Pulmonate slug evolution is reflected in the de novo genome of Arion vulgaris Moquin-Tandon, 1855

Stylommatophoran pulmonate land slugs and snails successfully completed the water-to-land transition from an aquatic ancestor and flourished on land. Of the 30,000 estimated species, very few genomes have so far been published. Here, we assembled and characterized a chromosome-level genome of the “S...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Scientific reports 2022-08, Vol.12 (1), p.14226-16, Article 14226
Main Authors: Chen, Zeyuan, Doğan, Özgül, Guiglielmoni, Nadège, Guichard, Anne, Schrödl, Michael
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
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Adaptive radiation
Animals
Arion vulgaris
Blood vessels
Chromosomes
Europe
Gastropoda
Gastropoda - genetics
Gene families
Gene regulation
Genes
Genomes
Genomic analysis
Humanities and Social Sciences
Invasiveness
multidisciplinary
Phenotypes
Science
Science (multidisciplinary)
Snails - genetics
Water
Water loss
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Summary:Stylommatophoran pulmonate land slugs and snails successfully completed the water-to-land transition from an aquatic ancestor and flourished on land. Of the 30,000 estimated species, very few genomes have so far been published. Here, we assembled and characterized a chromosome-level genome of the “Spanish” slug, Arion vulgaris Moquin-Tandon, 1855, a notorious pest land slug in Europe. Using this reference genome, we conclude that a whole-genome duplication event occurred approximately 93–109 Mya at the base of Stylommatophora and might have promoted land invasion and adaptive radiation. Comparative genomic analyses reveal that genes related to the development of kidney, blood vessels, muscle, and nervous systems had expanded in the last common ancestor of land pulmonates, likely an evolutionary response to the terrestrial challenges of gravity and water loss. Analyses of A. vulgaris gene families and positively selected genes show the slug has evolved a stronger ability to counteract the greater threats of external damage, radiation, and water loss lacking a protective shell. Furthermore, a recent burst of long interspersed elements in the genome of A. vulgaris might affect gene regulation and contribute to rapid phenotype changes in A. vulgaris , which might be conducive to its rapid adaptation and invasiveness.
ISSN:2045-2322
2045-2322
DOI:10.1038/s41598-022-18099-7