Polyploidy or whole-genome duplication (WGD) is a major event that drastically reshapes genome architecture and is often assumed to be causally associated with organismal innovations and radiations. The 2R hypothesis suggests that two WGD events (1R and 2R) occurred during early vertebrate evolution. However, the timing of the 2R event relative to the divergence of gnathostomes (jawed vertebrates) and cyclostomes (jawless hagfishes and lampreys) is unresolved and whether these WGD events underlie vertebrate phenotypic diversification remains elusive. Here we present the genome of the inshore hagfish, Eptatretus burgeri. Through comparative analysis with lamprey and gnathostome genomes, we reconstruct the early events in cyclostome genome evolution, leveraging insights into the ancestral vertebrate genome. Genome-wide synteny and phylogenetic analyses support a scenario in which 1R occurred in the vertebrate stem-lineage during the early Cambrian, and 2R occurred in the gnathostome stem-lineage, maximally in the late Cambrian–earliest Ordovician, after its divergence from cyclostomes. We find that the genome of stem-cyclostomes experienced an additional independent genome triplication. Functional genomic and morphospace analyses demonstrate that WGD events generally contribute to developmental evolution with similar changes in the regulatory genome of both vertebrate groups. However, appreciable morphological diversification occurred only in the gnathostome but not in the cyclostome lineage, calling into question the general expectation that WGDs lead to leaps of bodyplan complexity.

The evolutionary and genetic origins of the specialized body plan of flatfish are largely unclear. We analyzed the genomes of 11 flatfish species representing 9 of the 14 Pleuronectiforme families and conclude that Pleuronectoidei and Psettodoidei do not form a monophyletic group, suggesting independent origins from different percoid ancestors. Genomic and transcriptomic data indicate that genes related to WNT and retinoic acid pathways, hampered musculature and reduced lipids might have functioned in the evolution of the specialized body plan of Pleuronectoidei. Evolution of Psettodoidei involved similar but not identical genes. Our work provides valuable resources and insights for understanding the genetic origins of the unusual body plan of flatfishes.

The swimming crab, Portunus trituberculatus, is an important commercial species in China and is widely distributed in the coastal waters of Asia-Pacific countries. Despite increasing interest in swimming crab research, a high-quality chromosome-level genome is still lacking. Here, we assembled the first chromosome-level reference genome of P. trituberculatus by combining the short reads, Nanopore long reads, and Hi-C data. The genome assembly size was 1.00 Gb with a contig N50 length of 4.12 Mb. In addition, BUSCO assessment indicated that 94.7% of core eukaryotic genes were present in the genome assembly. Approximately 54.52% of the genome was identified as repetitive sequences, with a total of 16,796 annotated protein-coding genes. In addition, we anchored contigs into chromosomes and identified 50 chromosomes with an N50 length of 21.80 Mb by Hi-C technology. We anticipate that this chromosome-level assembly of the P. trituberculatus genome will not only promote study of basic development and evolution but also provide important resources for swimming crab reproduction.

As an important freshwater aquaculture species in China, the Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir japonica sinensis) has high economic and nutritional value. However, limited genomic information is currently available for studying of basic development and genetic diversity. Here, we performed whole-genome sequencing, assembly, and annotation based on third-generation genome sequencing technology. The size of the E. j. sinensis assembled genome was approximately 1.27 Gb, close to the estimated size (1.19 Gb), with a contig N50 length of 3.19 Mb. Furthermore, based on assessment using Benchmarking Universal Single-Copy Orthologs (BUSCO), 94.00% of the expected eukaryotic genes were completely present in the genome assembly. In addition, repetitive sequences accounted for ~61.42% of the assembled genome, and 22,619 protein-coding genes were annotated. Comparative genomics analysis demonstrated that the Chinese mitten crab diverged from Penaeus vannamei ~373.6 million years ago, with a faster evolution rate than shrimp. We anticipate that the annotated high-quality genome of E. j. sinensis will promote research on its basic development and evolution and make substantial contributions to comparative genomic analyses of crustaceans.