本期Nature Communications報告了“中華全蝎”（東亞地區(qū)一種常見蝎子）的基因組序列草稿,。該基因組突顯了這種蝎子與其獵物相關的遺傳特征,，包括夜行行為,、進食特征以及去毒功能等等,，為研究節(jié)肢動物的適應性和演化提供了一個寶貴資源,。
蝎子以“活化石”著稱,，代表著一個獨特類型的節(jié)肢動物,，因為它們保持了其古代節(jié)肢動物祖先的原始解剖特征,。因此,，它們?yōu)檠芯窟@類動物的演化提供了一個關鍵模型。Wenxin Li及同事對第一個蝎子基因組進行了測序,，以尋找有可能負責其長期生存的基因,。
該小組識別出32016個蛋白編碼基因，為在關鍵生存機制（其中包括毒液的產(chǎn)生,、對光做出反應的能力和對來自其獵物的有害毒素的消化等）的調控中所涉及的基因的演化提供了證據(jù),。他們提出，雖然蝎子比昆蟲所發(fā)生的生理及形態(tài)變化要少,，但它們基因組的多樣化程度可能要大得多,。這些結果有可能挑戰(zhàn)認為蝎子的演化比昆蟲更為保守這樣一個普遍認識，同時為研究節(jié)肢動物提供一個獨特的適應性模型,。（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推薦的英文摘要
Nature Communications doi:10.1038/ncomms3602
The genome of Mesobuthus martensii reveals a unique adaptation model of arthropods
Zhijian Cao,，Yao Yu，Yingliang Wu,，Pei Hao,，Zhiyong Di，Yawen He,，Zongyun Chen,，Weishan Yang,，Zhiyong Shen，Xiaohua He,，Jia Sheng,，Xiaobo Xu，Bohu Pan,，Jing Feng,，Xiaojuan Yang，Wei Hong,，Wenjuan Zhao,，Zhongjie Li，Kai Huang,，Tian Li et al.
Representing a basal branch of arachnids,， scorpions are known as ‘living fossils’ that maintain an ancient anatomy and are adapted to have survived extreme climate changes. Here we report the genome sequence of Mesobuthus martensii， containing 32,，016 protein-coding genes,， the most among sequenced arthropods. Although M. martensii appears to evolve conservatively， it has a greater gene family turnover than the insects that have undergone diverse morphological and physiological changes,， suggesting the decoupling of the molecular and morphological evolution in scorpions. Underlying the long-term adaptation of scorpions is the expansion of the gene families enriched in basic metabolic pathways,， signalling pathways， neurotoxins and cytochrome P450,， and the different dynamics of expansion between the shared and the scorpion lineage-specific gene families. Genomic and transcriptomic analyses further illustrate the important genetic features associated with prey,， nocturnal behaviour， feeding and detoxification. The M. martensii genome reveals a unique adaptation model of arthropods,， offering new insights into the genetic bases of the living fossils.
