Gymnocypris przewalskii, a cyprinid fish endemic to the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, has evolved unique morphological, physiological and genetic characteristics to adapt to the highland environment. Herein, we assembled a high-quality G. przewalskii tetraploid genome with a size of 2.03 Gb and scaffold N50 of 44.93 Mb, which was anchored onto 46 chromosomes. The comparative analysis suggested that gene families related to highland adaptation were significantly expanded in G. przewalskii. According to the G. przewalskii genome, we evaluated the phylogenetic relationship of 13 schizothoracine fishes, and inferred that the demographic history of G. przewalskii was strongly associated with geographic and eco-environmental alterations. We noticed that G. przewalskii experienced whole genome duplication, and genes preserved post duplication were functionally associated with adaptation to high salinity and alkalinity. In conclusion, a chromosome-scale G. przewalskii genome provides an important genomic resource for teleost fish, and will particularly promote our understanding of the molecular evolution and speciation of fish in the highland environment.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.