What is the secret of sumei fish "courtship"? Shanghai scientists illustrate the molecular mechanism of fish visual gene duplication

Photo: Su Meiyu Courtesy of the interviewee

Xinmin Evening News (reporter Gao Yang) How can the Sumei fish that walk through the coral bushes find their favorite "object" in the fish school, and then "courtship" to get married? Growing up near the shore, how can it adapt to different lights in coral reefs and feed? Professor Tang Wenqiao's team at Shanghai Ocean University used corrugated lip fish as the research object to illustrate the molecular mechanism of fish visual gene duplication for the first time in the world. The research was published in Molecular Ecology Resources, a major journal of biology.

The scientific name of the sumei fish is the corrugated lip fish, which is a large coral reef fish with a bright body color, sexual reversal, female ripening and male-male pairing breeding behavior. Liu Dong, associate professor of Shanghai Haihai Ocean University and member of Tang Wenqiao's team, introduced: "Because it is already very 'beautiful' in itself, the requirements for 'spouse' are also extremely high, so as to maintain the purity of future generations. But how does it identify a 'partner' of its own kind in a school of fish? We have a long-term study of it with such a question in mind. ”

The study found that the corrugated lipfish lost some of their visual genes, but others were duplicated. This duplication is rare in fish. The team further used gene collinear analysis to resolve the molecular mechanism of gene duplication. The researchers found that the replacement of the critical tuning point of the corrugated lip fish opsin changed the spectral absorption capacity of the visual pigment. The duplication of visual genes and the tissue differentiation of their expression provide visual selectivity for larvae and adults to adapt to different coral reef habitats, enhance visual foraging ability, facilitate effective identification between breeding mates, and also provide effective clues for the study of conservation biology and adaptive evolution of coral reef fish.

The rippled lip fish is rare in number and is a national second-level key protected wild animal in China, and is also listed as an endangered animal by the World Conservation Union. The study of it is of great significance. Since 2013, Tang Wenqiao's team has been engaged in the research of corrugated lip fish, starting from the initial classification, and gradually carrying out research on various problems. In the next step, the research team will conduct research on the evolution of the body shape of corrugated lip fish, further revealing the secrets of their growth.