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Background: Mitochondrial genomes have become a powerful tool for studying molecular genetics and phylogeny of mollusks. Currently, the position of Modiolinae within Mytilidae and the taxonomic and phylogenetic relationships within Modiolinae were still controversial. This study focuses on the complete mitochondrial genomes of two species: Modiolus modulaides (Röding, 1798) and Modiolus auriculatus Krauss, 1848, which have not been sequenced before. Methods and results: We assembled and characterized the mitochondrial genomes of M. modulaides and M. auriculatus and then analyzed the phylogenetic relationships. The mitochondrial genomes of M. modulaides and M. auriculatus were 15,422 bp and 16,027 bp, respectively. Both of them were composed of 36 functional genes, including 12 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNAs, and 2 ribosomal RNAs. All protein-coding genes showed A + T bias, positive GC skews, and negative AT skews in nucleotide composition. Phylogenetic analysis based on the mitochondrial genomes showed that Modiolinae and Bathymodiolinae clustered together to form a sister relationship. Seven Modiolinae species were divided into two clades: L1 (M. modulaides, M. auriculatus and Modiolus philippinarum Hanley, 1843) and L2 [Modiolus modiolus (Linnaeus, 1758), Modiolus kurilensis Bernard, 1983, Modiolus nipponicus (Oyama, 1950), and Modiolus comptus (Sowerby III, 1915)]. The divergence time of the two clades was approximately 105.75 Ma. Furthermore, the transfer RNA gene rearrangement, longer genetic distance, and greater genetic differentiation were confirmed between the L1 and L2 clades, as well as differences in the external characteristics of the shells of the two clades. Conclusions: Based on the molecular data, it was speculated that species from the L1 clade might belong to other genera or new genera. This study provides molecular information for further taxonomic and phylogenetic studies of Mytilidae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Mitochondrial genomes have become a powerful tool for studying molecular genetics and phylogeny of mollusks. In this study, the complete mitochondrial genome of Mactra grandis was characterized for the first time. The newly sequenced mitochondrial genome fits the typical composition pattern of mollusks with 37 functional genes. Among the Mactridae species with reported mitochondrial genomes, Mactra grandis has the closest relationship with Mactra cygnus. The gene arrangement, genetic distance, and selective pressure of protein-coding genes among Mactra species were also analyzed. This study provides a molecular basis for taxonomy and germplasm research on Mactridae species. Mitochondrial genomes are playing an increasingly important role in molluscan taxonomy, germplasm, and evolution studies. The first complete mitochondrial genome of the commercial big brown mactra clam, Mactra grandis, was characterized using Illumina next-generation sequencing in this study. The 17,289 bp circular genome has a typical gene organization of 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 2 rRNAs, and 22 tRNAs, with an obvious (A + T)-bias of 64.54%. All PCGs exhibited a homogeneous bias in nucleotide composition with a (A + T)-bias, a positive GC skew, and a negative AT skew. Results of phylogenetic analysis showed that Mactra grandis was most closely related to Mactra cygnus. The functional gene arrangement of the two species was identical but different from other Mactra species. The congeneric relationships among Mactra species were demonstrated by genetic distance analysis. Additionally, the selective pressure analysis suggested that cox1 was highly efficient for discriminating closely related species in genus Mactra, while nad2 was the most appropriate marker for population genetic analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Biological invasion, particularly by the invasive mussel Mytella strigata (Hanley, 1843), has led to a significant decline in the population of native Perna viridis (Linnaeus, 1758) in western Pacific regions. This study compared the intestinal microbiota, metabolome, and key digestive enzymes of these two competing mussels to elucidate their differences from intestinal microbiota and metabolic points. The analysis revealed differences in the abundance of Bacteroidota related to carbohydrate degradation, as well as enriched metabolites and higher carbohydrase activities in M. strigata compared to P. viridis. These findings suggested that these differences might contribute to the adaptation of M. strigata to its new environment, providing valuable insights into the competition between these species for food resources. Biological invasion is a primary direct driver of biodiversity loss. Recently, owing to exploitation competition with an invasive mussel, Mytella strigata (Hanley, 1843), there has been a drastic decrease in the population of native Perna viridis (Linnaeus, 1758) in several western Pacific regions. In the present study, intestinal microbiota, metabolome, and key digestive enzyme activities were compared between the two competing mussels, M. strigata and P. viridis, to elucidate the differences in intestinal microbiota and metabolic points. We observed that Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Bacteroidota were the three predominant bacterial phyla in the two species. The relative abundance of Bacteroidota related to carbohydrate-degrading ability was significantly higher in M. strigata than in P. viridis. Compared to P. viridis, different metabolites including maltose and trehalose were enriched in M. strigata. Lastly, higher carbohydrases activities of alpha-amylase, cellulase, and xylanase were observed in M. strigata than in P. viridis. These differences might play an important role in the adaptation process of M. strigata to the new environment. This study provides important basic knowledge for investigating the competition between M. strigata and P. viridis in terms of food resources utilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mytella strigata is a highly adaptable invasive alien species that has been established in coastal China since 2014. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is an important tool for studying the evolution and population genetics of invasive species. In this study, the mitochondrial genome of M. strigata from China was sequenced by Illumina high-throughput sequencing and characterized with 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs). By assessing the selective pressure of 13 PCGs, the nad2 gene had the fastest evolutionary rate and was finally selected for population genetic analysis. A total of 285 nad2 sequences from seven M. strigata populations in China were analyzed and showed obviously T-rich and C-rich characteristics. According to population genetic diversity analysis, all the seven populations had haplotype (gene) diversity (Hd) ≥ 0.5 and nucleotide diversity (Pi) < 0.005. Haplotype networks showed a "star" distribution. Population historical dynamic analyses showed that Fu's Fs and Tajima's D values of all populations were negative except the Qukou (QK) and Beihai (BH) populations. The Zhangzhou (ZJ) and Xiamen (XM) populations were unimodal while the other populations were multimodal. These results suggested that the population of M. strigata in China may have passed the bottleneck period and is currently in a state of population expansion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we report the female-lineage mitochondrial genome of Xenostrobus atratus for the first time. The circular mitochondrial genome is 14,806 bp in length and contains 12 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, and two ribosomal RNA genes. All genes are encoded on the heavy strand. The genome composition is A + T biased (66.6%), with 25.2% A, 41.4% T, 21.7% G and 11.7% C. A Bayesian inference (BI) phylogenetic tree was constructed based on the mitochondrial genomes of X. atratus and 46 other Mytilidae species. Our results demonstrate that X. atratus and Limnoperna fortunei have distinct lineages, opposing synonymizing Xenostrobus within Limnoperna. According to this study, the validity of the subfamily Limnoperninae and genus Xenostrobus is strongly supported. However, there is still an urgent need for more mitochondrial data to decide to which subfamily X. atratus belongs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mytella strigata (Hanley, 1843) is an invasive mussel species that has rapidly spread in China in recent years. Here, we tested the utility of three mitochondrial gene fragments, COI, 12S, and 16S, and two nuclear gene fragments, D1 28S and 18S-ITS1, for characterizing the levels of genetic diversity among and within populations using 191 M. strigata specimens collected in China to aid ongoing efforts to identify the origin of the invasion as well as molecular genetic studies. M. strigata exhibited two sex-associated haplogroups according to the COI and 12S sequences. The ratio of female-lineage to male-lineage COI and 12S sequences was 149:22 and 72:7, and the genetic distances between haplogroups were 6.56 and 9.17, respectively. Only one haplotype was detected among the 18S-ITS1 sequences (413 bp), and three haplotypes were detected among the D1 28S sequences (296 bp). The haplotype diversity of both the female-lineage COI and 12S sequences was greater than 0.5, and the nucleotide diversity of the 12S, 16S, D1 28S, and 18S-ITS1 sequences was less than 0.005 in all six populations in China. Our findings indicated that COI is the most useful gene fragment for genetic diversity studies of M. strigata populations; D1 28S and 18S-ITS1 sequences would be useful for species identification because of their low intraspecific diversity. Our genetic analysis of the COI sequences revealed Colombia as the most likely origin of M. strigata in China and showed that the invasive populations in China have recently experienced or are currently experiencing a population bottleneck. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pleurotomarioidea represents a truly isolated and basally diverging lineage in Vetigastropoda (Mollusca: Gastropoda) whose fossil record can date back to the late Cambrian, thus providing rare insights into the evolutionary history of molluscs. Here, we sequenced and assembled the complete mitochondrial genome of one representative species from Pleurotomarioidea—Entemnotrochus rumphii (Schepman, 1879)—of which the mitogenome is 15,795 bp in length, including 13 protein-coding genes, two ribosomal RNA genes, and 22 transfer RNA genes. The nucleotide composition was biased toward AT, and A + T content reached 65.2%. E. rumphii was recovered as sister to all other living vetigastropods according to mitogenome-based phylogenetic analysis. The mitochondrial gene order was consistent with major vetigastropods and the hypothetical ancestral gastropoda, suggesting the deep conservation of mitogenome arrangement in Vetigastropoda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The phylogeny of Veneridae has always been controversial. An inappropriate choice of morphological characteristics and loss of critical molecular information will inevitably lead to conflicts between morphological and molecular evolutionary inferences. Phylogenetic relationships in Veneridae, based on both multigene fragments and mitogenomes, were studied, including the redefinition of controversial taxa based on morphological characteristics. Our results support the monophyly of the subfamilies Chioninae, Gemminae, Gouldiinae, Petricolinae and Sunettinae. Callistinae and Pitarinae are considered as valid. The genus Placamen is placed in Dosiniinae, Periglypta in Venerinae, Pelecyora in Pitarinae and Lioconcha and Hyphantosoma in Gouldiinae. Anomalodiscus squamosus is assigned to Timoclea , whereas Marcia hiantina and Marcia japonica are placed in Tapes. In addition, Claudiconcha japonica is removed from Petricolinae, and Gafrarium tumidum is considered valid. Finally, we propose to divide Veneridae into two families: Veneridae s.s. and Meretricidae, constituted by four and 11 subfamilies, respectively. Our study verifies that multigene fragments and mitochondrial genomes are of vital importance in phylogenetic relationships within Veneridae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The marine economy has become a new growth point of the national economy, and many countries have started to implement the marine ranch project and made the project a new strategic industry to support vigorously. In fact, with the continuous improvement of people's living standards, the market demand for precious seafood such as fish, sea cucumbers, and sea urchins increases. Shallow sea aquaculture has extensively promoted the vigorous development of marine fisheries. However, traditional diving monitoring and fishing are not only time consuming but also labor intensive; moreover, the personal injury is significant and the risk factor is high. In recent years, underwater robots' development has matured and has been applied in other technologies. Marine aquaculture energy and chemical construction is a new opportunity for growth. The detection of marine organisms is an essential part of the intelligent strategy in marine ranch, which requires an underwater robot to detect the marine organism quickly and accurately in the complex ocean environment. This paper proposes a method called YOLOv4-embedding, based on one-stage deep learning arithmetic to detect marine organisms, construct a real-time target detection system for marine organisms, extract the in-depth features, and improve the backbone's architecture and the neck connection. Compared with other object detection arithmetics, the YOLOv4-embedding object detection arithmetic was better at detection accuracy—with higher detection confidence and higher detection ratio than other one-stage object detection arithmetics, such as EfficientDet-D3. The results show that the suggested method could quickly detect different varieties in marine organisms. Furthermore, compared to the original YOLOv4, the mAP75 of the proposed YOLOv4-embedding improves 2.92% for the marine organism dataset at a real-time speed of 51 FPS on an RTX 3090. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ruditapes aspera is a member of the family Veneridae, the venus clams. This species is morphologically similar to other two globally economically important Ruditapes species, R. decussatus and R. philippinarum. Recent phylogenetic studies of Veneridae based on short DNA sequences have suggested that these species may be less closely related than originally thought. Relationships among species of Ruditapes clearly require further critical study. In this article, we show that the mitochondrial (mt) genome of R. aspera exhibits sex-linked heteroplasmy, that is doubly uniparental inheritance (DUI). Mitogenomic comparisons among three Ruditapes species showed that the features and gene arrangements of their mt genomes did not exhibit a high degree of similarity (this agrees with published data on other congeneric species of Veneridae) and that none of these species have a sister-group relationship with either of the other two species. These three species may belong to three different genera, but a fully revised classification will require considerable additional genomic and morphological data from a dense sampling of species and genera. Furthermore, we show that the pattern of relationships in our phylogeny of Ruditapes provides support for the polyphyletic origin of DUI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crossbreeding is an effective approach to manage the genetic decline in aquaculture. One-way hybrids of Crassostrea sikamea (♀) and Crassostrea gigas (♂) have advantages in growth traits and adaptation to high temperature. Here, we used high-throughput sequencing to analyze the molecular processes in the hybrids under and after thermal stress. The hybrids were cultured in the seawater with an increasing temperature from 25 °C to 40 °C during 10 hours, which is regarded as the thermal stress stage. Then the temperature decreased from 40 °C to 25 °C within 2 h, which is regarded as the recovery stage. In this study, 1293 significant differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were obtained under thermal stress, of which 576 were upregulated and 717 were downregulated, and 740 significant differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were obtained in the recovery stage, of which the number of upregulated and downregulated genes was 409 and 331, respectively. The antigen processing and presentation, NOD-like, and NF-kappa B pathways were significantly enriched during the thermal stress stage. The MAPK and PPAR signaling pathways were significantly enriched during the recovery stage. The HSP70, HSP90, and CANX genes were strongly and rapidly upregulated in the control/thermal stress groups but were slightly less upregulated in the thermal stress/recovery group. These results indicate that the innate immune system or nonspecific immunity was deployed to protect interior tissues from thermal stress. In addition, 85% of the mutual DEGs were involved in bidirectional regulation (up/down or down/up) when the oysters were removed from the thermal stress to recover. This study provides preliminary insight into the molecular response of C. sikamea (♀) and C. gigas (♂) hybrids to thermal stress and provides a basis for future studies on temperature-adaptation and the possible expansion of hybrid breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hybridization experiments have been made between Crassostrea ariakensis and C. gigas several times. However, it is difficult to obtain a large number of hybrid offspring, which becomes the bottleneck of subsequent cross‐breeding. To explore whether the production of hybrid larvae is affected by salinity, we investigated the effects of salinity (16, 20, 24, 28 and 32 psu) on the early activities of artificial hybridization between C. ariakensis and C. gigas at 23–24°C. In this study, the results showed that during artificial insemination, the appropriate salinity of high‐quality gametes in C. ariakensis and C. gigas was 20–32 psu and 24–32 psu respectively. Besides, the fertilization rate of AG (C. ariakensis♀ × C. gigas♂) and GA (C. gigas♀ × C. ariakensis♂) at 24–28 psu was significantly (p <.05) higher than that at 16–20 psu. For incubation, the optimal salinity of embryo incubation was 28 psu, under which all embryos of AG and GA can develop rapidly to the D‐larvae and yielded a high hatching rate. During larval rearing, the larval shell height and survival rate of AG were of no significant difference (p >.05) at all salinities, and the optimum salinity for larval growth and survival of GA was 24–28 psu. These findings can contribute to the increase in the hybrid progeny yield, which can serve as the new resource for genetic improvement of oyster germplasm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The triploid technology is a new frontier in shellfish aquaculture and has shown encouraging results in numerous shellfish species. We induced triploid larvae in the Yesso scallop, Patinopecten yessoensis, using hyperosmotic shock for the first time in this study. Different induction parameters, including salinity strength, treatment starting point, and the duration, were tested. The highest triploid ratio of D‐shaped larvae (72.12%) was obtained by 60 ppt salinity treatment for 20 min at the first appearance of zygote showing polar body II (PB2). A significantly faster growth rate was observed during the swimming larvae stage despite a decrease in the hatching and survival ratios. The triploid ratio decreased to 46.67%, and approximately 1.76 million triploid juveniles were harvested after 90 days of cultivation. The treatment parameters can be further optimized to improve the yield of Yesso scallop triploids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Hybridization breeding is deemed to be an effective countermeasure in coping with the genetic decline among marine culture species. Hybrids of Crassostrea angulata ♂ × Crassostrea sikamea ♀ have been shown to express heterosis in nutritive components and tolerance to hypotonic environments. As intertidal zone organisms, they also experience fluctuations in water temperature. To better understand the cellular and molecular processes of this hybrid species under cold stress, we analyzed the transcriptional response of hybrids after 24 hr of exposure to a low temperature of 12°C. A total of 765 differentially expressed genes were obtained, 493 of which were up‐regulated and 272 were down‐regulated. Compared to the controls treated at 25°C, energy and amino acid metabolism, protein synthesis, transport and degradation of the hybrids were suppressed. Additionally multiple biochemical and physiological‐related proteins and processes were affected to help organisms survive including integrin‐linked kinase (part of the PPAR signalling pathway), phenylalanine hydroxylase, GTP binding protein, heat shock proteins and immunity related signalling pathways. Our results provide a relatively comprehensive view about cold tolerance in this oyster hybrid species, offering a more solid theoretical foundation for further study and possible expansion of hybrid cultivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To observe the clinical efficacy difference between electroacupuncture at Băihuì (百会 GV 20) and Yìntáng (印堂 EX-HN 3) and oral administration of sertraline hydrochloride for treatment of post-schizophrenic depression. Methods Sixty patients with post-schizophrenic depression were randomly divided into electroacupuncture group and western medicine group in the proportion of 1:1, with 30 patients in each group. The patients in the two groups were all given antipsychotics as the basic treatment. Electroacupuncture at GV 20 and EX-HN 3 was performed additionally in electroacupuncture group with 30 min/time and once every other day. The treatment was given for 3 times a week, lasting for 6 weeks. Oral administration of sertraline hydrochloride was given in western medicine group additionally for once a day, lasting for 6 weeks. The comprehensive conditions of patients in the two groups were evaluated before and after treatment by adopting Global Assessment Scale (GAS). The degree of depression of patients in the two groups was assessed before treatment, after treatment for 1 week, 2 weeks and 4 weeks, after treatment as well as during follow-up visit by adopting Hamilton Depression Scale-17 (HAMD-17). Results GAS: GAS scores of the patients in the two groups after treatment were higher than those before treatment (both P  < 0.05), but the difference of GAS scores of the patients in the two groups after treatment was not statistically significant. HAMD-17: The HAMD-17 scores of patients in electroacupuncture group reduced gradually in the six time points of before treatment, after treatment for 1 week, 2 weeks and 4 weeks, after treatment as well as during follow-up visit, and the differences of scores between the two adjacent time points were statistically significant (all P  < 0.05). The HAMD-17 scores of patients in western medicine group reduced gradually in the 6 time points, and the differences of scores between the two adjacent time points among after treatment for 2 weeks and 4 weeks, and after treatment were statistically significant (all P  < 0.05). The HAMD-17 scores of patients in electroacupuncture group were lower than that in western medicine group after treatment for 1 week, 2 weeks and 4 weeks, and the differences were statistically significant (all P  < 0.05). Conclusion According to the comparison of the clinical efficacies of electroacupuncture at GV 20 and EX-HN 3 and oral administration of sertraline hydrochloride for treatment of post-schizophrenic depression, the overall conditions were improved effectively and the difference was not statistically significant. Electroacupuncture takes effect more rapidly in treatment of depression, and its effect can last for a longer time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hybrid oysters often show heterosis in growth rate, weight, survival and adaptability to extremes of salinity. Oysters have also been used as model organisms to study the evolution of host-defense system. To gain comprehensive knowledge about various physiological processes in hybrid oysters under low salinity stress, we performed transcriptomic analysis of gill tissue of Crassostrea sikamea ♀ × Crassostrea angulata♂ hybrid using the deep-sequencing platform Illumina HiSeq. We exploited the high-throughput technique to delineate differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in oysters maintained in hypotonic conditions. A total of 199,391 high quality unigenes, with average length of 644 bp, were generated. Of these 35 and 31 genes showed up- and down-regulation, respectively. Functional categorization and pathway analysis of these DEGs revealed enrichment for immune mechanism, apoptosis, energy metabolism and osmoregulation under low salinity stress. The expression patterns of 41 DEGs in hybrids and their parental species were further analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). This study will serve as a platform for subsequent gene expression analysis regarding environmental stress. Our findings will also provide valuable information about gene expression to better understand the immune mechanism, apoptosis, energy metabolism and osmoregulation in hybrid oysters under low salinity stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the complete mitochondrial genome of Modiolus comptus was determined and annotated for the first time. The 15,591 bp circular genome has a base composition of 24.3% A, 38.6% T, 12.5% C, and 24.5% G, demonstrating a bias of higher AT content (63.0%) than GC content (27.0%). The mitochondrial genome contains 12 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 20 transfer RNA genes (tRNA), 2 ribosomal RNA genes (12S rRNA and 16S rRNA), and one control region. All genes of M. comptus were encoded on the heavy strand, except trnT(ugu) gene. The whole mitochondrial genome of M. comptus and 21 mitogenomes of other Mytilidae species were used for phylogenetic analysis. The result indicated the newly sequenced species had the closest relationship with Modiolus nipponicus (MK721547) and was clustered within the clade of genus Modiolus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • We provide a multi-locus time-calibrated molecular phylogeny for Ostreidae. • The ancestral range reconstruction suggests that Ostreidae originated in the circum-Arctic region in the Early Jurassic. • The major diversifications of Crassostrea is consistent with associated tectonic events. Oysters (Bivalvia: Ostreidae Rafinesque, 1815) live in the intertidal and shallow subtidal areas worldwide. Despite their long evolutionary histories, abundant fossil records, global distribution, and ecological significance, a systematic time-dependent biogeographical analysis of this family is still lacking. Using combined mitochondrial (COI and 16S rRNA) and nuclear (18S rRNA, 28S rRNA, H3 and ITS2) gene makers for 80% (70/88) of the recognized extant Ostreidae, we reconstructed the global phylogenetic and biogeographical relationships throughout the evolutionary history of oysters. The result provided a holistic view of the origin, migration and dispersal patterns of Ostreidae. The phylogenetic results and fossil evidence indicated that Ostreidae originated from the circum-Arctic region in the Early Jurassic. The widening of the Atlantic Ocean and changes in the Tethys Ocean further facilitated their subsequent diversification during the Cretaceous and the Palaeogene periods. In particular, Crassostrea and Saccostrea exhibited relatively low dispersal abilities and their major diversifications were consistent with the tectonic events. Environmental adaptations and reproductive patterns, therefore, should play key roles in the formation of oyster distribution patterners, rather than the dispersal ability of their planktonic larvae. The diversity dynamics inferred by standard phylogenetic are consistent with the fossil record, however, further systematic classification, especially for fossil genus Ostrea, would enhance our understanding on extant and fossil oysters. The present study of the historical biogeography of oysters provides new insights into the evolution and speciation of oysters. Our findings also provide a foundation for the assessment of evolutionary patterns and ecological processes in intertidal and inshore life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Recent studies have shown that XihuangWan (XHW) is a kind of Chinese medicine with significant anti-tumor and anti-inflammatory activities. However, its mechanism for preventing and treating radiation proctitis in rectal cancer patients during radiotherapy remains unclear., Methods: This study employed the network pharmacology to establish a "drug-active ingredient-target genedisease" network via using TCMSP, SymMap, GeneCard, and OMIM databases. The PPI network was conducted by the String tool. The core targets of XHW in the treatment of rectal cancer and radiation enteritis were identified by topological analysis, and the functional annotation analysis and pathway enrichment analysis were performed., Results: A total of 61 active ingredients of XHW ingredients, 4607 rectal cancer-related genes, 5803 radiation enteritis-related genes, and 68 common targets of XHW in the treatment of rectal cancer and radiation enteritis were obtained. PTGS1 and NR3C2, as identified potential targets, were significantly associated with OS of colorectal cancer patients. GO and KEGG enrichment analysis showed that bioinformatics annotation of these common genes was mainly involved in DNA-binding transcription factor, PI3K/Akt, TNF, HIF-1 signaling pathway, and colorectal cancer pathway., Conclusion: The active ingredients of XHW, mainly including Quercetin, Ellagic acid, and Stigmasterol, might act on common targets of rectal cancer and radiation enteritis, such as PTGS1, NR3C2, IL-6, EGFR, HIF-1A, CASP3, BCL2, ESR1, MYC, and PPARG, and regulate multiple signaling pathways like PI3K-Akt, TNF, and HIF-1 to inhibit tumor proliferation, tumor angiogenesis, inflammatory responses, and oxidative stress, thereby achieving prevention and treatment of radiation enteritis in rectal cancer patients during radiotherapy. It provided an important reference for further elucidating the anti-inflammation and anti-tumor mechanism and clinical application of XHW., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

The almost simultaneous emergence of major animal phyla during the early Cambrian shaped modern animal biodiversity. Reconstructing evolutionary relationships among such closely spaced branches in the animal tree of life has proven to be a major challenge, hindering understanding of early animal evolution and the fossil record. This is particularly true in the species-rich and highly varied Mollusca where dramatic inconsistency among paleontological, morphological, and molecular evidence has led to a long-standing debate about the group's phylogeny and the nature of dozens of enigmatic fossil taxa. A critical step needed to overcome this issue is to supplement available genomic data, which is plentiful for well-studied lineages, with genomes from rare but key lineages, such as Scaphopoda. Here, by presenting chromosome-level genomes from both extant scaphopod orders and leveraging complete genomes spanning Mollusca, we provide strong support for Scaphopoda as the sister taxon of Bivalvia, revitalizing the morphology-based Diasoma hypothesis originally proposed 50 years ago. Our molecular clock analysis confidently dates the split between Bivalvia and Scaphopoda at ~520 Ma, prompting a reinterpretation of controversial laterally compressed Early Cambrian fossils, including Anabarella , Watsonella, and Mellopegma, as stem diasomes. Moreover, we show that incongruence in the phylogenetic placement of Scaphopoda in previous phylogenomic studies was due to ancient incomplete lineage sorting (ILS) that occurred during the rapid radiation of Conchifera. Our findings highlight the need to consider ILS as a potential source of error in deep phylogeny reconstruction, especially in the context of the unique nature of the Cambrian Explosion.

In this study, we report the female-lineage mitochondrial genome of Xenostrobus atratus for the first time. The circular mitochondrial genome is 14,806 bp in length and contains 12 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, and two ribosomal RNA genes. All genes are encoded on the heavy strand. The genome composition is A + T biased (66.6%), with 25.2% A, 41.4% T, 21.7% G and 11.7% C. A Bayesian inference (BI) phylogenetic tree was constructed based on the mitochondrial genomes of X. atratus and 46 other Mytilidae species. Our results demonstrate that X. atratus and Limnoperna fortune i have distinct lineages, opposing synonymizing Xenostrobus within Limnoperna . According to this study, the validity of the subfamily Limnoperninae and genus Xenostrobus is strongly supported. However, there is still an urgent need for more mitochondrial data to decide to which subfamily X. atratus belongs., Competing Interests: No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s)., (© 2023 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.)

In this study, the complete mitochondrial genome of Modiolus comptus was determined and annotated for the first time. The 15,591 bp circular genome has a base composition of 24.3% A, 38.6% T, 12.5% C, and 24.5% G, demonstrating a bias of higher AT content (63.0%) than GC content (27.0%). The mitochondrial genome contains 12 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 20 transfer RNA genes (tRNA), 2 ribosomal RNA genes ( 12S rRNA and 16S rRNA ), and one control region. All genes of M. comptus were encoded on the heavy strand, except trnT(ugu) gene. The whole mitochondrial genome of M. comptus and 21 mitogenomes of other Mytilidae species were used for phylogenetic analysis. The result indicated the newly sequenced species had the closest relationship with Modiolus nipponicus (MK721547) and was clustered within the clade of genus Modiolus ., Competing Interests: No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors., (© 2019 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.)