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Adaptive Evolution for Freshwater Adaptation in Coilia nasus by Directional Selection on Osmoregulation Genes.

The molecular mechanisms underlying the adaptation to freshwater habitats in fish of marine origin remain unclear. Grenadier anchovies, such as Coilia nasus, originate from marine environments and include both anadromous and freshwater-resident conspecifics, making them ideal for studying adaptive evolution from marine to freshwater habitats. We conducted a comparative population genomic and transcriptome analysis of two distinct C. nasus lineages, one anadromous and the other freshwater-resident, collected from mainstream and estuarine regions of the Yangtze River, China. By genome-wide genotyping of the anadromous and the freshwater-resident populations, we observed significant divergence in osmoregulation, energy metabolism, and immune response pathways associated with ecological adaptation and energy expenditure for migration. Some ion transport genes such as CAMK1, ATP1α3, KCNJ1 and SLC30A2 were identified that may contribute to freshwater adaptation. Notably, numerous mineralocorticoid signalling genes (e.g., NR3C2, SGK1, ATP1α3, KCNJ1) exhibit dynamic change between the anadromous and freshwater populations, suggesting an important role for the hormone cortisol in regulating salinity acclimation in euryhaline fish. Among these genes, the ion channel ATP1α3 experienced adaptive amino acid substitutions (Val317Ile and Thr329Ser), which appear to be evolutionary hotspots across migratory species based on ortholog comparisons. These variants may facilitate sodium/potassium transport and highlight salinity tolerance as a key driver of divergence in anadromous fish transitioning to freshwater. These results enhance our understanding of the genetic basis underlying freshwater adaptation for an anadromous fish across osmotic boundaries.

Animals

Sex-Biased Admixture Followed by Isolation and Adaptive Evolution Shaped the Genomic and Blood Pressure Diversity of the LopNur People.

The LopNur people are an ethnic group living on the edge of the Taklamakan Desert, and they are believed to demonstrate a unique genetic makeup due to their isolation and limited contact with neighboring populations. However, a lack of genetic studies on the LopNur people has resulted in limited knowledge about their ancestral origins and demographic history. Here, we conducted the first whole-genome sequencing study of 164 LopNur individuals (LOP) to gain insight into their genetic history and adaptive evolution in an isolated desert area. Our analysis revealed that the present-day LOP have experienced a complex history of admixture followed by long-term isolation, with their ancestry derived from East Asia (∼41.46%), West Eurasia (∼26.43%), Siberia (∼24.27%), and South Asia (∼7.82%). Notably, a remarkable sex-biased admixture occurred between Western males and Eastern females. In addition to complex admixture followed by long-term geographic isolation and further recent migrations, adaptive evolution jointly formed the gene pool and phenotypic diversity of the present-day LOP. Intriguingly, our analysis suggests that the USP35-GAB2 region may be correlated with blood pressure in LOP, based on a joint analysis of genomics and blood pressure data. Moreover, we identified two variants, rs7387065, and rs2229437, located on CSMD1 and PRCP, respectively. These variants exhibited frequency differences between Asian and European populations and were reported to be associated with antihypertensive drug absorption. Our results provide new insight into the complex history of the LOP, an admixed and isolated ethnic group residing at the crossroads of East and West, a case with ancient admixture, long-term isolation, adaptive evolution, and sex-biased gene flow.

Female

Gene regulation in adaptive evolution.

It has been suggested that gene regulation may play a critical role in adaptive evolution. However, gene regulation has proved to be most refractory to experimental investigation in multicellular organisms. Using specially constructed stocks of Drosophila melanogaster, we have demonstrated the following. (1) The existence in natural populations of ample variation in regulatory genes that modify the activity of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), an enzyme coded by a structural gene locus, Adh, located on the second chromosome; the regulatory genes are located on the third chromosome, and thus are not adjacent to the structural locus. (2) The regulatory genes act not by means of post-transcriptional or post-translational modification of the gene product, but rather by controlling the number of ADH molecules; this is consistent with the hypothesis of gene regulation by means of macromolecules specifically binding at control sites adjacent to the structural gene locus. (3) The variation in regulatory genes is adaptively significant; adaptation to higher levels of environmental alcohol takes place not by changes in the Adh structural locus, but by changes in regulatory genes that control the number of ADH molecules in the organisms. Our results provide direct evidence of the importance of gene regulation in eucaryotic evolution.

Alcohol Oxidoreductases

Genomic Insights Into Convergent Evolution: Adaptation to Rocky Habitats in Rock-Inhabiting Fungi.

Rock-inhabiting fungi (RIF), obligate colonizers of bare rocks, are primarily distributed across two major phylogenetic classes: Dothideomycetes and Eurotiomycetes. These fungi display striking convergence in morphology and physiology, characterized by meristematic growth, melanized cell walls, and extreme stress tolerance. However, the genomic underpinnings of this adaptive convergence remain poorly understood. Here, through comparative genomic analysis of 9 RIF and 18 non-RIF fungi, we revealed that RIF possess compact, gene-dense genomes marked by contraction of genes involved in nutrient uptake and secondary metabolism, alongside expansions in cell wall biosynthesis, lipid metabolism, and stress-responsive pathways. We identified two genes under positive selection across multiple RIF lineages: Ino80 ATPase (chromatin remodeling) and the ER chaperone BiP (protein folding). Further evidence of convergence was found in the mannosyltransferase Mnn9, a key enzyme in cell wall assembly, where two RIF-specific amino acid substitutions were predicted to enhance protein stability. Additionally, a unique Mnn9-like clade has expanded exclusively in RIF. RNAi-mediated knockdown of an Mnn9-like gene in Rachicladosporium sp. confirmed its role in cell wall mannosylation, osmotic stress response, and the transition from meristematic to filamentous growth. Our findings elucidate a set of common genomic adaptations and highlight the specialized evolution of the Mnn9 family in driving the convergent success of phylogenetically diverse RIF in rocky environments.

Phylogeny

Adaptive evolution of polyploid crops.

Crop evolution represents a fundamental biological process through which plants respond to selection in different environments. This encompasses mechanisms operating at multiple scales of biological organization, including genetic and epigenetic regulation and higher-order interactions among molecular complexes. This Review synthesizes how polyploidy shapes crop evolution by generating duplicated genes, driving genome reorganization, altering dosage relationships and promoting regulatory divergence, which together influence crop metabolism, physiology, development and environmental responses. We focus mainly on the mechanisms underlying adaptation in polyploid crops, including the consequences of gene and genome duplication, genome reorganization and subfunctionalization. We also examine how hybridization, phenotypic plasticity and crop-microbiome interactions intersect with polyploidy to expand or constrain adaptive potential. Together, these processes affect crop survival, fitness and breeding value under changing environments. We suggest that future research connect polyploid genome architecture with experimentally validated signatures of selection and field performance to make better use of polyploidy-derived variation in crop improvement.

Polyploidy

Comprehensive identification and analysis of clusters of tandemly duplicated genes reveal their contributions to adaptive evolution of green plants.

Tandem gene duplication occurred more frequently compared with the episodic whole-genome duplication (WGD), providing a continuous supply of genetic material for evolutionary innovation and adaptation to changing environments. The rising roles of clusters of tandemly duplicated genes (CTDGs) in the evolution of phenotypic diversity have been unraveled in mammals. However, the content and biological roles of CTDGs remain largely unknown in plants. Here, we comprehensively identified CTDGs in 220 published plant genomes representing major lineages of green plants. The number of CTDGs showed great variation across taxa, ranging from 0 to 6028. The size of CTDGs varied from 2 to 47 genes, with small clusters containing two members predominating. Interestingly, significant expansion of CTDGs was found in early-diverging land plants and is closely associated with the evolution of key traits (e.g., ABA response, plant cuticle, UV-B resistance) required for plants to conquer terrestrial environments. Functional enrichment analysis revealed conserved and specialized functional profiles among different sizes of CTDGs in both Arabidopsis thaliana and the bryophyte Physcomitrium patens. Small CTDGs were enriched in fundamental stress responses, including protein modification, signal transduction, and responses to diverse stress stimuli, while large CTDGs were enriched in more sophisticated processes such as plant hormone biosynthesis and signaling, plant-microbe interactions, and reproductive processes. Expression pattern analyses of CTDGs under different stress conditions in A. thaliana and P. patens revealed that the highest number of CTDGs showed differential expression under drought stress, suggesting important roles of CTDGs in the evolution of desiccation tolerance in early land plants. The results of this study provide new additions to our knowledge about the abundance of CTDGs across green plants and reveal their important contributions to enable plants to overcome stressful environments on land.

Gene Duplication

Adaptive Evolution of the PFK Gene Family in Chinese Longsnout Catfish, Leiocassis longirostris.

The Chinese longsnout catfish is a typical carnivorous fish with a relatively weak ability to utilize glucose. However, the genomic basis for its glucose metabolic adaptation remains unclear. In this study, we used comparative genomics methods to systematically analyze the evolutionary characteristics of glucose metabolism-related genes in the Chinese longsnout catfish, focusing on gene family evolution, patterns of expansion and contraction, and selective pressures. The results indicate that glucose metabolism-related genes have undergone significant reshaping during evolution. Genes involved in glucose digestion, absorption, and insulin signaling pathways demonstrate a tendency toward contraction, while those associated with protein and lipid metabolism exhibit expansion. This pattern is consistent with the species' long-term adaptation to a high-protein, high-fat diet. Comparative analysis further revealed that, compared to fish with different dietary habits, certain key genes involved in glycolysis in the Chinese longsnout catfish exhibit a reduction in copy number. Molecular evolutionary analysis showed that key genes involved in glycolysis and gluconeogenesis (including hexokinase 2 (hk2), phosphofructokinase, muscle/platelet (pfkm/p)) exhibit signs of accelerated evolution or positive selection. Notably, the PFK gene family exhibits complex evolutionary characteristics resulting from the combined effects of gene contraction, rapid evolution, and positive selection. In summary, this study reveals the genomic evolutionary basis for the glucose metabolic adaptation of the Chinese longsnout catfish and identifies the PFK gene family as a key candidate for elucidating its unique glucose metabolic characteristics.

Leiocassis longirostris

Adaptive Evolution Reveals Metabolic Plasticity and Functional Redundancy in an Anaerobic Microbiome under Extreme Ammonia Stress.

Ammonia toxicity represents a primary biochemical bottleneck governing microbial community structure and performance during the anaerobic digestion of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste. However, the mechanistic basis of microbial adaptation to chronic ammonia levels remains poorly characterized. In this study, a long-term sequential enrichment strategy under progressively increasing ammonia concentrations (350-1500 mgN L-1), integrated with genome-centric metagenomics and metatranscriptomics, was employed to resolve the response of an organic waste-degrading microbiome over a 240 day period. Increasing ammonia pressure induced a progressive decline in methanogenesis and accumulation of volatile fatty acids, particularly acetate. Despite these inhibitory pressures, methane production was only halved relative to the initial baseline reflecting a resilient methanogenic community. This stability was driven by a restructuring of the microbiome, where functional redundancy across divergent taxa preserved core metabolic functions. Key adaptive responses included the reconfiguration of carbon fixation pathways, specifically via a variant of the Wood-Ljungdahl pathway coupled with the glycine cleavage system acting as an alternative acetate oxidation route, as well as sustained osmoprotectant biosynthesis. Cellular homeostasis was preserved through H+ replenishment via multiple energy-converting complexes and K+ influx to maintain cation-proton balance. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that metabolic plasticity and the preservation of core metabolic functions are the primary determinants of ammonia resilience, sustaining methane production under inhibitory conditions.

Ammonia

Phylogenetic Constraints and Environmental Filtering Jointly Drive Adaptive Evolution in Phragmites australis: From Genetic Structure to Trait Decoupling on the Mongolian Plateau.

The Mongolian Plateau, a typical arid and semi-arid zone in Eurasia, is characterized by highly heterogeneous and fragmented wetland habitats. Phragmites australis, a common wetland species in this region, exhibits remarkable adaptability. Unraveling the coordination between phylogenetic history and local environmental filtering is crucial for elucidating its adaptive mechanisms. Integrating landscape genomics and trait-based phylogenetic analyses, we analyzed transcriptome-wide SNPs, multidimensional functional traits, and environmental variables across 90 individuals from 30 natural P. australis populations. This study aims to reveal the genetic and phenotypic variation patterns underlying population genetic structure and trait variation, specifically distinguishing the roles of geographic isolation, environmental filtering, and phylogenetic history. Results reveal a significant drainage-dependent pattern in genetic structure. Populations in hydrologically connected basins show extensive admixture, whereas those in isolated endorheic basins form distinct lineages. While geographic isolation underpins genetic differentiation, environmental filtering independently explains ~33.84% of the genetic variation, driven primarily by moisture heterogeneity (precipitation seasonality and soil moisture). Crucially, we observed differentiated evolutionary trajectories across functional traits. Structural traits (e.g., plant height, leaf thickness) are phylogenetically conserved; in contrast, physiological traits (e.g., water use efficiency) are decoupled from phylogeny, showing patterns consistent with high plasticity regulated by local environments. This evolutionary decoupling strategy enables P. australis to flexibly adapt to heterogeneous habitats while maintaining structural stability. This study uncovers the synergistic mechanisms by which geographic isolation and environmental filtering jointly shape the genetic patterns of this cosmopolitan species at a regional scale, clarifies that its evolutionary responses may depend heavily on the differentiated plasticity of trait types, and provides valuable regional insights into how widespread wetland species adapt to heterogeneous environments under global change.

Mongolia Plateau

Evolutionary legacy of the "living fossil" genus Parrotia (Hamamelidaceae): genomic insights into species divergence and polygenic adaptation.

Despite their long evolutionary history, the genomic basis of adaptation and speciation in "living fossil" plants remain largely unexplored. Parrotia, a Tertiary relict tree genus with two extant species, P. subaequalis and P. persica, exhibits a disjunct distribution between East Asia and West Asia. Here, we present the first chromosome-level assemblies for both species, confirmed their sibling relationship, and dated the speciation event to the early Miocene. The recent proliferation of long-terminal repeat retrotransposons has driven the genome expansion in P. subaequalis. We detected widespread heterogeneous genomic differentiation between species. Extensive signals of divergent selection, local adaptation, and elevated Ka/Ks ratios in Parrotia indicate that this genus has undergone adaptive evolution in distinct refugia, challenging the notion of it as an "evolutionary dead end". Our findings provide new insights into the genomic evolution, environmental adaptation, and speciation of this "living fossil" tree genus.

Genome, Plant

Adaptive genomic evolution and WD40-regulated temporal dynamics of anthocyanins support leaf photoplasticity in Parrotia subaequalis.

BACKGROUND: Parrotia subaequalis, a Tertiary relict endemic to China, plays a significant role in phylogeny and adaptive evolution as a key species in the early differentiation of angiosperms. It has abundant leaf colors and great potential as an ornamental tree. RESULTS: This study assembled the first chromosome-level genome of P. subaequalis (Contig N50 = 2.15 Mb), revealing transposable element proliferation, key paleopolyploid events and dynamic gene family evolution, including the expansion of secondary metabolite transport and synthesis genes (such as WD40, 2OG-FeII_Oxy) and the contraction of gene families related to flower morphogenesis (such as F-box-like, K-box). Through integrative transcriptomics and targeted metabolomics approaches, we further revealed that the color transition of young leaves from red to green was driven by temporal accumulation differences of malvidin-3,5-O-diglucoside, whose biosynthesis is progressively down-regulated during leaf development. WGCNA revealed that a subset of WD40 genes (light-signaling, TTG1/HOS15-like, etc.) coexpresses with anthocyanin biosynthetic genes, like 4CLL9, GT1, in anthocyanin-related modules enriched for auxin signaling and hydrolase activity, suggesting a potential link between WD40 expansion and photoprotective plasticity. Relevant regulatory networks were found to complement the species-specific gene pool related to leaf color regulation. CONCLUSION: This genomic resource of P. subaequalis advanced our understanding of early angiosperm adaptation through neofunctionalized regulatory networks and established a foundation for molecular breeding aimed at enhancing environmental resilience while preserving ornamental traits.

Anthocyanins

Adaptive laboratory evolution of Saccharomyces cerevisiae CEN.PK 113-7D to enhance ethanol tolerance.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a widely used yeast for industrial production of ethanol. However, elevated ethanol, temperature, and osmotic stress adversely affect fermentation efficiency. In this study, adaptive laboratory evolution for S. cerevisiae CEN.PK 113-7D on higher concentrations of ethanol was performed. After 144 days, the maximum specific growth rate (&#xb5;max) increased from 0.0240 to 0.1150 h-1 for the strain evolved on 9% v/v ethanol, and from 0.0002 to 0.0530 h-1 for the strain evolved on 11% v/v ethanol, and the specific glucose uptake rate increased by 30%. The strain evolved on 11% ethanol produced 94.5&#xa0;g/L ethanol in a fermentation as compared to 78.5&#xa0;g/L production by a non-evolved strain. By whole-genome sequencing of the evolved clones, we identified multiple coding mutations in genes involved in processes such as stress response, cell growth regulation, pentose phosphate pathway, lipid synthesis, and redox balance. The selected mutations in RKI1, CYC2, ANR2, RGA2, RGA1, LPX1, and LRE1 genes were validated by introducing them in the nonevolved yeast, showing 1.7-5-fold growth improvement at 9% ethanol (P&#xa0;<&#xa0;0.05). Notably, RGA2, RGA1 and LPX 1 carried an identical missense mutation across three independent clones. The RKI1I208V mutant showed the highest ethanol tolerance, while CYC2N342A achieved the highest ethanol production.

Ethanol

Adaptive laboratory evolution of Micrococcus luteus and identification of genes associated with radioresistance through genome-wide association study.

Micrococcus luteus (V017) is a Gram-positive bacterium that was isolated from a sterilization area exposed to 60Co radiation. In this study, we performed an adaptive laboratory evolution experiment with M. luteus, exposing it to 24 continuous cycles of gamma irradiation at four different doses (1.5&#xa0;kGy, 3.5&#xa0;kGy, 5.5&#xa0;kGy, and 7.5&#xa0;kGy). This led to the creation of four evolved populations with different levels of radioresistance, which were positively correlated with the radiation dose applied. The survival rate of the evolved population that underwent adaptive treatment at the highest dose (7.5&#xa0;kGy) was 0.69% after exposure to 5.5&#xa0;kGy, which is about five orders of magnitude higher than that of the original strain V017. Furthermore, 76 evolved strains were selected from these populations, and their genomes were re-sequenced, uncovering a total of 3072 mutations. A genome-wide association study identified 56 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) significantly associated with radioresistance, linked to 62 candidate genes. Ultimately, 9 genes were selected for functional validation. Inactivating 6 of these genes, including H0H31_RS03855 (SMC family ATPase, SbcC), H0H31_RS04250 (ribonuclease HII), H0H31_RS04570 (endonuclease VIII), H0H31_RS07595 (bifunctional 3'-5' exonuclease/DNA polymerase I), H0H31_RS00170 (serine/threonine phosphatase PPP), and H0H31_RS05860 (CBS-domain-containing protein), significantly increased sensitivity to gamma radiation, underscoring their importance in radioresistance.

Micrococcus luteus

Genomic insights into karyotype evolution and adaptive mechanisms in Polygonaceae species.

Polygonaceae, with ecological versatility and global distribution, is an ideal system for investigating plant adaptation. However, the genomic mechanisms underlying its karyotype evolution and environmental resilience remain unclear. We herein present chromosome-level genomes of 11 species from 10 Polygonaceae genera. Our analyses reveal that Gypsy retrotransposons are key drivers of genome size variations in Polygonaceae. We reconstructed a Polygonaceae ancestral karyotype comprising 28 proto-chromosomes and elucidated evolutionary trajectories via extensive chromosomal rearrangements. Furthermore, we constructed a cross-genus super pan-genome for Polygonaceae, identifying 80,055 gene families, of which 9,845 (12.30%) are core gene families. Private genes are found to contribute significantly to interspecific differences in adaptability. Notably, gene copy number variations are identified as a critical factor influencing adaptations to diverse niches involving species-specific increases in metabolic pathways. This study provides a genomic framework for Polygonaceae karyotype plasticity and adaptive innovation, offering insights into plant evolution under environmental challenges.

Karyotype

A pangenome framework uncovers the role of deletions in repeated evolution of cave-derived traits.

Structural variants (SVs) are increasingly recognized as key contributors to adaptive evolution, yet they remain underexplored compared with single-nucleotide variation. To understand how large-scale genomic changes shape repeated evolution, we leveraged multiple levels of sequence data across the powerful evolutionary model system of the Mexican tetra fish (Astyanax mexicanus). We constructed one of the first pangenome graphs from a naturally evolving vertebrate, enabling comprehensive discovery of SVs among 120 fish from 11 populations. We discover substantial amounts of structural variation and explore the roles of genomic biases and selection in shaping the distribution of these variants. More than 2400 high-confidence cave-specific deletions are enriched in biological pathways involved in vision, metabolism, and behavior and cluster nonrandomly in quantitative trait loci linked to cavefish traits. Additionally, 67 genes harbor unique deletions between independent cavefish lineages. These reused genes show evidence of population-specific selection (99% contain selective sweeps compared with 8%-15% in genes lacking SVs), indicating that deletions likely rose in frequency through repeated positive selection rather than drift. Together, these results reveal that recurrent deletion events have repeatedly contributed to the evolution of cave-adapted phenotypes and highlight deletions as underexplored contributors of adaptive evolution in extreme environments.

Animals

Adaptive laboratory evolution enables carbon-negative mixotrophic fermentation and enhanced chain elongation in Clostridium sp. JS66.

Improving carbon recovery during sugar fermentation remains a major challenge because a substantial fraction of substrate carbon is lost as CO2 during central metabolism. To overcome this limitation, Clostridium sp. JS66 (JS66), an acetogen producing hexanoic acid from glucose, was subjected to adaptive laboratory evolution under autotrophic CO2/H2 conditions to enhance H2-assisted CO2 reassimilation during glucose fermentation. The evolved strain, ALECO2, exhibited CO2 consumption without a lag phase under autotrophic conditions and reached a 9.5-fold higher CO2 uptake rate than JS66. Under fed-batch mixotrophic conditions, glucose-only fermentation yielded a carbon molar yield (Cmetabolite/Csugar, CM/CS) of 0.60, whereas H2 supplementation increased CM/CS to 0.91 and redirected carbon flux toward C6 products (hexanoic acid and hexanol), which accounted for 49% of total C_output. With additional CO2 supplementation, ALECO2 further assimilated externally supplied CO2, increasing the CM/CS to 1.10 and demonstrating carbon-negative fermentation. Assimilation of externally supplied CO2 further redirected carbon flux toward chain elongation, producing 7.14&#xa0;g/L hexanoic acid and increasing the C6 carbon fraction to 57% of total C_output. Constraint-based flux analysis supported increased acetyl-CoA formation through the Wood-Ljungdahl pathway and enhanced flux toward reverse &#x3b2;-oxidation under H2- and CO2/H2-supplemented conditions. Genome analysis identified mutations including genes encoding a putative HytB homolog and a LysR-type transcriptional regulator. These results establish ALECO2 as a promising evolved anaerobic non-photosynthetic (ANP) mixotrophy platform that links CO2 reassimilation and external CO2 assimilation with chain elongation, enabling carbon-neutral and carbon-negative production of value-added C6 products from glucose.

Anaerobic non-photosyntheticmixotrophy (ANP)

Harnessing fern stress adaptations: From evolution and ecophysiology to molecular biology.

Ferns are the second most diverse vascular plant lineage after angiosperms and have been a key ecological component of Earth's biodiversity for more than 380 million years. Importantly, ferns are sister to seed plants, providing a critical outgroup for understanding the evolution of seed plant features. Ferns are remarkably resilient to abiotic and biotic stresses due to a long evolutionary history with adaptations to diverse habitats, stresses, and herbivores. As a result, ferns produce a multitude of secondary metabolites with unique bioactivities; these chemicals are potentially linked to the adaptation of ferns to herbivory, various abiotic and biotic stresses, and changing environments. Assembled reference genomes and the identification of key metabolic compounds of multiple ferns have already made significant contributions to human health and well-being. Here, we review the recent scientific advances in fern research, including evolution, stress resistance, metabolites and medicinal utilization, and comparative multi-omics applications. We propose that integrated investigations involving ecological, physiological, and molecular techniques will facilitate the future research translation of fern resources in diverse areas including soil remediation, biopesticides, and medicine. Advances in our understanding of fern molecular biology will provide new insights into the evolution of land plants and promote the utilization of ferns for heightened environmental restoration, crop protection and human health.

Ferns