Deuterostome phylogeny reveals monophyletic chordates and the new phylum Xenoturbellida

Deuterostomes comprise vertebrates, the related invertebrate chordates (tunicates and cephalochordates) and three other invertebrate taxa: hemichordates, echinoderms and Xenoturbella. The relationships between invertebrate and vertebrate deuterostomes are clearly important for understanding our own distant origins. Recent phylogenetic studies of chordate classes and a sea urchin have indicated that urochordates might be the closest invertebrate sister group of vertebrates, rather than cephalochordates, as traditionally believed. More remarkable is the suggestion that cephalochordates are closer to echinoderms than to vertebrates and urochordates, meaning that chordates are paraphyletic. To study the relationships among all deuterostome groups, we have assembled an alignment of more than 35,000 homologous amino acids, including new data from a hemichordate, starfish and Xenoturbella. We have also sequenced the mitochondrial genome of Xenoturbella. We support the clades Olfactores (urochordates and vertebrates) and Ambulacraria (hemichordates and echinoderms). Analyses using our new data, however, do not support a cephalochordate and echinoderm grouping and we conclude that chordates are monophyletic. Finally, nuclear and mitochondrial data place Xenoturbella as the sister group of the two ambulacrarian phyla. As such, Xenoturbella is shown to be an independent phylum, Xenoturbellida, bringing the number of living deuterostome phyla to four.     

Arthropod phylogeny based on eight molecular loci and morphology

The interrelationships of major clades within the Arthropoda remain one of the most contentious issues in systematics, which has traditionally been the domain of morphologists. A growing body of DNA sequences and other types of molecular data has revitalized study of arthropod phylogeny and has inspired new considerations of character evolution. Novel hypotheses such as a crustacean-hexapod affinity were based on analyses of single or few genes and limited taxon sampling, but have received recent support from mitochondrial gene order, and eye and brain ultrastructure and neurogenesis. Here we assess relationships within Arthropoda based on a synthesis of all well sampled molecular loci together with a comprehensive data set of morphological, developmental, ultrastructural and gene-order characters. The molecular data include sequences of three nuclear ribosomal genes, three nuclear protein-coding genes, and two mitochondrial genes (one protein coding, one ribosomal). We devised new optimization procedures and constructed a parallel computer cluster with 256 central processing units to analyse molecular data on a scale not previously possible. The optimal 'total evidence' cladogram supports the crustacean-hexapod clade, recognizes pycnogonids as sister to other euarthropods, and indicates monophyly of Myriapoda and Mandibulata.     

Machaeridians are Palaeozoic armoured annelids

The systematic affinities of several Palaeozoic skeletal taxa were only resolved when their soft-tissue morphology was revealed by the discovery of exceptionally preserved specimens. The conodonts provide a classic example, their tooth-like elements having been assigned to various invertebrate and vertebrate groups for more than 125 years until the discovery of their soft tissues revealed them to be crown-group vertebrates. Machaeridians, which are virtually ubiquitous as shell plates in benthic marine shelly assemblages ranging from Early Ordovician (Late Tremadoc) to Carboniferous, have proved no less enigmatic. The Machaeridia comprise three distinct families of worm-like animals, united by the possession of a dorsal skeleton of calcite plates that is rarely found articulated. Since they were first described 150 years ago machaeridians have been allied with barnacles, echinoderms, molluscs or annelids. Here we describe a new machaeridian with preserved soft parts, including parapodia and chaetae, from the Upper Tremadoc of Morocco, demonstrating the annelid affinity of the group. This discovery shows that a lineage of annelids evolved a dorsal skeleton of calcareous plates early in their history; it also resolves the affinities of a group of problematic Palaeozoic invertebrates previously known only from isolated elements and occasional skeletal assemblages.     

Phylogenetic positions of two marine ciliates, Metanophrys similis and Pseudocohnilembus hargisi (Protozoa, Ciliophora,Scuticociliatia), inferred from complete small subunit rRNA gene sequences

The small subunit rRNA (SSrRNA) gene was sequenced for two marine scuticociliates Metanophrys similis and Pseudocohnilembus hargisi. The results show that this gene comprises 1763 and 1753 nucleotides in the two marine ciliates respectively. Metanophrys similis is phylogenetically closely related to the clade containing Mesanophrys carcini and Anophyroides haemophila, which branches basally to other species within the order Philasterida. Pseudocohnilembus hargisi groups with its congener, P. marinus, with strong bootstrap support. Paranophrys magna groups with the clade including Cohnilembus and Uronema, representing a sister clade to that containing the two Pseudocohnilembus species.     

Phylogenetic positions of two marine ciliates, Metanophrys similis and Pseudocohnilembus hargisi (Protozoa, Ciliophora, Scuticociliatia), inferred from complete small subunit rRNA gene sequences

The small subunit rRNA (SSrRNA) gene was sequenced for two marine scuticociliates Metanophrys similis and Pseudocohnilembus hargisi. The results show that this gene comprises 1763 and 1753 nucleotides in the two marine ciliates respectively. Metanophrys similis is phylogenetically closely related to the clade containing Mesanophrys carcini and Anophyroides haemophila, which branches basally to other species within the order Philasterida. Pseudocohnilembus hargisi groups with its congener, P. marinus, with strong bootstrap support. Paranophrys magna groups with the clade including Cohnilembus and Uronema, representing a sister clade to that containing the two Pseudocohnilembus species.     

Phylogenetic positions of two marine ciliates, Metanophrys similis and Pseudocohnilembus hargisi (Protozoa, Ciliophora, Scuticociliatia), inferred from complete small subunit rRNA gene sequences

The small subunit rRNA (SSrRNA) gene was sequenced for two marine scuticociliates Metanophrys similis and Pseudocohnilembus hargisi. The results show that this gene comprises 1763 and 1753 nucleotides in the two marine ciliates respectively. Metanophrys similis is phylogenetically closely related to the clade containing Mesanophrys carcini and Anophyroides haemophila, which branches basally to other species within the order Philasterida. Pseudocohnilembus hargisi groups with its congener, P. marinus, with strong bootstrap support. Paranophrys magna groups with the clade including Cohnilembus and Uronema, representing a sister clade to that containing the two Pseudocohnilembus species.     

Hox genes in brachiopods and priapulids and protostome evolution.

Understanding the early evolution of animal body plans requires knowledge both of metazoan phylogeny and of the genetic and developmental changes involved in the emergence of particular forms. Recent 18S ribosomal RNA phylogenies suggest a three-branched tree for the Bilateria comprising the deuterostomes and two great protostome clades, the lophotrochozoans and ecdysozoans. Here, we show that the complement of Hox genes in critical protostome phyla reflects these phylogenetic relationships and reveals the early evolution of developmental regulatory potential in bilaterians. We have identified Hox genes that are shared by subsets of protostome phyla. These include a diverged pair of posterior (Abdominal-B-like) genes in both a brachiopod and a polychaete annelid, which supports the lophotrochozoan assemblage, and a distinct posterior Hox gene shared by a priapulid, a nematode and the arthropods, which supports the ecdysozoan clade. The ancestors of each of these two major protostome lineages had a minimum of eight to ten Hox genes. The major period of Hox gene expansion and diversification thus occurred before the radiation of each of the three great bilaterian clades.     

雉科四族鸟类的分子系统发生研究

摘要：为了研究雉科4个族（鹑族Perdicini、雉族Phasianini、眼斑雉族Argusianin和孔雀族Pavocini）的系统发生,本研究分析了雉科4属7种鸟类线粒体DNAC01基因694bp序列,共发现210个变异位点,其中简约信息位点180个。4个族之间,眼斑雉族和孔雀族的遗传距离最小为0．145;眼斑雉族和雉族间的最大为0．192。4个族在系统发生树上聚成两个明显的分支,其中鹑族和雉族聚成一支,眼斑雉族和孔雀族聚成另一支。形态和分子的证据均表明眼斑雉族和孔雀族关系较近。     

长蝽类高级阶元系统发育初探(半翅目)

本文运用支序分析的原理和方法,采用Hennig86程序研究长蝽类（lygaeoidcomplex）亚科以上阶元间的系统发育关系．研究用分类单元代表共计21种,选用性状共48个,内群共包括19个OTUs,并采用“理想祖先”作为单一外群．计算得到的首选最简约树步长＝165,CI＝0．32,RI＝0．51．相应支序图所提示的系统发育再建景象主要包括：（1）原有意义上的长蝽科为一并系群或复系群．（2）Rhyparochrominae与红蝽类互成姐妹群．（3）Artheneinae似为一较原始而孤立的支系．（4）支持Cyminae与Berytidae接近的意见．（5）支持“malcidline”意见．     

医蛭形亚目常见物种系统发育基因组学研究

本研究基于GenBank中10个医蛭形亚目物种及2个近缘外类群的基因组或转录组数据,提取COI、18 S和蛋白编码核基因的直系同源序列（Orthologs）,开展系统发育分析。比对后的COI、18 S和Orthologs序列长度分别为1533、1832、220095 bp。最大似然法和贝叶斯推断法分析显示,基于Orthologs序列构建的系统发育树在几乎所有节点上的支持率都达到100%,明显优于COI和18 S序列得到的结果。研究表明,医蛭科的欧洲医蛭、东方医蛭和侧纹医蛭组成一个单系群,医蛭科的日本医蛭与黄蛭科的宽体金线蛭和尖细金线蛭组成另一单系群,而黄蛭科的马蛭与上述6个物种形成姐妹群。医蛭科的两种牛蛭（菲牛蛭和棒纹牛蛭）组成一个单系群,此单系群与医蛭科的其他物种的遗传关系比马蛭更疏远;山蛭科的洞穴山蛭在10个医蛭形亚目种类中处于最基部位置。本研究阐明了医蛭形亚目常见物种的系统发育关系,为这些物种的资源开发利用和保护提供科学依据。     

SARS冠状病毒及相关病毒的分子系统学分析

根据SARS冠状病毒及其相关病毒的基因组核酸序列和3种不同蛋白质序列，应用最大简约法和最小进化法重建系统发育树；并对SARS冠状病毒的11个推测蛋白质(ORF)做BLAST分析。结果表明，SARS冠状病毒和鼠肝炎病毒——牛冠状病毒分支构成姊妹群。其单系群性质得到强有力的统计学支持。这暗示了SARS的爆发可能源自种间屏障的突破事件，该病毒天然宿主可能为猪、牛或鼠。SARS冠状病毒与已知的人冠状病毒分属冠状病毒科的不同分支，因此致病机制可能有很大不同。3个基因的系统树分支格局的一致性表明：SARS冠状病毒这3个主要基因与其他冠状病毒间不存在重组，但全部11个ORF的BLAST分析却认为其基因组上一些小的区段可能与其他病毒存在重组。     

基于16S rRNA和POMC基因序列的中国北方林蛙属动物系统发生关系

基于16S rRNA和POMC基因部分序列研究了中国北方林蛙属动物的系统发生关系.利用ClustalX软件对序列进行对位排列后,长度为1148bp,内群变异位点259,简约位点110.利用MP法、ML法和BI法构建系统进化树,结果显示林蛙属物种构成单系群,其中东北种群聚为一支,中国林蛙聚为一支,支持东北林蛙为有效物种.桓仁林蛙和核型为2n=26的林蛙属物种聚为一支,因此不支持核型为2n=24的林蛙形成单系群.桓仁林蛙、昆嵛林蛙、黑龙江林蛙单独聚为一支,表明三者之间的亲缘关系较近.     

Ribosomal RNA sequence suggests microsporidia are extremely ancient eukaryotes

The microsporidia are a group of unusual, obligately parasitic protists that infect a great variety of other eukaryotes, including vertebrates, arthropods, molluscs, annelids, nematodes, cnidaria and even various ciliates, myxosporidia and gregarines. They possess a number of unusual cytological and molecular characteristics. Their nuclear division is considered to be primitive, they have no mitochondria, their ribosomes and ribosomal RNAs are reported to be of prokaryotic size and their large ribosomal subunit contains no 5.8S rRNA. The uniqueness of the microsporidia may reflect their phylogenetic position, because comparative sequence analysis shows that the small subunit rRNA of the microsporidium Vairimorpha necatrix is more unlike those of other eukaryotes than any known eukaryote 18S rRNA sequence. We conclude that the lineage leading to microsporidia branched very early from that leading to other eukaryotes.     

Acoelomorph flatworms are deuterostomes related to Xenoturbella

Xenoturbellida and Acoelomorpha are marine worms with contentious ancestry. Both were originally associated with the flatworms (Platyhelminthes), but molecular data have revised their phylogenetic positions, generally linking Xenoturbellida to the deuterostomes and positioning the Acoelomorpha as the most basally branching bilaterian group(s). Recent phylogenomic data suggested that Xenoturbellida and Acoelomorpha are sister taxa and together constitute an early branch of Bilateria. Here we assemble three independent data sets-mitochondrial genes, a phylogenomic data set of 38,330 amino-acid positions and new microRNA (miRNA) complements-and show that the position of Acoelomorpha is strongly affected by a long-branch attraction (LBA) artefact. When we minimize LBA we find consistent support for a position of both acoelomorphs and Xenoturbella within the deuterostomes. The most likely phylogeny links Xenoturbella and Acoelomorpha in a clade we call Xenacoelomorpha. The Xenacoelomorpha is the sister group of the Ambulacraria (hemichordates and echinoderms). We show that analyses of miRNA complements have been affected by character loss in the acoels and that both groups possess one miRNA and the gene Rsb66 otherwise specific to deuterostomes. In addition, Xenoturbella shares one miRNA with the ambulacrarians, and two with the acoels. This phylogeny makes sense of the shared characteristics of Xenoturbellida and Acoelomorpha, such as ciliary ultrastructure and diffuse nervous system, and implies the loss of various deuterostome characters in the Xenacoelomorpha including coelomic cavities, through gut and gill slits.     

XML文档编码方案研究

对目前XML文档主要的编码方案进行了探讨,并针对现有编码方案所存在的不足提出了一种可变扩展序号的编码方案.该方案不但能够快速准确地判断XML文档结构树中任意两个结点之间的父子、祖先/后裔以及兄弟关系,而且可以有效地支持XML文档的更新.     

Fossil embryos from the Middle and Late Cambrian period of Hunan, south China

Comparative embryology is integral to uncovering the pattern and process of metazoan phylogeny, but it relies on the assumption that life histories of living taxa are representative of their antecedents. Fossil embryos provide a crucial test of this assumption and, potentially, insight into the evolution of development, but because discoveries so far lack phylogenetic constraint, their significance is moot. Here we describe a collection of embryos from the Middle and Late Cambrian period (500 million years ago) of Hunan, south China, that preserves stages of development from cleavage to the pre-hatching embryo of a direct-developing animal comparable to living Scalidophora (phyla Priapulida, Kinorhyncha, Loricifera). The latest-stage embryos show affinity to the Lower Cambrian embryo Markuelia, whose life-history strategy contrasts both with the primitive condition inferred for metazoan phyla and with many proposed hypotheses of affinity, all of which prescribe indirect development. Phylogenetic tests based on these embryological data suggest a stem Scalidophora affinity. These discoveries corroborate, rather than contradict, the predictions of comparative embryology, providing direct historical support for the view that the life-history strategies of living taxa are representative of their stem lineages.     

Reconsideration of the phylogenetic positions of three stichotrichous genera Holosticha, Anteholosticha and Pseudokeronopsis （Spirotrichea： Ciliophora） inferred from complete SSU rRNA gene sequences

The small subunit rRNA (SSU rRNA) gene for six marine stichotrichs, Pseudokeronopsis carnea, P. flava, Holosticha heterofoissneri, H. diademata, H. bradburyae and Anteholosticha manca, was sequenced and characterized. Using this molecular information, the phylogenetic positions of three related genera, Pseudokeronopsis, Holosticha and Anteholosticha were determined. The results indicate that the family Urostylidae is clearly separated from the family Pseudokeronopsidae. The present phylogenetic analyses unambiguously placed Pseudokeronopsis close to Holosticha, and support the conclusion that these genera should be regarded as the members of the order Urostylidae within the stichotrich clade. Furthermore, the results of this study also support the monophyly of the genus Pseudokeronopsis,the redefinition of Holosticha s. str. and the placement of Anteholosticha in a clade separate from Holosticha.