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Pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) play important roles in detecting pathogens and initiating the innate immune response. Different evolutionary histories of pollinators and non-pollinators may result in different immune recognition systems. A previous study had reported that there were significant differences in peptidoglycan recognition proteins (PGRPs) between pollinators and non-pollinators in gene number and lineage of specific genes. In this study, based on the genomic data of 12 fig wasp species, with seven pollinators and five non-pollinators, we investigated the evolution patterns of PRRs, such as Gram-negative bacteria-binding proteins (GNBPs), C-type lectins (CTLs), scavenger receptors class B (SCRBs), fibrinogen-related proteins (FREPs), galectins, and thioester-containing proteins (TEPs). Our results showed that pollinators had no GNBP, but non-pollinators all had two gene members, which were clustered into two different clades in the phylogenetic tree, with each clade having specific domain and motif characteristics. The analysis of CTL and SCRB gene families also showed that there were lineage-specific genes and specific expansion in non-pollinators. Our results showed that there were significant differences in immune recognition between pollinators and non-pollinators, and we concluded that they had undergone flexible adaptive evolution in different environments. Our study can provide more molecular evidence for future functional studies on the immune system of fig wasps.

A Gram-staining-negative, strictly aerobic, non-motile, ovoid- to rod-shaped bacterium, designated as HZ20 T , was isolated from the surface of a brown seaweed (Laminaria japonica) sample collected from the East China Sea. Colonies are 1.0-2.0 mm in diameter, smooth, circular, convex and yellow after grown on MA at 28 °C for 72 h. The strain was found to grow at 4-50 °C (optimum, 37 °C), pH 5.0-9.5 (optimum, pH 7.0-7.5) and with 0-10% (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 1.0-1.5%). Chemotaxonomic analysis showed ubiquinone-8 as the only quinone, C 17:0 cyclo, C 16:0 , summed feature 8 (C 18:1 ω7c and/or C 18:1 ω6c) and summed feature 2 (C 12:0 aldehyde/unknown 10.9525/C 16:1 iso I/C 14:0 3OH) as the major fatty acids (> 5%), and diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, one unidentified amino phospholipid, two unidentified phospholipids, five unidentified glycolipid and two unidentified lipids as the polar lipids. The DNA G + C content was 55.5 mol %. 16S rRNA gene sequences of the isolate showed highest similarities to Bordetella flabilis AU10664 T (97.1%), Parapusillimonas granuli Ch07 T (97.1%), Paracandidimonas soli IMT-305 T (97.1%), Kerstersia gyiorum LMG5906 T (97.0%) and Bordetella sputigena LMG 28641 T (97.0%). The phylogenetic trees using 16S rRNA gene and genome sequences both showed that the strain HZ20 T formed a deep branch separated from other related genera, indicating that it represents a novel species of a novel genus. The calculated average nucleotide identity (ANI) and percent of conserved proteins (POCP) values using genome sequences of strain HZ20 T and related strains also support this conclusion. Based on the phenotypic properties and phylogenetic distinctiveness, we propose strain HZ20 T (= MCCC 1K03465 T  = KCTC 62330 T ) to represent a novel species of a novel genus with the name Algicoccus marinus gen. nov. sp. nov.

A Gram-stain-negative, motile, aerobic, rod-shaped bacterium with flagella, designated ZX-21 T , was isolated from surface seawater of the East Sea in Zhoushan, China. Growth of strain ZX-21T was observed at 10--35  o°C (optimum, 30 °C), at pH 6.0-8.5 (pHoptimum 6.5-7.0) and in the presence of 0.5-8 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum 3-4 %). It was positive for oxidase and catalase activity. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain ZX-21T constituted an independent lineage within the family Spongiibacteraceae and was most closely related to Zhongshania guokunii (96.83 %). Strain ZX-21T contained ubiquinone-8 (Q-8) as the sole isoprenoid quinone and summed feature 3 (C16 : 1ω77c and/or C16 : 1ω66c), summed feature 8 (C18 : 1ω77c and/or C18 : 1ω66c) and C16 : 0 as the major fatty acids. Phosphatidylglycerol (), phosphatidylethanolamine (), diphosphatidylglycerol () and an unidentified glycolipid were the major cellular polar lipids. The DNA G+C content was 49.1 mol%. Based on itsthe morphological, physiological and chemotaxonomic characteristics, strain ZX-21Tis described as a novel species in a novel genus for whichwith the name Marortus luteolus gen. nov., sp. nov. (type strain ZX-21T = MCCC 1K03431T=KCTC 62160T) is proposed.

A novel Gram-stain-negative, motile, rod-shaped (0.4-0.5×1.0-2.0 µm) strain with one polar flagellum, designated SY39 T , was isolated from seawater in Sanya, China. Strain SY39 T was able to grow at 15-40 °C (optimum, 35-37 °C), pH 6.5-8.5 (pH 8.0) and 0.5-6.0 % (w/v) NaCl (3.5 %). Chemotaxonomic analysis showed that the isoprenoid quinones were Q-8 (88.6 %) and Q-7 (11.4 %). The dominant fatty acids were C16 : 0 and summed feature 3 (C16 : 1ω7c/C16 : 1ω6c). The polar lipids of strain SY39 T consisted of diphosphatidyglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, one unknown phosphoglycolipid, one unknown glycolipid and two unknown aminophosphoglycolipids. The DNA G+C content of the genomic DNA was 66.5 mol%. The phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain SY39 T belongs to the genus Azoarcus with similarity ranging from 92.3 to 95.2 %. Based on the phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic features, strain SY39 T is concluded to represent a novel species of the genus Azoarcus, for which the name Azoarcus pumilus sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is SY39 T (=KCTC 62157 T =MCCC 1K03430 T ).

The mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) plays an important role in revealing molecular evolution. In this study, the complete mitogenome of Grammodes geometrica (G. geometrica) (Lepidoptera: Erebidae) was sequenced and characterized. The nucleotide composition of the genome is highly A + T biased, accounting for 80.49%. Most protein-coding genes (PCGs) are initiated by ATN codons except for the cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) gene, which was initiated by CGA. The order and orientation of genes with the order trnM-trnI-trnQ-nad2 is a typical rearrangement compared with those ancestral insects in which trnM is located between trnQ and nad2. Most tRNA genes were folded into the typical cloverleaf structure except for trnS1 (AGN). The A + T-rich region contains the conserved motif "ATAGA" followed by a 19 bp poly-T stretch, which was also observed in other Noctuoidea species. In addition, we reconstructed phylogenetic trees among the nucleotide alignments of five families of Noctuoidea species except the Oenosandridae. Finally, we achieved a well-supported tree, which showed that G. geometrica belongs to the Erebidae family. Moreover, the relationships at the family-level can be displayed as follows: (Notodontidae + (Erebidae + (Nolidae + (Euteliidae + Noctuidae))))., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A Gram-stain negative, pink-pigmented, strictly aerobic, non-motile and coccoid-shaped bacterial strain, designated TG-679 T , was isolated from a deep-sea water sample collected from the South China Sea. Cells of strain TG-679 T were catalase- and oxidase-positive, lacked bacteriochlorophyll a and carotenoid. Strain TG-679 T was found to grow at 10-40 °C (optimum, 28 °C), pH 5.5-10.0 (optimum, pH 7.5) and with 0.5-2.0 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 1.5 %). Chemotaxonomic analysis of strain TG-679 T indicated that the sole respiratory quinone was Q-10, the predominant cellular fatty acid was C18 : 1ω7c, and the major polar lipids consisted of phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylmonomethylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylcholine, an unidentified phospholipid and two unidentified glycolipids. The genomic DNA G+C content of strain TG-679 T was 65.9 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain TG-679 T constituted a separated branch in the family Rhodobacteraceae. Differential phenotypic properties, together with phylogenetic distinctiveness, demonstrated that strain TG-679 T is clearly distinct from any validly published genus. Based on polyphasic taxonomic characterization, strain TG-679 T is considered to represent a novel species of a novel genus, for which the name Meridianimarinicoccus roseus gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain of the species is TG-679 T (=KCTC 62454 T =MCCC 1K03496 T ).

Two Gram-stain-negative, strictly aerobic, non-motile, non-spore-forming, rod-shaped bacteria, designated as SY3-15 T and SY3-13, were isolated from a seawater sample of the South China Sea. Colonies were 0.5-1.0 mm in diameter, smooth, circular, convex and translucent after growth on marine agar at 37 °C for 3 days. The strains were found to grow at 20-50 °C (optimum, 42 °C), pH 6.0-8.5 (optimum, pH 6.5-7.5) and with 0.5-6.0 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 1.5-2.0 %). Chemotaxonomic analysis showed the sole respiratory quinone to be ubiquinone-10, the major fatty acids (>10 %) were C16 : 0 3-OH, C19 : 0cyclo ω9c, C18 : 1 3-OH and summed feature 8 (C18 : 1ω7c and/or C18 : 1ω6c), and the polar lipids were phosphatidylglycerol, two unidentified aminolipids and three unidentified lipids. The DNA G+C content was 67.2-67.4 mol% calculated by genome. The 16S rRNA gene sequences of strains SY3-15 T and SY3-13 were identical and related to the genus Lutibaculum with a similarity of 92.1 %. The 16S rRNA gene phylogenetic trees reconstructed with neighbour-joining, maximum-parsimony and minimum-evolution methods showed that the strains constituted a deep and separated branch from other families of Alphaproteobacteria, and the phylogenetic trees based on concatenated 163 protein sequences from genome sequences showed that the clade in which strains SY3-15 T and SY3-13 located was separated from the clade of the other orders of Alphaproteobacteria, indicating it may represent a novel family of a novel order. Based on their phenotypic properties and their phylogenetic distinctiveness, we propose strains SY3-15 T (=MCCC 1K03467 T =KCTC 62335 T ) and SY3-13 (=MCCC 1K03466=KCTC 62329) to represent a novel species of a novel genus with the name Minwuia thermotolerans gen. nov., sp. nov., and we propose Minwuiaceae fam. nov. and Minwuiales ord. nov. with Minwuia as the type genus.

In the present study, the complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of Clostera anastomosis (C. anastomosis) has been determined for the first time. The mitogenome is 15,390 base pairs (bp) in length, comprised of 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 2 ribosomal RNAs (rRNAs), 22 transfer RNAs (tRNAs) and one non-coding control region (CR). The gene order shows a typical trnM rearrangement (trnM-trnI-trnQ) compared to ancestral insects (trnI-trnQ-trnM). Almost all the PCGs have the same start codon (ATN) except for cox1 (CGA), and almost all tRNAs have a typical cloverleaf secondary structure except for trnS1. At the beginning of the CR, we found a conserved motif "ATAGA + poly-T" as found in other lepidopteran insects. There are 20 intergenic regions and 11 overlapping regions, ranging from 1 to 53 bp and 1 to 9 bp, respectively. The A + T content is relatively high across the whole mitogenome. The optimal tree topologies of Noctuoidea were given by the dataset consisting of all 13 PCGs from five families (exclude Oenosandridae). Our trees suggested a topology of (Notodontidae + (Erebidae + (Nolidae + (Euteliidae + Noctuidae)))) and identified that C. anastomosis belongs to Notodontidae., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The complete mitochondrial genome of Argopecten irradians strain Zhongkehong was sequenced and annotated: it is 16,212 bp in length and contains twelve protein-coding genes (atp8 is absent, as in most species in Anisomyaria), two ribosomal RNA genes, and 21 transfer RNA genes (trnS is absent and there are two copies of trnF). The heavy strand has an overall A + T content of 57.3%; GC and AT skews are 0.249 and -0.262, respectively, indicating more Gs and more Ts than Cs and As. Phylogenetic analysis based on Bayesian Inference and Maximum Likelihood of the twelve protein-coding genes shows that A. irradians has close relationships with A. purpuratus and A. ventricosus; this indicated that A. irradians belongs to the Pectinidae family. The Pectinidae was sister to (Ostreidae + Mytilidae). This work provides general information on the evolution of cultured scallops., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A Gram-negative, aerobic, motile, rod-shaped, pale-yellow bacterial strain, designated as ZYL T , isolated from a cultured in situ sediment sample collected from the East China Sea coast, was studied using a polyphasic taxonomic approach. Strain ZYL T grew at 4-30 °C (optimum, 25 °C), at pH 6.0-8.5 (pH 7.0) and with 0-7.0 % (w/v) NaCl (2.0 %). Results of phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences clearly showed that strain ZYL T and Emcibacter nanhaiensis HTCJW17 T , which was most closely related to strain ZYL T with 93.6 % sequence similarity, clustered together. The genomic DNA G+C content was 51.5 % (genome sequence). The quinone system was composed only of ubiquinone-10. Strain ZYL T possessed C18 : 1ω7c and/or C18 : 1ω6c (summed feature 8), iso-C15 : 0 2-OH and/or C16 : 1ω7c (summed feature 3), C14 : 0 2-OH and C14 : 0 as the major fatty acids. The content of summed feature 3 (iso-C15 : 0 2-OH and/or C16 : 1ω7c) in strain ZYL T was far greater than that in E. nanhaiensis. The polar lipid profile consisted of phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, three unidentified aminophospholipids, three unidentified phospholipids, one unidentified aminolipid and four unidentified lipids. One unidentified aminophospholipid and two unidentified lipids present in strain ZYL T were not found in E. nanhaiensis in this research. On the basis of phenotypic, phylogenetic and chemotaxonomic data, strain ZYL T (=KCTC 62328 T =JCM 32378 T =MCCC 1K03526 T ) represents a novel species of the genus Emcibacter for which the name Emcibacter congregatus sp. nov. is proposed.

A Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, ovoid or short rod-shaped bacterium with prosthecates and flagella, designated SY-3-19 T , was isolated from the surface seawater of the South China Sea, and subjected to a polyphasic taxonomic study. The isolate grew at 4-40 °C and pH 5.0-9.0 (optimum 28 °C and pH 6.5-7.5), and with 0.5-16.0 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum 4 %). It was positive for oxidase and catalase activity. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain SY-3-19 T constituted a separate branch in the family Parvularculaceae, sharing the highest sequence similarities to the genera Aquisalinus (91.9 %), Amphiplicatus (91.1 %) and Parvularcula(91.0-89.4 %). The sole respiratory quinone was ubiquinone-10 and the principal fatty acids (>10 %) were summed feature 8 (C18 : 1ω7c and/or C18 : 1ω6c), summed feature 3 (C16 : 1ω7c and/or C16 : 1ω6c), 11 methyl C18 : 1ω7c and C16 : 0. The polar lipids of strain SY-3-19 T consisted of phosphatidylglycerol, nine unidentified glycolipids and four unidentified lipids. The DNA G+C content was 60.9 mol%. On the basis of morphological, physiological and chemotaxonomic characteristics, together with the results of phylogenetic analysis, strain SY-3-19 T is described as a novel species in a novel genus, for which the name Marinicaulis flavus gen. nov., sp. nov. (type strain SY-3-19 T =MCCC 1K03432 T =KCTC 62156 T ) is proposed.

Small heat shock proteins (sHSPs) are conserved among insects and play an important role in the regulation of many biological processes, including temperature stress, abiotic stress, immune responses, metamorphosis, and embryo development. Antheraea pernyi is an economically valuable silk-producing moth and source of insect food containing high-quality protein. The aim of this study was to quantify expression of the ApsHSP21 gene in response to pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) and nucleopolyhedrovirus (NPV) challenge. The deduced ApsHSP21 protein sequence consists of 186 residues with a calculated molecular mass of 21.0 kDa and an isoelectronic point (pI) of 6.63. The protein contains a conserved α-crystallin domain (ACD), and includes two casein kinase II phosphorylation sites, a protein kinase C phosphorylation site, two tyrosine kinase phosphorylation sites, and various polypeptide binding sites. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that ApsHSP21 is closely related to homologs from other insects. Real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis revealed that expression of ApsHSP21 was significantly up-regulated at different timepoints following simulated pathogen challenge with lipopolysaccharide (LPS), peptidoglycan (PGN), glucan, and NPV. The results suggest sHSP21 is involved in innate immune responses in A. pernyi., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A Gram-stain negative, aerobic, motile and ovoid- to rod-shaped bacteria strain, designated XC0140 T , was isolated from soil samples near the sewage treatment tank of a chemical factory in Zhejiang Province, China, and subjected to polyphasic taxonomic investigation. Strain XC0140 T grew at 10-37 °C and pH 6.0-9.0 (optimum, 35 °C and pH 7.5) and with 0-17% (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 1%). According to phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences, strain XC0140 T was assigned to the genus Pararhizobium with high 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity of 95.97% to "Pararhizobium helanshanense CCNWQTX14 T" , followed by Pararhizobium sphaerophysae CCNWGS0238 T (95.95%). Chemotaxonomic analysis showed that strain XC0140 T contains ubiquinone-10 as the predominant respiratory quinone and possessed summed feature 8 (comprising C 18: 1 ω7c and/or ω6c), 11-methyl C 18:1 ω7c, C 18: 0 and C 16: 0 as predominant forms of fatty acids. The polar lipids of strain XC0140 T consisted of seven phospholipids (PL), two aminolipids (AL), one glycolipid (GL) and three unidentified lipids (L1, L2 and L3). The DNA G+C content was 62.7 mol%. Based on the polyphasic taxonomic characterization, strain XC0140 T is considered to represent a novel species of the genus Pararhizobium, for which the name Pararhizobium haloflavum sp. nov. is proposed. (type strain XC0140 T  = MCCC 1K03228 T  = KCTC 52582 T ).

Three bacterial strains, HKU63 T , HKU64 and HKU65 T , were isolated from the conjunctival swabs of three patients with conjunctivitis in Hong Kong. The three strains were aerobic, Gram-stain-positive, catalase-positive, non-sporulating and non-motile bacilli and exhibited unique biochemical profiles distinguishable from closely related Tsukamurella species. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis revealed that the three strains shared identical sequences with each other, being most closely related to Tsukamurella tyrosinosolvens and Tsukamurella pulmonis, sharing 99.9 % sequence identity. Sequence analysis of three additional housekeeping genes, groEL, secA and rpoB, revealed 100 % nucleotide sequence identity between HKU63 T and HKU64, 94.2-97.0 % nucleotide sequence identities between HKU63 T /HKU64 and HKU65 T and the three strains shared 82.9-98.9 % sequence identities with other currently recognized Tsukamurella species. DNA-DNA hybridization confirmed that they were distinct from other known species of the genus Tsukamurella(23.0±4.2 to 50.7±3.7 % DNA-DNA relatedness), of which HKU63 T and HKU64 represented the same species (≥95.2±4.8 % DNA-DNA relatedness) while HKU65 T represented another species. Fatty acid, mycolic acid, cell-wall sugar and peptidoglycan analyses showed that they were typical of members of Tsukamurella. The G+C content of strains HKU63 T , HKU64 and HKU65 T were 71.3±1.9, 71.3±2.0 and 71.2±2.3 mol% (mean±sd; n=3), respectively. A novel species, Tsukamurella ocularis sp. nov. is proposed to accommodate strains HKU63 T and HKU64, with HKU63 T (=JCM 31969 T =DSM 105034 T ) designated as the type strain whilst another novel species, Tsukamurella hominis sp. nov., is proposed to accommodate the third strain, HKU65 T , which is designated as the type strain (=JCM 31971 T =DSM 105036 T ).

This study was performed to better understand the phylogenetic relationships within the lepidopteran superfamily Noctuoidea. The mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) has been extensively used for studying phylogenetic relationships at different taxonomic levels. In this study, the complete mitogenome of Spilarctia subcarnea (Noctuoidea: Erebidae) was sequenced and annotated. The mitogenome is 15,441bp in length, containing 13 typical protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNA genes (tRNAs), two ribosomal RNA genes (rRNAs) and a noncoding control region (CR). The order and orientation of genes of S. subcarnea mitogenome with the order trnM-trnI-trnQ-nad2 is different from the ancestral insects in which trnM is located between trnQ and nad2 (trnI-trnQ-trnM-nad2). The phylogenetic relationships based on mitochondrial sequences using Bayesian inference and Maximum likelihood methods showed that S. subcarnea was closely related to Lemyra melli, supporting that S. subcarnea belongs to Erebidae. These analyses confirm that Lymantriidae should be included as subfamilies within Erebidae. The Erebidae was sister to (Nolidae+(Euteliidae+Noctuidae)); Notodontidae is sister to the other families of Noctuoidea in our study., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) can provide information for phylogenetic analyses and evolutionary biology. We sequenced, annotated, and characterized the mitogenome of Euproctis similis. The complete mitogenome is 15,437bp in length, containing 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNA genes, two ribosomal RNA genes, and a control region (A+T-rich region). The A+T content in the mitogenome was 80.16%. All PCGs use standard ATN as a start codon, with the exception of cytochrome c coxidase 1 (cox1) with CGA. A gene rearrangement (trnM) was found. All transfer RNA (tRNA) genes have a typical clover-leaf structure except for trnS1 (AGN). Phylogenetic analysis was performed using Bayesian Inference and Maximum Likelihood based on the amino acid and nucleotide sequences of 13 mitochondrial PCGs. The well-supported phylogenetic relationships can be generally described as: Notodontidae+(Erebidae+(Nolidae+(Euteliidae+Noctuidae))). The tree support that E. similis shares a close ancestry with Erebidae insects. Our results indicate that Erebidae is a sister group to the other families (Euteliidae, Nolidae, and Noctuidae)., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Evolutionary biology has long been concerned with how changing environments affect and drive the spatiotemporal development of organisms. Coelotine spiders (Agelenidae: Coelotinae) are common species in the temperate and subtropical areas of the Northern Hemisphere. Their long evolutionary history and the extremely imbalanced distribution of species richness suggest that Eurasian environments, especially since the Cenozoic, are the drivers of their diversification. We use phylogenetics, molecular dating, ancestral area reconstructions, diversity, and ecological niche analyses to investigate the spatiotemporal evolution of 286 coelotine species from throughout the region. Based on eight genes (6.5 kb) and 2323 de novo DNA sequences, analyses suggest an Eocene South China origin for them. Most extant, widespread species belong to the southern (SCG) or northern (NCG) clades. The origin of coelotine spiders appears to associate with either the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum or the hot period in early Eocene. Tibetan uplifting events influenced the current diversity patterns of coelotines. The origin of SCG lies outside of the Tibetan Plateau. Uplifting in the southeastern area of the plateau blocked dispersal since the Late Eocene. Continuous orogenesis appears to have created localized vicariant events, which drove rapid radiation in SCG. North-central Tibet is the likely location of origin for NCG and many lineages likely experienced extinction owing to uplifting since early Oligocene. Their evolutionary histories correspond with recent geological evidence that high-elevation orographical features existed in the Tibetan region as early as 40-35 Ma. Our discoveries may be the first empirical evidence that links the evolution of organisms to the Eocene-Oligocene uplifting of the Tibetan Plateau. [Tibet; biogeography; ecology; molecular clock; diversification.]., (© The Author(s) 2017. Published by Oxford University Press, on behalf of the Society of Systematic Biologists. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

A Gram-staining-negative, aerobic, non-spore-forming, coccoid to rod shaped bacteria with prosthecate and flagellum, designated as HSF6 T , was isolated from deep seawater samples collected from the South China Sea at depth of 2.5 km and subjected to a polyphasic taxonomic investigation. Colonies of strain HSF6 T were 1-2 mm in diameter, smooth, circular, convex and yellow. Strain HSF6 T was found to grow at 15-37 °C (optimum, 25-35 °C), pH 5.0-9.5 (optimum, pH 7.0-7.5) and with 0-8 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 2 %). Chemotaxonomic analysis showed the predominant respiratory quinone of strains HSF6 T were ubiquinone-10, and the major fatty acids were C18 : 1ω7c, C16 : 0 and 11-methyl C18 : 1ω7c. The polar lipids were monoglycosyldiglyceride (MGDG), sulfo-quinovosyl diacylglycerol (SQDG), three unknown glycolipids (GL1-3) and five unknown lipids (L1-5). The DNA G+C content of strain HSF6 T was determined to be 51.0 mol% with HPLC. The comparison of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities show that strain HSF6 T was related most closely to genus Parvularcula with similarity ranging from 91.0 to 91.8 %. The phylogenetic trees, using the 16S rRNA gene sequence, reconstructed with neighbour-joining, maximum-parsimony and maximum-likelihood methods showed that strain HSF6 T constituted a separated branch in the family 'Parvularculaceae'. Differential phenotypic properties, together with the phylogenetic distinctiveness, demonstrated that strain HSF6 T is clearly distinct from validly published genera. On the basis of these features, we propose strain HSF6 T (=MCCC 1K03223 T =KCTC 52486 T ) represents a novel species of a novel genus with the name Hyphococcus flavus gen. nov., sp. nov.

The mitochondrial genome (mt genome) provides important information for understanding molecular evolution and phylogeny. The further understand the molecular evolution and phylogeny of Helice tientsinensis, the complete mt genome was determined. It is 16,212bp long and includes 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 tRNA genes, two rRNA genes and a control region. The genome composition of H. tientsinensis was highly A+T biased 69.0% and showed negative AT skew (-0.017) and GC skew (-0.289). One PCG, all rRNAs and 12 of the tRNAs appeared to be rearranged with respect to the pancrustacean ground pattern gene order. Tandem duplication, followed by random deletion, is widely considered to explain translocation of mitochondrial genes. Consecutive recombinations events could explain inversions of genes. The phylogenetic analyses showed that H. tientsinensis has close relationships with Eriocheir japonica sinensis, E. j. hepuensis and E. j. japonica; this indicated that H. tientsinensis belongs in the Grapsoidea, part of the Varunidae family. This study provides evidence for a better understanding of gene rearrangements, as well as the evolutionary status of H. tientsinensis and related species., (Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

A novel Gram-staining-negative, oval-shaped (0.4-0.6×0.8-1.0 µm), non-motile strain without flagella, designated B7T, was isolated from deep seawater in the South China Sea. Strain B7T was able to grow at 25-40 °C (optimum 35 °C), at pH 5.5-9.0 (optimum pH 7.0) and with 0-8 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum 3 %). Chemotaxonomic analysis showed that the predominant isoprenoid quinone was Q-10 and the dominant fatty acids were C19 : 0 cyclo 8c and summed feature 8 (C18 : 1ω7c/C18 : 1ω6c). The polar lipids of strain B7T were diphosphatidyglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylcholine, one unknown aminophospholipid, one unknown glycolipid and three unknown lipids. The DNA G+C content of the genomic DNA was 65.1 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain B7T belongs to the genus Mesorhizobium with similarities ranging from 96.2 to 97.5 %. Phylogenetic analyses of housekeeping genes recA, atpD and glnII indicated that strain B7T represented a distinct evolutionary lineage with the genus Mesorhizobium. OrthoANI values between strain B7T and related strains of the genus Mesorhizobium (<80 %) were lower than the threshold value of 95 % ANI relatedness for species demarcation. Therefore, strain B7T is concluded to represent a novel species of the genus Mesorhizobium, for which the name Mesorhizobium oceanicumsp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is B7T (=KCTC 42783T=MCCC 1K02305T).

The mitochondrial genome (mt genome) provides important information for understanding molecular evolution and phylogenetics. As such, the two complete mt genomes of Ampelophaga rubiginosa and Rondotia menciana were sequenced and annotated. The two circular genomes of A. rubiginosa and R. menciana are 15,282 and 15,636 bp long, respectively, including 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), two rRNA genes, 22 tRNA genes and an A + T-rich region. The nucleotide composition of the A. rubiginosa mt genome is A + T rich (81.5%) but is lower than that of R. menciana (82.2%). The AT skew is slightly positive and the GC skew is negative in these two mt genomes. Except for cox1, which started with CGA, all other 12PCGs started with ATN codons. The A + T-rich regions of A. rubiginosa and R. menciana were 399 bp and 604 bp long and consist of several features common to Bombycoidea insects. The order and orientation of A. rubiginosa and R. menciana mitogenomes with the order trnM-trnI-trnQ-nad2 is different from the ancestral insects in which trnM is located between trnQ and nad2 (trnI-trnQ-trnM-nad2). Phylogenetic analyses indicate that A. rubiginosa belongs in the Sphingidae family, and R. menciana belongs in the Bombycidae family.

In this study, the complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of Clostera anachoreta (Lepidoptera: Notodontidae) was sequenced. It comprises 15,456 base pairs (bp), including 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), two ribosomal RNAs (rRNAs), 22 transfer RNAs (tRNAs) and one non-coding control region (CR), as found in other lepidopterans. Gene order is identical to that of typical lepidopterans. There are 15 intergenic spacers ranging from 2 to 49bp, and 9 overlapping regions ranging from 1 to 8bp, occurring throughout the genome. The CR is 347bp long. All PCGs are initiated by ATN codons. We found a typical gene rearrangement in C. anachoreta (tRNA Met -tRNA Ile -tRNA Gln ), which is different from ancestral insects (tRNA Ile -tRNA Gln -tRNA Met ). The gene rearrangement can be explained by a duplication/random loss model. Phylogenetic analyses indicate that C. anachoreta belongs to Notodontidae, and that the monophyly of Lepidopteran families is well supported., (Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Deciphering the animal mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) is very important to understand their molecular evolution and phylogenetic relationships. In this study, the complete mitogenome of Clistocoeloma sinensis was determined. The mitogenome of C. sinensis was 15,706 bp long, and its A+T content was 75.7%. The A+T skew of the mitogenome of C. sinensis was slightly negative (-0.020). All the transfer RNA genes had the typical cloverleaf structure, except for the trnS1 gene, which lacked a dihydroxyuridine arm. The two ribosomal RNA genes had 80.2% A+T content. The A+T-rich region spanned 684 bp. The gene order within the complete mitogenome of C. sinensis was identical to the pancrustacean ground pattern except for the translocation of trnH. Additionally, the gene order of trnI-trnQ-trnM in the pancrustacean ground pattern becomes trnQ-trnI-trnM in C. sinensis. Our phylogenetic analysis showed that C. sinensis and Sesarmops sinensis cluster together with high nodal support values, indicating that C. sinensis and S. sinensis have a sister group relationship. The results support that C. sinensis belongs to Grapsoidea, Sesarmidae. Our findings also indicate that Varunidae and Sesarmidae species share close relationships. Thus, mitogenomes are likely to be valuable tools for systematics in other groups of Crustacea.

Mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) is very important to understand molecular evolution and phylogenetics. Herein, in this study, the complete mitogenome of Sesarmops sinensis was reported. The mitogenome was 15,905 bp in size, and contained 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), two ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes, 22 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes, and a control region (CR). The AT skew and the GC skew are both negative in the mitogenomes of S. sinensis. The nucleotide composition of the S. sinensis mitogenome was also biased toward A + T nucleotides (75.7%). All tRNA genes displayed a typical mitochondrial tRNA cloverleaf structure, except for the trnS1 gene, which lacked a dihydroxyuridine arm. S. sinensis exhibits a novel rearrangement compared with the Pancrustacean ground pattern and other Brachyura species. Based on the 13 PCGs, the phylogenetic analysis showed that S. sinensis and Sesarma neglectum were clustered on one branch with high nodal support values, indicating that S. sinensis and S. neglectum have a sister group relationship. The group (S. sinensis + S. neglectum) was sister to (Parasesarmops tripectinis + Metopaulias depressus), suggesting that S. sinensis belongs to Grapsoidea, Sesarmidae. Phylogenetic trees based on amino acid sequences and nucleotide sequences of mitochondrial 13 PCGs using BI and ML respectively indicate that section Eubrachyura consists of four groups clearly. The resulting phylogeny supports the establishment of a separate subsection Potamoida. These four groups correspond to four subsections of Raninoida, Heterotremata, Potamoida, and Thoracotremata.

A Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, non-spore-forming, non-motile, oval to rod-shaped, prosthecate bacterium, designated strain WM6T, was isolated from a seawater sample collected from the South China Sea at a depth of 150 m and subjected to a polyphasic taxonomic investigation. Cells of strain WM6T were approximately 0.5-0.6 µm in width and 0.8-1.2 µm in length, and colonies were smooth, circular, convex and whitish yellow. Strain WM6T was found to grow at 10-45 °C (optimum, 30 °C), at pH 6.5-9.0 (optimum, pH 7.5-8.5) and with 1-6 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 1-2 %). Chemotaxonomic analysis showed the predominant respiratory quinone and the major fatty acid of strains WM6T were ubiquinone-10 and C18 : 1ω7c, respectively. The polar lipids of strain WM6T were phosphatidylglycerol, glucuronopyranosyldiglyceride, monoglycosyldiglyceride, sulfo-quinovosyl diacylglycerol, seven unknown glycolipids and two unknown lipids. The DNA G+C content of strain WM6T was determined to be 59.8 mol% by HPLC. 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities showed that strain WM6T was related most closely to the genus Maricaulis with a similarity range from 92.3 to 93.8 %. Phylogenetic trees reconstructed with the neighbour-joining and maximum-likelihood methods using mega and maximum-likelihood methods using arb showed that strain WM6T constituted a separated branch in the family Hyphomonadaceae. Differential phenotypic properties, together with phylogenetic distinctiveness, demonstrated that strain WM6T is clearly distinct from any validly published genus. On the basis of these features, strain WM6T represents a novel species of a new genus with the name Hyphobacterium vulgare gen. nov., sp. nov. The type strain of Hyphobacterium vulgare is WM6T (=MCCC 1K03222T=KCTC 52487T).

A novel Gram-stain-negative, rod-shaped, non-motile strain, designated GKXT, was isolated from deep seawater. Strain GKXT was able to grow at 20-35 °C (optimum, 25 °C), pH 5.5-9.5 (optimum, 7.5) and 0-4.0 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 1.0 %). The major fatty acids were C16 : 1ω9c (15.4 %), C16 : 0 (18.4 %), C14 : 0 (12.0 %), iso-C14 : 0 (30.1 %) and anteiso-C15 : 0 (5.7 %). Strain GKXT contained phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylmethylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol and an unidentified glycolipid as the main polar lipids. The only isoprenoid quinone was menaquinone-9. The diagnostic amino acids of the cell-wall peptidoglycan contained meso-diaminopimelic acid. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that strain GKXT belonged to the genus Luteolibacter in the family Verrucomicrobiaceae. The 16S rRNA gene sequence of this strain showed 98.0, 93.5 and 93.3 % sequence similarity, respectively, with those of Luteolibacter arcticus MC 3726T, L.uteolibacter pohnpeiensisA4T-83T and L.uteolibacter cuticulihirudinis E100T. DNA-DNA hybridization value of strain GKXT with L. arcticus MC 3726T was 33.1 %. The G+C content of the genomic DNA was 59.5 mol%. On the basis of the genotypic, phenotypic, phylogenetic and chemotaxonomic characteristics, strain GKXT was proposed to represent a novel species of the genus Luteolibacter, named Luteolibacter flavescens sp. nov. (type strain GKXT=MCCC 1K03193T=KCTC 52361T).

A Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, non-motile, rod-shaped, yellow-pigmented bacterial strain, XC0022T, isolated from freshwater of a limpid stream in Zhejiang, China, was studied using a polyphasic approach. The phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences clearly showed an allocation to the genus Chryseobacterium with the highest sequence similarities of 98.0 % to Chryseobacterium taeanense PHA3-4T, 97.2 % to Chryseobacterium taihuense THMBM1T, 97.1 % to Chryseobacterium rigui CJ16T and 97.1 % to Chryseobacteriumprofundimaris DY46T. 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities to all other species of the genus Chryseobacterium were below 97.0 % (92.3-96.8 %). DNA-DNA hybridization results showed that strain XC0022T was 55.3 %, 49.8 % and 31.1 % related to C. taeanense DSM 17071T, Chryseobacteriumtaichungense DSM 17453T and Chryseobacteriumgleum JCM 2410T, respectively. The quinone system was composed only of MK-6. Strain XC0022T possessed iso-C15 : 0, iso-C17 : 0 3-OH, C18 : 1ω9c and summed feature 3 (iso-C15 : 0 2-OH/C16 : 1ω7c) as the major fatty acids. The polar lipids profile consisted of one phosphatidylethanolamine, one unidentified glycolipid, four unidentified aminolipids and two unidentified lipids. The G+C content of the genomic DNA was 29.7 mol%. On the basis of phenotypic, phylogenetic and chemotaxonomic data, strain XC0022T (=KCTC 52364T=MCCC 1K02723T) represents a novel species of the genus Chryseobacterium, for which the name Chryseobacterium lineare sp. nov. is proposed.

Mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) are important for understanding molecular evolution and phylogenetic relationships. The complete mitogenome of Perisesarma bidens was determined, which is 15,641 bp in length. The A + T content of P. bidens mitogenome was 74.81%. The AT skew was slightly negative (−0.021). The 22 tRNAs ranged from 65 to 73 bp and were highly A + T biased. All tRNA genes had typical cloverleaf structures, except for the trnS1 gene, which lacked a dihydrouridine (DHU) arm. The gene order within the P. bidens mitogenome was identical to the pancrustacean ground pattern, except for the translocation of the trnH. Additionally, the gene order of trnI-trnQ-trnM in pancrustacean ground pattern became trnQ-trnI-trnM in P. bidens. Phylogenetic analyses supported the inclusion of P. bidens in Sesarmidae and the promotion of Sesarminae to Sesarmidae. The results will help us to better understand the status and evolutionary history of Grapsoidea crabs.

Mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) are important for understanding molecular evolution and phylogenetic relationships. The complete mitogenome of Perisesarma bidens was determined, which is 15,641 bp in length. The A + T content of P. bidens mitogenome was 74.81%. The AT skew was slightly negative (−0.021). The 22 tRNAs ranged from 65 to 73 bp and were highly A + T biased. All tRNA genes had typical cloverleaf structures, except for the trnS1 gene, which lacked a dihydrouridine (DHU) arm. The gene order within the P. bidens mitogenome was identical to the pancrustacean ground pattern, except for the translocation of the trnH. Additionally, the gene order of trnI-trnQ-trnM in pancrustacean ground pattern became trnQ-trnI-trnM in P. bidens. Phylogenetic analyses supported the inclusion of P. bidens in Sesarmidae and the promotion of Sesarminae to Sesarmidae. The results will help us to better understand the status and evolutionary history of Grapsoidea crabs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The family Orobanchaceae including autotrophic, hemiparasitic, and holoparasitic species, is becoming a key taxa to study the evolution of chloroplast genomes in different lifestyles. But the early evolutionary trajectory in the transit from autotrophism to hemiparasitism still maintains unclear for the inadequate sampling. In this study, we compared 50 complete chloroplast genomes in Orobanchaceae, containing four newly sequenced plastomes from hemiparasitic Pedicularis , to elucidate the sequence variation patterns in the evolution of plastomes. Contrasted to the sequence and structural hypervariabilities in holoparasites, hemiparasitic plastomes exhibited high similarity to those of autotrophs in gene and GC contents. They are generally characterized with functional or physical loss of ndh /tRNA genes and the inverted small-single-copy region. Gene losses in Orobanchaceae were lineage-specific and convergent, possibly related to structural reconfiguration and expansion/contraction of the inverted region. Pseudogenization of ndh genes was unique in hemiparasites. At least in Pedicularis , the ndhF gene might be most sensitive to the environmental factors and easily pseudogenized when autotrophs transit to hemiparasites. And the changes in gene contents and structural variation potentially deeply rely on the feeding type. Selective pressure, together with mutational bias, was the dominant factor of shaping the codon usage patterns. The relaxed selective constraint, potentially with genome-based GC conversion (gBGC) and preferential codon usage, drive the fluctuation of GC contents among taxa with different lifestyles. Phylogenetic analysis in Orobanchaceae supported that parasitic species were single-originated while holoparasites were multiple-originated. Overall, the comparison of plastomes provided a good opportunity to understand the evolution process in Orobanchaceae with different lifestyles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dipelta (Caprifoliaceae) is a Tertiary relict genus endemic to China, comprising three species with horticultural and medicinal values. For the lack of genomic information, interspecific relationships and divergence times in the genus remain unresolved. In the present study, we assembled and characterized the complete plastomes, the partial mitogenomes, and nuclear internal transcribed spacer (ITS) fragments from genome skimming datasets of 14 Dipelta individuals. The plastomes were conserved in genomic structure, gene order, and gene content, but with highly variable repeat sequences. Three genes (rpl23 , ycf1 , ycf2) were examined with positive selection, and nine divergent hotpot regions (psbL , accD , rpl23 , ycf2 , ycf3 , rbcL-accD , trnI-CAU-ycf2 , ndhH-rps15 , and rps18 intron) were potentially valuable for DNA barcodes. Contrasted to the variability in plastome sequences, mitogenomes contained 12 protein-coding genes with limited indels and nucleotide substitutions, and no gene was found under positive selection. Genes in organellar genomes tended to have a similar pattern of codon usage bias, with a preference of A/U ending codons. Phylogenetic trees constructed with plastomes, mitogenomes, and ITS sequences consistently supported that Dipelta was monophyletic, and Dipelta elegans was sister to the other two taxa. Interspecific divergences were estimated at about 33–37 Ma in the Eocene/Oligocene boundary, suggesting the paleo-endemism of the extant species as "living fossils" of the East Asian Flora. Our study well-exhibited that genome skimming could provide valuable genomic information to elucidate the evolutionary history of the complex group in a cost-efficient way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]