Genetic diversity and structure of mongolian gazelle (Procapra gutturosa) populations in fragmented habitats.

BACKGROUND: The Mongolian gazelle (Procapra gutturosa) population has shown a considerable range of contractions and local extinctions over the last century, owing to habitat fragmentation and poaching. A thorough understanding of the genetic diversity and structure of Mongolian gazelle populations in fragmented habitats is critical for planning effective conservation strategies. RESULT: In this study, we used eight microsatellite loci and mitochondrial cytochrome b (Cytb) to compare the levels of genetic diversity and genetic structure of Mongolian gazelle populations in the Hulun Lake National Nature Reserve (HLH) with those in the China-Mongolia border area (BJ). The results showed that the nucleotide diversity and observed heterozygosity of the HLH population were lower than those of the BJ population. Moreover, the HLH and BJ populations showed genetic differentiation. We concluded that the HLH population had lower genetic diversity and a distinct genetic structure compared with the BJ population. CONCLUSION: The genetic diversity of fragmented Mongolian gazelle populations, can be improved by protecting these populations while reinforcing their gene exchange with other populations. For example, attempts can be made to introduce new individuals with higher genetic diversity from other populations to reduce inbreeding.

High-Quality Chromosome-Level Genome Assembly of the Corsac Fox (Vulpes corsac) Reveals Adaptation to Semiarid and Harsh Environments.

The Corsac fox (Vulpes corsac) is a species of fox distributed in the arid prairie regions of Central and Northern Asia, with distinct adaptations to dry environments. Here, we applied Oxford-Nanopore sequencing and a chromosome structure capture technique to assemble the first Corsac fox genome, which was then assembled into chromosome fragments. The genome assembly has a total length of 2.2 Gb with a contig N50 of 41.62 Mb and a scaffold N50 of 132.2 Mb over 18 pseudo-chromosomal scaffolds. The genome contained approximately 32.67% of repeat sequences. A total of 20,511 protein-coding genes were predicted, of which 88.9% were functionally annotated. Phylogenetic analyses indicated a close relation to the Red fox (Vulpes vulpes) with an estimated divergence time of ~3.7 million years ago (MYA). We performed separate enrichment analyses of species-unique genes, the expanded and contracted gene families, and positively selected genes. The results suggest an enrichment of pathways related to protein synthesis and response and an evolutionary mechanism by which cells respond to protein denaturation in response to heat stress. The enrichment of pathways related to lipid and glucose metabolism, potentially preventing stress from dehydration, and positive selection of genes related to vision, as well as stress responses in harsh environments, may reveal adaptive evolutionary mechanisms in the Corsac fox under harsh drought conditions. Additional detection of positive selection for genes associated with gustatory receptors may reveal a unique desert diet strategy for the species. This high-quality genome provides a valuable resource for studying mammalian drought adaptation and evolution in the genus Vulpes.

A genomic resource derived from the integration of genome sequences, expressed transcripts and genetic markers in ramie.

BACKGROUND: The redundancy of genomic resources, including transcript and molecular markers, and their uncertain position in the genome have dramatically hindered the study of traits in ramie, an important natural fiber crop. RESULTS: We obtained a high-quality transcriptome consisting of 30,591 non-redundant transcripts using single-molecule long-read sequencing and proposed it as a universal ramie transcriptome. Additionally, 55,882 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified and a high-density genetic map was developed. Based on this genetic map, 181.7 Mb ramie genome sequences were assembled into 14 chromosomes. For the convenient use of these resources, 29,286 (~ 95.7%) of the transcripts and all 55,882 SNPs, along with 1827 previously reported sequence repeat markers (SSRs), were mapped into the ramie genome, and 22,343 (~ 73.0%) transcripts, 50,154 (~ 89.7%) SNPs, and 1466 (~ 80.3%) SSRs were assigned to a specific location in the corresponding chromosome. CONCLUSION: This is the first study to characterize the ramie transcriptome by long-read sequencing, and the substantial number of transcripts of significant length obtained will accelerate our understanding of ramie growth and development. This integration of genome sequences, expressed transcripts, and genetic markers will provide an extremely useful resource for genetic, molecular, and breeding studies of ramie.

Adaptive evolution of the ACSL gene family in Carnivora.

Carnivores exhibit various fat contents and energy reserves to adapt to their environments. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying lipid metabolic differences among carnivores have not been well explored. Long-chain acyl-CoA synthetases (ACSLs) catalyze the initial step in lipid metabolism by activating fatty acids (FAs), and they drive acyl-CoAs toward anabolic lipid synthesis or catabolic ß-oxidation. We identified the sequences of the genes of the ACSL family (ACSL1, ACSL3, ACSL4, ACSL5 and ACSL6) in the sable (Martes zibellina) via transcriptome sequencing. The ACSL gene sequences of 13 other carnivores were obtained from NCBI. Phylogenetic results showed that unlike the widely accepted carnivore phylogeny, Canidae and Felidae tend to group together based on ACSL4 and ACSL6. The evolutionary analyses identified a series of positively selected amino acid residues in ACSL1, ACSL4 and ACSL5. Two radical amino acid substitutions detected in sable suggested potential insights into the molecular mechanism underlying the relatively low fat content in this animal. This is the first study to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying the adaptive evolution of fat metabolism in carnivores. Overall, the ACSL genes were under different evolutionary forces in carnivores, and some genes have undergone adaptive evolution in lipid metabolism.

Effects of a comprehensive reservation service for non-emergency registration on appointment registration rate, patient waiting time, patient satisfaction and outpatient volume in a tertiary hospital in China.

BACKGROUND: In China, a long waiting time for registration is a common occurrence in many tertiary hospitals. This study aimed to analyze the effects of a comprehensive reservation service for non-emergency registration on appointment registration rate, patient waiting time, patient satisfaction and outpatient volume at the Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study. This study investigated the effects of a comprehensive reservation service for non-emergency registration in Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center in China starting in October 2015. In total, 2194 patients completed a satisfaction survey administered by the Guangdong Situation Research Center. The content of the questionnaire consisted of six aspects: general impression, service attitude, service quality, hospital environment, price perception and medical ethics. A Likert 5-point rating scale was used in the questionnaire; answers were classified as "very satisfied", "relatively satisfied", "neutral", "unsatisfied" and "very unsatisfied". The method of application was paper-based. T-tests were used to compare the sample means, and chi-square tests were used to compare the rates. A multiple-test procedure was performed to evaluate the differences in the reservation rates during a 12-month period. RESULTS: After the implementation of the comprehensive reservation service for non-emergency registration in our hospital, which has an annual outpatient volume of approximately 4 million, the monthly appointment registration rate increased from (34.95 ± 2.91)% to(89.13 ± 3.12)%,P < 0.01. The patient waiting time was significantly reduced (P < 0.01), and the proportion of patients who believed that the waiting time required improvement was decreased significantly (P < 0.01). Moreover, the third-party evaluation result of outpatient satisfaction significantly improved (P < 0.01). The total hospital outpatient volume decreased(P < 0.01). The outpatient volume of the Department of General Pediatrics decreased. CONCLUSION: The implementation of the comprehensive reservation service for non-emergency registration in the hospital shortened patient waiting time and improved patient satisfaction, and the outpatient volume was effectively controlled. These results indicated that this program obtained the desired results in a Grade 3A hospital in China.

RNA inverse folding using Monte Carlo tree search.

BACKGROUND: Artificially synthesized RNA molecules provide important ways for creating a variety of novel functional molecules. State-of-the-art RNA inverse folding algorithms can design simple and short RNA sequences of specific GC content, that fold into the target RNA structure. However, their performance is not satisfactory in complicated cases. RESULT: We present a new inverse folding algorithm called MCTS-RNA, which uses Monte Carlo tree search (MCTS), a technique that has shown exceptional performance in Computer Go recently, to represent and discover the essential part of the sequence space. To obtain high accuracy, initial sequences generated by MCTS are further improved by a series of local updates. Our algorithm has an ability to control the GC content precisely and can deal with pseudoknot structures. Using common benchmark datasets for evaluation, MCTS-RNA showed a lot of promise as a standard method of RNA inverse folding. CONCLUSION: MCTS-RNA is available at https://github.com/tsudalab/MCTS-RNA .

Characterization of the peripheral blood transcriptome and adaptive evolution of the MHC I and TLR gene families in the wolf (Canis lupus).

BACKGROUND: The wolf (Canis lupus) is one of the most widely distributed terrestrial mammals, because it is well adapted to various ecological niches and their corresponding pathogen environments. Immunological competence is a crucial factor involved in adapting to a changing environment and fighting pathogen infection in animals. In this study, the peripheral blood transcriptome of wolves was generated via RNA-seq to advance understanding of the wolf immunome, with a special focus on the major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC I) and toll-like receptor (TLR) gene families, which are involved in pathogen recognition and defense. RESULTS: The blood transcriptomic libraries of eight wolves originating from Tibet and Inner Mongolia were sequenced, and approximately 383 million reads were generated. Using a genome-guided assembly strategy, we obtained 123,851 unigenes, with a mean length of 845 bp and an N50 length of 1121 bp. On the basis of BLAST searches against the NCBI non-redundant protein database (Nr), a total of 36,192 (29.22%) unigenes were annotated. For functional classification, 24,663 unigenes were assigned to 13,016 Gene Ontology (GO) terms belonging to 51 sub-categories of the three main GO categories. Additionally, 7682 unigenes were classified into 6 Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) categories, in which the most represented functional sub-categories were signal transduction and the immune system, and 16,238 unigenes were functionally classified into 25 Eukaryotic Orthologous Groups (KOG) categories. We observed an overall higher ω (d N/d S) value at antigen-binding sites (ABSs) than at non-ABS regions as well as clear evidence of intergenic/intragenic recombination events at wolf MHC I loci. Additionally, our analysis revealed that carnivorous TLRs were dominated by purifying selection, with mean ω values at each TLR locus ranging from 0.173 to 0.527. However, we also found significant instances of positive selection that acted on several codons in pathogen recognition domains and were linked to species-specific differences in pathogen recognition. CONCLUSIONS: This study represents the first attempt to characterize the blood transcriptome of the wolf and to highlight the value of investigating the immune system. Balancing selection and recombination have contributed to the historical evolution of wolf MHC I genes. Moreover, TLRs in carnivores have undergone adaptive evolution against the background of purifying selection, and a high level of adaptive evolution was detected in the wolf TLR system.

ChemTS: an efficient python library for de novo molecular generation.

Automatic design of organic materials requires black-box optimization in a vast chemical space. In conventional molecular design algorithms, a molecule is built as a combination of predetermined fragments. Recently, deep neural network models such as variational autoencoders and recurrent neural networks (RNNs) are shown to be effective in de novo design of molecules without any predetermined fragments. This paper presents a novel Python library ChemTS that explores the chemical space by combining Monte Carlo tree search and an RNN. In a benchmarking problem of optimizing the octanol-water partition coefficient and synthesizability, our algorithm showed superior efficiency in finding high-scoring molecules. ChemTS is available at https://github.com/tsudalab/ChemTS.

LncRNA GABPB1-AS1 is a potential target for the diagnosis of prostate cancer.

BACKGROUND: Prostate cancer is an adverse tumor that occurs in the male reproductive system. The symptoms of patients in the early stage are not obvious and are generally difficult to detect. AIM: The aim of this study was to determine the regulation of lncRNA GABPB1-AS1 (GABPB1-AS1) on prostate cancer progression and explore the diagnostic potential of GABPB1-AS1. METHODS: The contents of serum GABPB1-AS1 and miR-330-3p were examined by RT-qPCR assay. The functions of silencing GABPB1-AS1 and miR-330-3p inhibitor in prostate cancer cells were determined using transfection assay, CCK-8 assay and Transwell assay. The target of GABPB1-AS1 was predicted and verified at the molecular level by bioinformatics and luciferase reporter gene assay. The function of GABPB1-AS1 in prostate cancer diagnosis was evaluated via ROC method. RESULTS: GABPB1-AS1 was upregulated in prostate cancer serum, which was associated with patients' Gleason score and TNM stage. Mechanistically, GABPB1-AS1 directly targeted miR-330-3p, and there was a negative correlation between them. Reduced levels of GABPB1-AS1 in cells after knockdown of GABPB1-AS1 resulted in decreased prostate cancer cell growth and activity, and these inhibitory effects were repaired by miR-330-3p inhibitor. CONCLUSION: The present study confirmed that GABPB1-AS1 was overexpressed in prostate cancer, and its sponge miR-330-3p may be an effective target for timely diagnosis of prostate cancer.

Effect of locomotor preference on the evolution of mitochondrial genes in Bovidae.

Locomotor preferences and habitat types may drive animal evolution. In this study, we speculated that locomotor preference and habitat type may have diverse influences on Bovidae mitochondrial genes. We used selection pressure and statistical analysis to explore the evolution of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) protein-coding genes (PCGs) from diverse locomotor preferences and habitat types. Our study demonstrates that locomotor preference (energy demand) drives the evolution of Bovidae in mtDNA PCGs. The habitat types had no significant effect on the rate of evolution in Bovidae mitochondrial genes. Our study provides deep insight into the adaptation of Bovidae.

Mitochondrial Genomic Evidence of Selective Constraints in Small-Bodied Terrestrial Cetartiodactyla.

Body size may drive the molecular evolution of mitochondrial genes in response to changes in energy requirements across species of different sizes. In this study, we perform selection pressure analysis and phylogenetic independent contrasts (PIC) to investigate the association between molecular evolution of mitochondrial genome protein-coding genes (mtDNA PCGs) and body size in terrestrial Cetartiodactyla. Employing selection pressure analysis, we observe that the average non-synonymous/synonymous substitution rate ratio (ω) of mtDNA PCGs is significantly reduced in small-bodied species relative to their medium and large counterparts. PIC analysis further confirms that ω values are positively correlated with body size (R2 = 0.162, p = 0.0016). Our results suggest that mtDNA PCGs of small-bodied species experience much stronger purifying selection as they need to maintain a heightened metabolic rate. On the other hand, larger-bodied species may face less stringent selective pressures on their mtDNA PCGs, potentially due to reduced relative energy expenditure per unit mass. Furthermore, we identify several genes that undergo positive selection, possibly linked to species adaptation to specific environments. Therefore, despite purifying selection being the predominant force in the evolution of mtDNA PCGs, positive selection can also occur during the process of adaptive evolution.

Simulation of binary collision of liquid drops using smoothed particle hydrodynamics with adaptive spatial resolution.

The binary collision of water drops in the air is studied by two-dimensional numerical simulation utilizing smoothed particle hydrodynamics with adaptive spatial resolution. The numerical method is validated by comparing the simulation with experiment. Three basic modes of equal-size drop collision are observed in numerical simulations at Weber number 3≤We≤120 and impact parameter 0≤x≤0.8, namely, reflexive separation, stretching separation, and coalescence collision. Based on the numerical results of different collision modes, the specific phenomena, evolution patterns, and physical principles are discussed. In particular, the detailed processes of the necking phenomenon and the propagation of surface wave in separation collision are obtained, corroborating the "end-pinching" theory proposed in the literature. At higher Weber numbers, the recoalescence of satellite drops is observed. The collision of unequal-size drops is also investigated. The effects of three dimensionless parameters, namely, drop diameter ratio, Weber number, and impact parameter are discussed. The physical mechanisms of some special phenomena are expressed in detail.

Characterization and Phylogenetic Analysis of the Complete Mitochondrial Genome of Aythya marila.

Aythya marila is a large diving duck belonging to the family Anatidae. However, the phylogenetic relationship among these Aythya species remains unclear due to the presence of extensive interspecific hybridization events within the Aythya genus. Here, we sequenced and annotated the complete mitochondrial genome of A. marila, which contained 22 tRNAs, 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 2 ribosomal RNAs, and 1 D-loop, with a length of 16,617 bp. The sizes of the PCGs ranged from 297 to 1824 bp and were all, except for ND6, located on the heavy chain (H). ATG and TAA were the most common start and termination codons of the 13 PCGs, respectively. The fastest- and slowest-evolving genes were ATP8 and COI, respectively. Codon usage analysis indicated that CUA, AUC, GCC, UUC, CUC, and ACC were the six most frequent codons. The nucleotide diversity values indicated a high level of genetic diversity in A. marila. FST analysis suggested a widespread gene exchange between A. baeri and A. nyroca. Moreover, phylogenetic reconstructions using the mitochondrial genomes of all available Anatidae species showed that, in addition to A. marila, four major clades among the Anatidae (Dendrocygninae, Oxyurinae, Anserinae, and Anatinae) were closely related to A. fuligula. Overall, this study provides valuable information on the evolution of A. marila and new insights into the phylogeny of Anatidae.

Chromosome-level genome assembly of the critically endangered Baer's pochard (Aythya baeri).

Baer's pochard (Aythya baeri) is a critically endangered species historically widespread throughout East Asia, whose population according to a recent estimate has decreased to between 150 and 700 individuals, and faces a long-term risk of extinction. However, the lack of a reference genome limits the study of conservation management and molecular biology of this species. We therefore report the first high-quality genome assembly of Baer's pochard. The genome has a total length of 1.14 Gb with a scaffold N50 of 85,749,954 bp and a contig N50 of 29,098,202 bp. We anchored 97.88% of the scaffold sequences onto 35 chromosomes based on the Hi-C data. BUSCO assessment indicated that 97.00% of the highly conserved Aves genes were completely present in the genome assembly. Furthermore, a total of 157.06 Mb of repetitive sequences were identified and 18,581 protein-coding genes were predicted in the genome, of which 99.00% were functionally annotated. This genome will be useful for understanding Baer's pochard genetic diversity and facilitate the conservation planning of this species.

Presumptive First Record of Myotis aurascens (Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae) from China with a Phylogenetic Analysis.

Bat groups have a high degree of species diversity, and the taxonomic status and phylogenetic relationships among bat species have always been research hotspots. Due to the fact that morphological characteristics do not always reflect the evolutionary relationships among species, mitochondrial DNA has been widely used in the study of species relationships due to its maternal inheritance pattern. Myotis aurascens has been suggested as a possible synonym for M. davidii. However, the status of this classification has been controversial. In this study, the morphological and molecular characteristics of a M. aurascens captured from Inner Mongolia, China, were analyzed to determine its taxonomic status. In terms of morphological features, the body weight was 6.33 g, the head and body length were 45.10 mm, the forearm length was 35.87 mm, and the tragus length was 7.51 mm. These values all fell within the species signature data range. Nucleotide skew analysis of the protein-coding genes (PCGs) suggested that only five PCGs (ND1, ND2, COX2, ATP8, and ND4) showed AT-skew value within the mitogenome of M. aurascens. Except for ND6, the GC-skew values of the other PCGs were negative, reflecting the preference for C and T bases compared to G and A bases. Molecular phylogenetic analyses based on mitochondrial PCGs indicated that M. aurascens was a distinct species from M. davidii and phylogenetically closer to M. ikonnikovi, M. alcathoe, and M. mystacinus. Genetic distance analysis also showed that M. aurascens and M. davidii were distantly related. Therefore, the integrated analysis demonstrated that M. aurascens should be considered a distinct species rather than a synonym of M. davidii. Our study could provide a reference for enriching species diversity and research on conservation in China.

Density and row spacing of short-season cotton suitable for machine picking in the cotton region of Yellow River Basin.

To determine the suitable planting density and row spacing of short-season cotton suitable for machine picking in the Yellow River Basin of China, we conducted a two-year field experiment in Dezhou during 2018-2019. The experiment followed a split-plot design, with planting density (82500 plants·hm-2 and 112500 plants·hm-2) as the main plots and row spacing (equal row spacing of 76 cm, wide-narrow row spacing of 66 cm+10 cm, equal row spacing of 60 cm) as the subplots. We examined the effects of planting density and row spacing on growth and development, canopy structure, seed cotton yield and fiber quality of short-season cotton. The results showed that plant height and LAI under high density treatment were significantly greater than those under low density treatment. The transmittance of the bottom layer was significantly lower than under low density treatment. Plant height under 76 cm equal row spacing was significantly higher than that under 60 cm equal row spacing, while that under wide-narrow row spacing (66 cm +10 cm) was significantly smaller than that under 60 cm equal row spacing in peak bolling stage. The effects of row spacing on LAI varied between the two years, densities, and growth stages. On the whole, the LAI under the wide-narrow row spacing (66 cm+10 cm) was higher, with the curve declining gently after the peak, and it was higher than that in the two cases of equal row spacing in the harvest time. The change in transmittance of the bottom layer presented the opposite trend. Density, row spacing, and their interaction had significant effects on seed cotton yield and its components. In both years, seed cotton yield was the highest (3832 kg·hm-2 in 2018, 3235 kg·hm-2 in 2019) under wide-narrow row spacing (66 cm+10 cm), and it was more stable at high densities. Fiber quality was less affected by density and row spacing. To sum up, the optimal density and row spacing of short-season cotton were as follows: density with 112500 plants·hm-2 and wide-narrow row spacing (66 cm+10 cm).

Evolution of toll-like receptor gene family in amphibians.

The evolutionary position and lifestyle of amphibians highlights the important roles of the immune system in adaptive radiation and their adaptation to a complex pathogenic environment. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are membrane-like sensors that recognize and bind conserved molecular motifs in pathogens to initiate downstream immune responses. To understand the evolutionary patterns of TLRs in amphibians, we analyzed TLR genes from the genomes and transcriptomes of 102 amphibian species. Phylogenetic results showed that 578 intact amphibian TLR sequences belonged to 16 TLR genes and were divided into seven subfamilies. The TLR4 subfamily was only identified in the Anura. Purification selection plays a leading role in amphibian TLR evolution and mean ω (dN/dS) values ranged from 0.252 for TLR7 to 0.381 for TLR19. Furthermore, the ω values of different domains were significantly different. We found positive selection patterns for 141 of 12,690 codons (1.1%) in all amphibian TLRs, most of which were located in leucine-rich repeats (LRRs). We also observed low to moderate levels of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in Pelophylax nigromaculatus and Bombina orientalis. This study provided critical primers, meaningful information regarding TLR gene family evolution in amphibians, and insights into the complex evolutionary patterns and implications of TLR polymorphisms.

The complete mitochondrial genome of Steppe Whiskered Bat (Myotis aurascens; Kuzyakin, 1935) and phylogenetic analysis.

In this study, the complete mitochondrial genome of Steppe Whiskered Bat was sequenced for the first time using muscular tissue. The whole mitochondrial genome was 16,771 bp in length, consisting of two ribosomal RNA genes, 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, and one control region (D-loop). Phylogenetic analysis using PAUP based on mitochondrial genome (12 PCGs, except ND6) of 16 other Vespertilionidae species revealed the close relationship of M. aurascens with other related Myotis species.

A chromosome-level genome assembly of the redfin culter (Chanodichthys erythropterus).

Chanodichthys erythropterus is a fierce carnivorous fish widely found in East Asian waters. It is not only a popular food fish in China, it is also a representative victim of overfishing. Genetic breeding programs launched to meet market demands urgently require high-quality genomes to facilitate genomic selection and genetic research. In this study, we constructed a chromosome-level reference genome of C. erythropterus by taking advantage of long-read single-molecule sequencing and de novo assembly by Oxford Nanopore Technology (ONT) and Hi-C. The 1.085 Gb C. erythropterus genome was assembled from 132 Gb of Nanopore sequence. The assembled genome represents 98.5% completeness (BUSCO) with a contig N50 length of 23.29 Mb. The contigs were clustered and ordered onto 24 chromosomes covering roughly 99.49% of the genome assembly with Hi-C data. Additionally, 33,041 (98.0%) genes were functionally annotated from a total of 33,706 predicted protein-coding sequences by combining transcriptome data from seven tissues. This high-quality assembled genome will be a precious resource for future molecular breeding and functional genomics research of C. erythropterus.

Transcriptome analysis provides new insights into cold adaptation of corsac fox (Vulpes Corsac).

Vulpesare widely distributed throughout the world and have undergone drastic physiological and phenotypic changes in response to their environment. However, little is known about the underlying genetic causes of these traits, especially Vulpes corsac. In this study, RNA-Seq was used to obtain a comprehensive dataset for multiple pooled tissues of corsac fox, and selection analysis of orthologous genes was performed to identify the genes that may be influenced by the low-temperature environment. More than 6.32 Gb clean reads were obtained and assembled into a total of 173,353 unigenes with an average length of 557 bp for corsac fox. Selective pressure analysis showed that 16 positively selected genes (PSGs) were identified in corsac fox, red fox, and arctic fox. Enrichment analysis of PSGs showed that the LRP11 gene was enriched in several pathways related to the low-temperature response and might play a key role in response to environmental stimuli of foxes. In addition, several positively selected genes were related to DNA damage repair (ELP2 and CHAF1A), innate immunity (ARRDC4 and S100A12), and the respiratory chain (NDUFA5), and these positively selected genes might play a role in adaptation to harsh wild fox environments. The results of common orthologous gene analysis showed that gene flow or convergent evolution might be an important factor in promoting regional differentiation of foxes. Our study provides a valuable transcriptomic resource for the evolutionary history of the corsac fox and the adaptations to the extreme environments.