Assessment of the genetic diversity of Atlantic bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) strandings in the Mississippi Sound (USA).

The common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) is a key marine mammal species in the Gulf of Mexico, playing an essential role as a top predator. This study investigates the genetic diversity and population structure of bottlenose dolphins stranded in the Mississippi Sound from 2010 to 2021. Tissue samples (muscle, liver, lung, kidney, and brain) were collected from 511 stranded dolphins, and mitochondrial DNAs (mtDNA) were extracted for analysis.

Mitochondrial DNA of the Demosponge Acanthella acuta: Linear Architecture and Other Unique Features.

While Acanthella acuta Schmidt 1862, a common demosponge found in the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean, is morphologically similar to other sponges, its mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is unique within the class. In contrast to all other studied demosponges, the mtDNA of A. acuta is inferred to be linear and displays several unusual features such as inverted terminal repeats, group II introns in three mitochondrial genes, and two unique open reading frames (ORFs): one of which (ORF1535) combines a DNA polymerase domain with a DNA-directed RNA polymerase domain, while the second bears no discernible similarity to any reported sequences.

Genomic diversity and evolution of the Hawaiian Islands endemic Kokia (Malvaceae).

Island species are highly vulnerable due to habitat destruction and their often small population sizes with reduced genetic diversity. The Hawaiian Islands constitute the most isolated archipelago on the planet, harboring many endemic species. Kokia is an endangered flowering plant genus endemic to these islands, encompassing 3 extant and 1 extinct species.

Origin and diversity of the wild cottons (Gossypium hirsutum) of Mound Key, Florida.

Elucidating genetic diversity within wild forms of modern crops is essential for understanding domestication and the possibilities of wild germplasm utilization. Gossypium hirsutum is a predominant source of natural plant fibers and the most widely cultivated cotton species. Wild forms of G.

Intracellular development and impact of a marine eukaryotic parasite on its zombified microalgal host.

Parasites are widespread and diverse in oceanic plankton and many of them infect single-celled algae for survival. How these parasites develop and scavenge energy within the host and how the cellular organization and metabolism of the host is altered remain open questions. Combining quantitative structural and chemical imaging with time-resolved transcriptomics, we unveil dramatic morphological and metabolic changes of the marine parasite Amoebophrya (Syndiniales) during intracellular infection, particularly following engulfment and digestion of nutrient-rich host chromosomes.

The mitochondrial genome of (Hydrozoa, Leptothecata).

The hydrozoan species (Hargitt, 1924) is widely distributed in tropical marine waters around the world. Here we report the complete linear mitochondrial genome of from Sint Eustatius (Lesser Antilles). The mitochondrial genome with a length of 14,320 bp encodes for 13 protein-coding genes, two tRNA genes, and two rRNA genes.

Phylogenetic and Selection Analysis of an Expanded Family of Putatively Pore-Forming Jellyfish Toxins (Cnidaria: Medusozoa).

Many jellyfish species are known to cause a painful sting, but box jellyfish (class Cubozoa) are a well-known danger to humans due to exceptionally potent venoms. Cubozoan toxicity has been attributed to the presence and abundance of cnidarian-specific pore-forming toxins called jellyfish toxins (JFTs), which are highly hemolytic and cardiotoxic. However, JFTs have also been found in other cnidarians outside of Cubozoa, and no comprehensive analysis of their phylogenetic distribution has been conducted to date.

A community perspective on the concept of marine holobionts: current status, challenges, and future directions.

Host-microbe interactions play crucial roles in marine ecosystems. However, we still have very little understanding of the mechanisms that govern these relationships, the evolutionary processes that shape them, and their ecological consequences. The holobiont concept is a renewed paradigm in biology that can help to describe and understand these complex systems.

Is the Dinoflagellate Amoebophrya Really Missing an mtDNA?

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is a universal hallmark of aerobic eukaryotes. That is why the recent suggestion by John et al. (2019.

Cryptic species in the parasitic Amoebophrya species complex revealed by a polyphasic approach.

As critical primary producers and recyclers of organic matter, the diversity of marine protists has been extensively explored by high-throughput barcode sequencing. However, classification of short metabarcoding sequences into traditional taxonomic units is not trivial, especially for lineages mainly known by their genetic fingerprints. This is the case for the widespread Amoebophrya ceratii species complex, parasites of their dinoflagellate congeners.

Box, stalked, and upside-down? Draft genomes from diverse jellyfish (Cnidaria, Acraspeda) lineages: Alatina alata (Cubozoa), Calvadosia cruxmelitensis (Staurozoa), and Cassiopea xamachana (Scyphozoa).

Background: Anthozoa, Endocnidozoa, and Medusozoa are the 3 major clades of Cnidaria. Medusozoa is further divided into 4 clades, Hydrozoa, Staurozoa, Cubozoa, and Scyphozoa-the latter 3 lineages make up the clade Acraspeda. Acraspeda encompasses extraordinary diversity in terms of life history, numerous nuisance species, taxa with complex eyes rivaling other animals, and some of the most venomous organisms on the planet.

Box Jellyfish Alatina alata Has a Circumtropical Distribution.

Species of the box jellyfish (Cubozoa) genus Alatina are notorious for their sting along the beaches of several localities of the Atlantic and Pacific. These species include Alatina alata on the Caribbean Island of Bonaire (the Netherlands), A. moseri in Hawaii, and A.

Insights into the transcriptional and translational mechanisms of linear organellar chromosomes in the box jellyfish Alatina alata (Cnidaria: Medusozoa: Cubozoa).

Background: In most animals, the mitochondrial genome is characterized by its small size, organization into a single circular molecule, and a relative conservation of the number of encoded genes. In box jellyfish (Cubozoa, Cnidaria), the mitochondrial genome is organized into 8 linear mito-chromosomes harboring between one and 4 genes each, including 2 extra protein-coding genes: mt-polB and orf314. Such an organization challenges the traditional view of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) expression in animals.

Phylogenetic analysis of higher-level relationships within Hydroidolina (Cnidaria: Hydrozoa) using mitochondrial genome data and insight into their mitochondrial transcription.

Hydrozoans display the most morphological diversity within the phylum Cnidaria. While recent molecular studies have provided some insights into their evolutionary history, sister group relationships remain mostly unresolved, particularly at mid-taxonomic levels. Specifically, within Hydroidolina, the most speciose hydrozoan subclass, the relationships and sometimes integrity of orders are highly unsettled.

Cnidarian phylogenetic relationships as revealed by mitogenomics.

Background: Cnidaria (corals, sea anemones, hydroids, jellyfish) is a phylum of relatively simple aquatic animals characterized by the presence of the cnidocyst: a cell containing a giant capsular organelle with an eversible tubule (cnida). Species within Cnidaria have life cycles that involve one or both of the two distinct body forms, a typically benthic polyp, which may or may not be colonial, and a typically pelagic mostly solitary medusa. The currently accepted taxonomic scheme subdivides Cnidaria into two main assemblages: Anthozoa (Hexacorallia + Octocorallia) - cnidarians with a reproductive polyp and the absence of a medusa stage - and Medusozoa (Cubozoa, Hydrozoa, Scyphozoa, Staurozoa) - cnidarians that usually possess a reproductive medusa stage.

Mitochondrial DNA of Clathrina clathrus (Calcarea, Calcinea): six linear chromosomes, fragmented rRNAs, tRNA editing, and a novel genetic code.

Sponges (phylum Porifera) are a large and ancient group of morphologically simple but ecologically important aquatic animals. Although their body plan and lifestyle are relatively uniform, sponges show extensive molecular and genetic diversity. In particular, mitochondrial genomes from three of the four previously studied classes of Porifera (Demospongiae, Hexactinellida, and Homoscleromorpha) have distinct gene contents, genome organizations, and evolutionary rates.

First complete mitochondrial genome sequence from a box jellyfish reveals a highly fragmented linear architecture and insights into telomere evolution.

Animal mitochondrial DNAs (mtDNAs) are typically single circular chromosomes, with the exception of those from medusozoan cnidarians (jellyfish and hydroids), which are linear and sometimes fragmented. Most medusozoans have linear monomeric or linear bipartite mitochondrial genomes, but preliminary data have suggested that box jellyfish (cubozoans) have mtDNAs that consist of many linear chromosomes. Here, we present the complete mtDNA sequence from the winged box jellyfish Alatina moseri (the first from a cubozoan).

Evolution of linear mitochondrial genomes in medusozoan cnidarians.

In nearly all animals, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) consists of a single circular molecule that encodes several subunits of the protein complexes involved in oxidative phosphorylation as well as part of the machinery for their expression. By contrast, mtDNA in species belonging to Medusozoa (one of the two major lineages in the phylum Cnidaria) comprises one to several linear molecules. Many questions remain on the ubiquity of linear mtDNA in medusozoans and the mechanisms responsible for its evolution, replication, and transcription.