Genomic adaptive potential to cold environments in the invasive red swamp crayfish

Daiki X Sato; Yuki Matsuda; Nisikawa Usio; Ryo Funayama; Keiko Nakayama; Takashi Makino

doi:10.1016/j.isci.2023.107267

Genomic adaptive potential to cold environments in the invasive red swamp crayfish

iScience. 2023 Jul 3;26(8):107267. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.107267. eCollection 2023 Aug 18.

Authors

Daiki X Sato^{1

2

3}, Yuki Matsuda³, Nisikawa Usio⁴, Ryo Funayama⁵, Keiko Nakayama⁵, Takashi Makino³

Affiliations

¹ Institute for Advanced Academic Research, Chiba University, Chiba 263-8522, Japan.
² Graduate School of Science, Chiba University, Chiba 263-8522, Japan.
³ Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8578, Japan.
⁴ Institute of Nature and Environmental Technology, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan.
⁵ Department of Cell Proliferation, United Center for Advanced Research and Translational Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Tohoku University, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8575, Japan.

Abstract

Biological invasion refers to the introduction, spread, and establishment of non-native species in a novel habitat. The ways in which invasive species successfully colonize new and different environments remain a fundamental topic of research in ecology and evolutionary biology. Here, we investigated the genomic and transcriptomic characteristics of the red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii), a widespread invader in freshwater environments. Targeting a recently colonized population in Sapporo, Japan that appears to have acquired a high degree of cold tolerance, RNA-seq analysis revealed differentially expressed genes in response to cold exposure, and those involved in protease inhibitors and cuticle development were considered top candidates. We also found remarkable duplications for these gene families during evolution and their concerted expression patterns, suggesting functional amplification against low temperatures. Our study thus provides clues to the unique genetic characteristics of P. clarkii, possibly related to cold adaptation.

Keywords: Evolutionary biology; Genetics; Zoology.