Genomic analysis reveals cryptic diversity in aphelids and sheds light on the emergence of Fungi.

Over the past decade, molecular phylogenetics has reshaped our understanding of the fungal tree of life by unraveling a hitherto elusive diversity of the protistan relatives of Fungi. Aphelida constitutes one of these novel deep branches that precede the emergence of osmotrophic fungal lifestyle and hold particular significance as the pathogens of algae. Here, we obtain and analyze the genomes of aphelid species Amoeboaphelidium protococcarum and Amoeboaphelidium occidentale. Genomic data unmask the vast divergence between these species, hidden behind their morphological similarity, and reveal hybrid genomes with a complex evolutionary history in two strains of A. protococcarum. We confirm the proposed sister relationship between Aphelida and Fungi using phylogenomic analysis and chart the reduction of characteristic proteins involved in phagocytic activity in the evolution of Holomycota. Annotation of aphelid genomes demonstrates the retention of actin nucleation-promoting complexes associated with phagocytosis and amoeboid motility and also reveals a conspicuous expansion of receptor-like protein kinases, uncharacteristic of fungal lineages. We find that aphelids possess multiple carbohydrate-processing enzymes that are involved in fungal cell wall synthesis but do not display rich complements of algal cell-wall-processing enzymes, suggesting an independent origin of fungal plant-degrading capabilities. Aphelid genomes show that the emergence of Fungi from phagotrophic ancestors relied on a common cell wall synthetic machinery but required a different set of proteins for digestion and interaction with the environment.

The Mitochondrial Genome of a Freshwater Pelagic Amphipod Macrohectopus branickii Is among the Longest in Metazoa.

There are more than 350 species of amphipods (Crustacea) in Lake Baikal, which have emerged predominantly through the course of endemic radiation. This group represents a remarkable model for studying various aspects of evolution, one of which is the evolution of mitochondrial (mt) genome architectures. We sequenced and assembled the mt genome of a pelagic Baikalian amphipod species Macrohectopus branickii. The mt genome is revealed to have an extraordinary length (42,256 bp), deviating significantly from the genomes of other amphipod species and the majority of animals. The mt genome of M. branickii has a unique gene order within amphipods, duplications of the four tRNA genes and Cox2, and a long non-coding region, that makes up about two thirds of the genome's size. The extension of the mt genome was most likely caused by multiple duplications and inversions of regions harboring ribosomal RNA genes. In this study, we analyzed the patterns of mt genome length changes in amphipods and other animal phyla. Through a statistical analysis, we demonstrated that the variability in the mt genome length may be a characteristic of certain phyla and is primarily conferred by expansions of non-coding regions.

The diversity of the Baikal lineage of Hydra oligactis Pallas, 1766: molecular and morphological evidence.

In this paper, molecular analyses of Baikal hydras from the 'oligactis group', based on COI and ITS1-5.8S-ITS2, and morphological analysis of their holotrichous isorhizas, were performed. Low genetic diversity and shared haplotypes were found between Hydra oligactis Pallas, 1766 and Hydra baikalensis Swarczewsky, 1923 specimens, which is evidence of the mixing of these lineages. Genetic distances among all Baikal hydras (0.006) were less than the interspecific distances of other hydras. The size of hydras and proportions of their holotrichous isorhizas varied depending on microhabitat and environmental conditions. Our combined molecular and morphological approach proves that H. baikalensis is synonymous with H. oligactis.

Genotyping of Capreolus pygargus fossil DNA from Denisova cave reveals phylogenetic relationships between ancient and modern populations.

BACKGROUND: The extant roe deer (Capreolus Gray, 1821) includes two species: the European roe deer (C. capreolus) and the Siberian roe deer (C. pygargus) that are distinguished by morphological and karyotypical differences. The Siberian roe deer occupies a vast area of Asia and is considerably less studied than the European roe deer. Modern systematics of the Siberian roe deer remain controversial with 4 morphological subspecies. Roe deer fossilized bones are quite abundant in Denisova cave (Altai Mountains, South Siberia), where dozens of both extant and extinct mammalian species from modern Holocene to Middle Pleistocene have been retrieved. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We analyzed a 629 bp fragment of the mitochondrial control region from ancient bones of 10 Holocene and four Pleistocene Siberian roe deer from Denisova cave as well as 37 modern specimen belonging to populations from Altai, Tian Shan (Kyrgyzstan), Yakutia, Novosibirsk region and the Russian Far East. Genealogical reconstructions indicated that most Holocene haplotypes were probably ancestral for modern roe deer populations of Western Siberia and Tian Shan. One of the Pleistocene haplotypes was possibly ancestral for modern Yakutian populations, and two extinct Pleistocene haplotypes were close to modern roe deer from Tian Shan and Yakutia. Most modern geographical populations (except for West Siberian Plains) are heterogeneous and there is some tentative evidence for structure. However, we did not find any distinct phylogenetic signal characterizing particular subspecies in either modern or ancient samples. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Analysis of mitochondrial DNA from both ancient and modern samples of Siberian roe deer shed new light on understanding the evolutionary history of roe deer. Our data indicate that during the last 50,000 years multiple replacements of populations of the Siberian roe deer took place in the Altai Mountains correlating with climatic changes. The Siberian roe deer represent a complex and heterogeneous species with high migration rates and without evident subspecies structure. Low genetic diversity of the West Siberian Plain population indicates a recent bottleneck or founder effect.