AUTHOR=Danis Theodoros , Papadogiannis Vasileios , Tsakogiannis Alexandros , Kristoffersen Jon B. , Golani Daniel , Tsaparis Dimitris , Sterioti Aspasia , Kasapidis Panagiotis , Kotoulas Georgios , Magoulas Antonios , Tsigenopoulos Costas S. , Manousaki Tereza 

TITLE=Genome Analysis of Lagocephalus sceleratus: Unraveling the Genomic Landscape of a Successful Invader

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Genetics

VOLUME=12

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/genetics/articles/10.3389/fgene.2021.790850

DOI=10.3389/fgene.2021.790850

ISSN=1664-8021

ABSTRACT=<p>The Tetraodontidae family encompasses several species which attract scientific interest in terms of their ecology and evolution. The silver-cheeked toadfish (<italic>Lagocephalus sceleratus</italic>) is a well-known “invasive sprinter” that has invaded and spread, in less than a decade, throughout the Eastern and part of the Western Mediterranean Sea from the Red Sea through the Suez Canal. In this study, we built and analysed the first near-chromosome level genome assembly of <italic>L. sceleratus</italic> and explored its evolutionary landscape. Through a phylogenomic analysis, we positioned <italic>L. sceleratus</italic> closer to <italic>T. nigroviridis,</italic> compared to other members of the family, while gene family evolution analysis revealed that genes associated with the immune response have experienced rapid expansion, providing a genetic basis for studying how <italic>L. sceleratus</italic> is able to achieve highly successful colonisation. Moreover, we found that voltage-gated sodium channel (NaV 1.4) mutations previously connected to tetrodotoxin resistance in other pufferfishes are not found in <italic>L. sceleratus</italic>, highlighting the complex evolution of this trait. The high-quality genome assembly built here is expected to set the ground for future studies on the species biology.</p>