TY  - JOUR
A1  - Schartl, Manfred
A1  - Kneitz, Susanne
A1  - Volkoff, Helene
A1  - Adolfi, Mateus
A1  - Schmidt, Cornelia
A1  - Fischer, Petra
A1  - Minx, Patrick
A1  - Tomlinson, Chad
A1  - Meyer, Axel
A1  - Warren, Wesley C.
T1  - The piranha genome provides molecular insight associated to its unique feeding behavior
JF  - Genome Biology and Evolution
N2  - The piranha enjoys notoriety due to its infamous predatory behavior but much is still not understood about its evolutionary origins and the underlying molecular mechanisms for its unusual feeding biology. We sequenced and assembled the red-bellied piranha (Pygocentrus nattereri) genome to aid future phenotypic and genetic investigations. The assembled draft genome is similar to other related fishes in repeat composition and gene count. Our evaluation of genes under positive selection suggests candidates for adaptations of piranhas’ feeding behavior in neural functions, behavior, and regulation of energy metabolism. In the fasted brain, we find genes differentially expressed that are involved in lipid metabolism and appetite regulation as well as genes that may control the aggression/boldness behavior of hungry piranhas. Our first analysis of the piranha genome offers new insight and resources for the study of piranha biology and for feeding motivation and starvation in other organisms.
KW  - whole-genome sequencing
KW  - genome annotation
KW  - comparative genomics
KW  - RNA-seq transcriptome
KW  - energy homeostasis
Y1  - 2019
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-202218
VL  - 11
IS  - 8
ER  -