Project description:I report the complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of the East Asian fish-eating bat (Myotis ricketti or M. pilosus), also known as the Rickett's big footed bat. The total length of the circular M. ricketti mitogenome is 17,098 base pairs, containing 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), two ribosomal RNAs, 22 transfer RNAs, and a non-coding control region (D-loop region). The gene order and organisation of this mitogenome are similar to most of other determined vertebrate mitogenomes, with the nucleotide base composition of A 34.22%, T 30.32%, C 22.80%, and G 12.66%. Besides, the mitogenomic D-loop region contains 29 copies of a tandem repeat sequence of six nucleotides (CATACG). The phylogenetic analysis indicates that M. ricketti is closely related to M. macrodactylus and M. petax. This study will contribute to the investigations of phylogeny and evolution for Myotis and its relevant taxa.
Project description:Bats hibernate to survive stressful conditions. Examination of whole cell and mitochondrial proteomes of the liver of Myotis ricketti revealed that torpid bats had endoplasmic reticulum unfolded protein response (UPRER), global reduction in glycolysis, enhancement of lipolysis, and selective amino acid metabolism. Compared to active bats, torpid bats had higher amounts of phosphorylated serine/threonine kinase (p-Akt) and UPRER markers such as PKR-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase (PERK) and activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4). Torpid bats also had lower amounts of the complex of Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (Keap1), nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), and nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) (p65)/I-κBα. Cellular redistribution of 78 kDa glucose-regulated protein (GRP78) and reduced binding between PERK and GRP78 were also seen in torpid bats. Evidence of such was not observed in fasted, cold-treated, or normal mice. These data indicated that bats activate Akt, Nrf2, and NF-κB via the PERK-ATF4 regulatory axis against endoplasmic reticulum stresses during hibernation.
Project description:BackgroundBats have aroused great interests of researchers for the sake of their advanced echolocation system. However, this highly specialized trait is not characteristic of Old World fruit bats.ResultsTo comprehensively explore the underlying molecular basis between echolocating and non-echolocating bats, we employed a sequence-based approach to compare the inner ear expression difference between the Rickett's big-footed bat (Myotis ricketti, echolocating bat) and the Greater short-nosed fruit bat (Cynopterus sphinx, non-echolocating bat). De novo sequence assemblies were developed for both species. The results showed that the biological implications of up-regulated genes in M. ricketti were significantly over-represented in biological process categories such as 'cochlea morphogenesis', 'inner ear morphogenesis' and 'sensory perception of sound', which are consistent with the inner ear morphological and physiological differentiation between the two bat species. Moreover, the expression of TMC1 gene confirmed its important function in echolocating bats.ConclusionOur work presents the first transcriptome comparison between echolocating and non-echolocating bats, and provides information about the genetic basis of their distinct hearing traits.
