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Using DNA methylation profiles (n = 15,456) from 348 mammalian species, we constructed phyloepigenetic trees that bear marked similarities to traditional phylogenetic ones. Using unsupervised clustering across all samples, we identified 55 distinct cytosine modules, of which 30 are related to traits such as maximum life span, adult weight, age, sex, and human mortality risk. Maximum life span is associated with methylation levels in HOXL subclass homeobox genes and developmental processes and is potentially regulated by pluripotency transcription factors. The methylation state of some modules responds to perturbations such as caloric restriction, ablation of growth hormone receptors, consumption of high-fat diets, and expression of Yamanaka factors. This study reveals an intertwined evolution of the genome and epigenome that mediates the biological characteristics and traits of different mammalian species.

Simple Summary: This research represents the first analysis of the population genetics of the diplectanid monogenean Lamellodiscus echeneis, sampled from wild and cage-reared gilthead seabream Sparus aurata across fifteen locations in the Southern (Tunisia) and Northern (Italy and Spain) regions of the Mediterranean Sea. The comparison of the newly obtained dataset to previously published sequences of L. echeneis, and the phylogenetic trees based on the analysis of ITS rDNA, confirmed the presence of only one species in the Mediterranean Sea. The star-like haplotype network inferred by COI sequences suggested a recent population expansion of L. echeneis. This study provides insights into the genetic variation among L. echeneis populations and did not reveal a clear genetic structure throughout Tunisian, Italian, and Spanish localities, possibly due to significant gene flow between the populations facilitated by the dispersion potential of hosts. The diplectanid monogenean Lamellodiscus echeneis (Wagener, 1857) is a specific and common gill parasite of the gilthead seabream Sparus aurata Linnaeus, 1758, in the Mediterranean Sea. Few isolated molecular studies of this monogenean have been conducted, and its population structure and genetic diversity are poorly understood. This study represents the first analysis of the population genetics of L. echeneis, isolated from wild and cage-reared gilthead seabream from fifteen localities in both the Southern (Tunisia) and Northern (Italy and Spain) regions of the Mediterranean Sea, using nuclear ITS rDNA markers and a partial fragment of the mitochondrial gene cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI). The phylogenetic trees based on the newly obtained dataset and the previously published sequences of L. echeneis corroborated the spread of only a single species throughout the Mediterranean Sea. The star-like haplotypes network, inferred by COI sequences, suggested a recent population expansion of L. echeneis. This is supported by the observed high haplotype diversity (Hd = 0.918) and low nucleotide diversity (Pi = 0.01595). Population structure-based AMOVA for two groups (the Adriatic Sea and the rest of the Mediterranean Sea) attributed 35.39% of the total variation to differences within populations, 16.63% to differences among populations within groups, and 47.99% to differences among groups. Fixation indices were significant, with a high FST value (0.64612), likely related to the divergence of the parasite populations from the Adriatic Sea and other Mediterranean regions. Phylogenetic analyses grouped all samples into the main clade corresponding to L. echeneis from several localities. This study provides insight into the genetic variation between L. echeneis populations, and did not show a clear genetic structure between populations of L. echeneis throughout Tunisian, Italian, and Spanish localities, which can be attributed to the considerable gene flow between the populations favoured by the potential for host dispersion within the Mediterranean Sea. Finally, haplotypes shared between wild and cage-reared hosts provided evidence for the potential for cross-infection between wild and farmed hosts in the Mediterranean Sea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) coronavirus (MERS-CoV), identified in 2012, causes a highly lethal pneumonia with a 34.5% mortality rate (https://www. who.int/emergencies/mers-cov). As of July 31, 2019, a total of [...]

Contracaecum sp. nematodes are important parasites of fish eating birds that can cause animal health problems. In the present study, specimens of Contracaecum rudolphii sensu lato, from the great cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo sinensis from Sardinia, were characterized based on morphological and molecular data. The morphological analysis allowed to identify all the fourth stage larvae (n = 1918) as Contracaecum sp., and adults, male (n = 5845) and female (n = 8312), as C. rudolphii sensu lato. Population genetics and phylogenetic relationships were inferred based on mitochondrial and nuclear markers. Multiple sequence alignment of the ribosomal internal transcribed spacer showed the coexistence of C. rudolphii A (n = 157), C. rudolphii B (n = 22) and a rare heterozygote of these species. Moreover, mitochondrial markers, namely NADH dehydrogenase subunits I (nad1), cytochrome c oxidase subunit (cox1 and cox2) and small subunit of rRNA (rrnS), showed that the studied C. rudolphii A populations had undergone bottleneck, or founder effect event, subsequent to a rapid population growth and expansion. The observed heterozygote is with a mitochondrial pattern of C. rudolphii B. Although, both Contracaecum species showed high genetic diversity, no genetic structure between localities was detected. Phylogenetic reconstructions supported the paraphyly of the avian Contracaecum species including C. ogmorhini (parasite of otariids). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A high percentage of camel handlers in Saudi Arabia are seropositive for Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus. We found that 12/100 camel handlers and their family members in Pakistan, a country with extensive camel MERS-CoV infection, were seropositive, indicating that MERS-CoV infection of these populations extends beyond the Arabian Peninsula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article compares the sequence of a mitochondrial gene, cytochrome b, in North African green frog Pelophylax saharicus specimens collected from several Tunisian localities to characterize their genetic variation and to pinpoint geographical patterns in their molecular variation. Results show that P. saharicus demonstrates little genetic differentiation. The intraspecific pairwise divergence was slow. Analyses of molecular variance (AMOVA) suggest that there is no proof of genetic structuring associated with the three studied groups, namely, north, center, and south Tunisia.

Morphometric variation of Pelophylax saharicus was analysed using univariate and multivariate statistics, with both traditional and geometric morphometrics, based on 148 specimens from four different geographical localities in Tunisia and Algeria. The results show the existence of three morphotypes in Tunisia and one in Algeria, and indicate a significant degree of variation in morphometric characters between regions. Specimens from the southernmost region have the smallest body size and the greatest morphometric divergence from other populations. This pattern of morphometric variation probably results from phenotypic plasticity in response to local environmental factors. The results of our chromosomal study (C-, Ag-NOR-, endonuclease digestion, DAPI, CMA3 and Q-banding) reveal this species to exhibit the plesiomorphic Pelophylax karyotype of 2n = 26 biarmed chromosomes and NORs on the eleventh pair. Similarities and differences of the North African green frog are discussed in relation to the different forms of data collected (chromosomal, morphometric, ecological). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]