Reconstructing the genomes of bilaterian ancestors is central to our understanding of animal evolution, where knowledge from ancient and/or slow-evolving bilaterian lineages is critical. Here we report a high-quality, chromosome-anchored reference genome for the scallop Patinopecten yessoensis, a bivalve mollusc that has a slow-evolving genome with many ancestral features. Chromosome-based macrosynteny analysis reveals a striking correspondence between the 19 scallop chromosomes and the 17 presumed ancestral bilaterian linkage groups at a level of conservation previously unseen, suggesting that the scallop may have a karyotype close to that of the bilaterian ancestor. Scallop Hox gene expression follows a new mode of subcluster temporal co-linearity that is possibly ancestral and may provide great potential in supporting diverse bilaterian body plans. Transcriptome analysis of scallop mantle eyes finds unexpected diversity in phototransduction cascades and a potentially ancient Pax2/5/8-dependent pathway for noncephalic eyes. The outstanding preservation of ancestral karyotype and developmental control makes the scallop genome a valuable resource for understanding early bilaterian evolution and biology.

Genetic linkage maps are indispensable tools in genetic and genomic studies. Recent development of genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) methods holds great promise for constructing high-resolution linkage maps in organisms lacking extensive genomic resources. In the present study, linkage mapping was conducted for a bivalve mollusc (Chlamys farreri) using a newly developed GBS method—2b-restriction site-associated DNA (2b-RAD). Genome survey sequencing was performed to generate a preliminary reference genome that was utilized to facilitate linkage and quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping in C. farreri. A high-resolution linkage map was constructed with a marker density (3806) that has, to our knowledge, never been achieved in any other molluscs. The linkage map covered nearly the whole genome (99.5%) with a resolution of 0.41 cM. QTL mapping and association analysis congruously revealed two growth-related QTLs and one potential sex-determination region. An important candidate QTL gene named PROP1, which functions in the regulation of growth hormone production in vertebrates, was identified from the growth-related QTL region detected on the linkage group LG3. We demonstrate that this linkage map can serve as an important platform for improving genome assembly and unifying multiple genomic resources. Our study, therefore, exemplifies how to build up an integrative genomic framework in a non-model organism.

High-resolution genetic maps are essential for fine mapping of complex traits, genome assembly, and comparative genomic analysis. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are the primary molecular markers used for genetic map construction. In this study, we identified 13,362 SNPs evenly distributed across the Japanese flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) genome. Of these SNPs, 12,712 high-confidence SNPs were subjected to high-throughput genotyping and assigned to 24 consensus linkage groups (LGs). The total length of the genetic linkage map was 3,497.29 cM with an average distance of 0.47 cM between loci, thereby representing the densest genetic map currently reported for Japanese flounder. Nine positive quantitative trait loci (QTLs) forming two main clusters for Vibrio anguillarum disease resistance were detected. All QTLs could explain 5.1–8.38% of the total phenotypic variation. Synteny analysis of the QTL regions on the genome assembly revealed 12 immune-related genes, among them 4 genes strongly associated with V. anguillarum disease resistance. In addition, 246 genome assembly scaffolds with an average size of 21.79 Mb were anchored onto the LGs; these scaffolds, comprising 522.99 Mb, represented 95.78% of assembled genomic sequences. The mapped assembly scaffolds in Japanese flounder were used for genome synteny analyses against zebrafish (Danio rerio) and medaka (Oryzias latipes). Flounder and medaka were found to possess almost one-to-one synteny, whereas flounder and zebrafish exhibited a multi-syntenic correspondence. The newly developed high-resolution genetic map, which will facilitate QTL mapping, scaffold assembly, and genome synteny analysis of Japanese flounder, marks a milestone in the ongoing genome project for this species.

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Whole genome duplication (WGD) results in extensive genetic redundancy. In plants and yeast, WGD is followed by rapid gene deletions and intense expression differentiation with slow functional divergence. However, the early evolution of the gene differentiation processes is poorly understood in vertebrates because almost all studied WGDs are extremely ancient, and the genomes have returned to a diploid status. Common carp had a very recent fourth round of WGD dated to 8 million years ago. It therefore constitutes an ideal model to study early-stage functional divergence and expression differentiation in vertebrates. We identified 1,757 pairs of recently duplicated genes (RDGs) originating from this specific WGD and found that most ancestral genes were retained in duplicate. Most RDGs were conserved and under selective pressure. Gene expression analysis across six tissues revealed that 92.5% of RDG pairs were co-expressed in at least one tissue and that the expression of nearly half pairs ceased to be strongly correlated, indicating slow spatial divergence but rapid expression dissociation. Functional comparison revealed that 25% of pairs had functional divergence, of which neo- and sub-functionalization were the main outcomes. Our analysis revealed slow gene loss but rapid and intense expression and function differentiation after WGD.

A genetic linkage map of common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) was constructed using Type I and Type II microsatellite markers and a pseudo-testcross mapping strategy. The microsatellite markers were isolated from microsatellite-enriched genomic libraries and tested for their segregation in a full-sib mapping panel containing 92 individuals. A total of 161 microsatellite loci were mapped into 54 linkage groups. The total lengths of the female, male and consensus maps were 2,000, 946, and 1,852 cM, with an average marker spacing of approximately 13, 7, and 11 cM, respectively. Muscle fiber-related traits, including muscle fiber cross-section area and muscle fiber density, were mapped to the genetic map. Three QTLs for muscle fiber cross-section area and two QTLs for muscle fiber density were identified when considering both significant and suggestive QTL effects. The QTLs with largest effects for muscle fiber cross-section area and muscle fiber density were 21.9% and 18.9%, and they were located in LG3, respectively.

A new process is developed to functionalize an inorganic substrate with an organic polycarboxylic chelating agent to obtain a biomimetic template for mimicking biomineralization for the synthesis of ®lms or coatings. A titanium plate is ®rst placed in ethylenediaminetetracetic acid (EDTA) solution to effect chemisorption and selfassembly of EDTA molecules on the plate. The plate is then aged in supersaturated hydroxyapatite [(Ca 10 (PO 4 ) 6 (OH) 2 , HA] solution to mimic biomineralization. The functionalization process is found to be very effective in creating a surface with an organized arrangement of carboxylate ions (±COO 2 ) with the orientation of lone pairs of electrons on O perpendicular to or radiating from the substrate surface. The coating is formed through the plate-like outgrowth of HA grains along the [001] direction under the mediation of the functionalized surface, giving rise to the coexistence of two kinds of microstructural patterns in coating. One is a parallel arrangement of the plate-like HA grains with (001) planes preferably parallel to the substrate surface, the other is a radial arrangement of the plate-like HA grains with the [001] direction radiating from one surface core and the (111) planes preferably parallel to the surface. The mineralization mechanism is discussed on the basis of the conformation of the self-assembled EDTA molecules and the interfacial molecular recognition, analogous to the biomineralization, including electrostatic interactions, hydrogen bonding, stereochemical arrangement and geometrical correspondence.

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