Project description:Anemone flaccida has long-term been used in Chinese traditional medicine with the effects of anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial properties, and immune regulation. However, the genomic information of this species is limited, which hinders its further medicinal application. In the present study, the complete chloroplast genome of A. flaccida was sequenced and assembled. The genome size was 157,614 bp in length, consisting of a pair of inverted repeat regions (IR, 31,184 bp), a large single copy (LSC, 79,055 bp), and a small single copy (SSC, 16,191 bp). A total of 138 genes were annotated, including 90 protein-coding genes, 40 tRNA genes, and eight rRNA genes. The GC content of the genome was 37.74%. A phylogenetic analysis on the basis of the whole chloroplast genome sequences further suggested a close relationship between A. flaccida, A. narcissiflora, and A. trullifolia. Collectively, the A. flaccida chloroplast genome provided new genomic resources which will improve its research and application in the future.
Project description:While the unique symbiotic relationship between anemonefish and sea anemones is iconic, it is still not fully understood how anemonefish withstand and thrive within this venomous host environment. In this study we used a proteotranscriptomics approach to elucidate the proteinaceous toxin repertoire from the most popular host sea anemone Entacmaea quadricolor. Although 1251 different toxin or toxin-like RNA transcripts were expressed in E.quadricolor tentacles and 2736 proteins were detected in milked venom, only 135 (approx. 10%) of proteins in venom were classified as putative toxins. This work raises the perils of defining a dominant venom type based on transcriptomics data alone in sea anemones, as we found that the dominant venom type differed between the transcriptome and proteome data. Moreover, anemonefishes interact with sea anemone proteins, so it is important when determining the dominant toxin type to examine the peptides and proteins that are present in host sea anemone venom and mucus which anemonefishes are known to interact.