P < 0.001），而核苷酸多样性呈现出近乎完美的高低交替模式（r = 2.938，P = 0.003）。串联序列分析表明，所有种群的单倍型多样性高（>0.5）而核苷酸多样性低（<0.005），这表明经历了历史瓶颈后，随后是快速扩张和突变积累。单倍型网络、单倍型系统发育和遗传结构分析揭示了种群间适度的遗传分化，将它们分为三个进化枝：一个基部的云南种群（YNHH）、次基部的广西种群（GXGG、GXLZ和GXYL）以及远端的广东/海南种群（GDMM、GDZJ和HNDA）。历史种群动态分析揭示了从古至今的五个阶段（P1 - 5）：增长、长期稳定、快速下降、快速增长和二次下降。这些阶段与过去的气候事件密切相关，表明冰期 - 间冰期循环对水蛭的有效种群大小产生了深远影响。本研究为资源保护和利用提供了关键的科学依据。
