<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">
<head>
<meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=utf-8">
<meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 12 (filtered medium)">
<!--[if !mso]>
<style>
v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
..shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Wingdings;
panose-1:5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Tahoma;
panose-1:2 11 6 4 3 5 4 4 2 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";}
h1
{mso-style-priority:9;
mso-style-link:"Título 1 Car";
mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0in;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0in;
font-size:24.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";
font-weight:bold;}
h2
{mso-style-priority:9;
mso-style-link:"Título 2 Car";
mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0in;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0in;
font-size:18.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";
font-weight:bold;}
h3
{mso-style-priority:9;
mso-style-link:"Título 3 Car";
margin-top:10.0pt;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
page-break-after:avoid;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Cambria","serif";
color:#4F81BD;
font-weight:bold;}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:blue;
text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:purple;
text-decoration:underline;}
p
{mso-style-priority:99;
mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0in;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0in;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";}
p.MsoAcetate, li.MsoAcetate, div.MsoAcetate
{mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-link:"Texto de globo Car";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:8.0pt;
font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";}
span.EstiloCorreo17
{mso-style-type:personal-compose;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:windowtext;}
span.Ttulo1Car
{mso-style-name:"Título 1 Car";
mso-style-priority:9;
mso-style-link:"Título 1";
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";
font-weight:bold;}
span.Ttulo2Car
{mso-style-name:"Título 2 Car";
mso-style-priority:9;
mso-style-link:"Título 2";
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";
font-weight:bold;}
span.apple-converted-space
{mso-style-name:apple-converted-space;}
span.Ttulo3Car
{mso-style-name:"Título 3 Car";
mso-style-priority:9;
mso-style-link:"Título 3";
font-family:"Cambria","serif";
color:#4F81BD;
font-weight:bold;}
span.fn
{mso-style-name:fn;}
span.comma
{mso-style-name:comma;}
span.bullet
{mso-style-name:bullet;}
span.item-count
{mso-style-name:item-count;}
span.legend
{mso-style-name:legend;}
span.TextodegloboCar
{mso-style-name:"Texto de globo Car";
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-link:"Texto de globo";
font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";}
..MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;}
@page Section1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.Section1
{page:Section1;}
/* List Definitions */
@list l0
{mso-list-id:10227996;
mso-list-template-ids:154575302;}
@list l0:level1
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:.5in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l1
{mso-list-id:224533787;
mso-list-template-ids:-1146481952;}
@list l1:level1
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:.5in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l2
{mso-list-id:1043560915;
mso-list-template-ids:-1243611092;}
@list l2:level1
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:.5in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l3
{mso-list-id:1155532606;
mso-list-template-ids:-352265186;}
@list l3:level1
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:.5in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l4
{mso-list-id:1352799638;
mso-list-template-ids:-2065636314;}
@list l4:level1
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:.5in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l5
{mso-list-id:1557466892;
mso-list-template-ids:96760276;}
@list l5:level1
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:.5in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l6
{mso-list-id:1727606534;
mso-list-template-ids:2087359710;}
@list l7
{mso-list-id:1765682448;
mso-list-template-ids:386011878;}
@list l7:level1
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:.5in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l8
{mso-list-id:1768959288;
mso-list-template-ids:-415457086;}
@list l8:level1
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:.5in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l9
{mso-list-id:1936281075;
mso-list-template-ids:1545642326;}
@list l9:level1
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:.5in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Symbol;}
ol
{margin-bottom:0in;}
ul
{margin-bottom:0in;}
-->
</style>
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="2050" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]-->
</head>
<body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple>
<div class=Section1>
<h1 style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:7.5pt;
margin-left:0in'><span style='font-size:8.0pt;color:#222222;letter-spacing:
-.4pt;font-weight:normal'><o:p> </o:p></span></h1>
<p class=MsoNormal><i>Nature </i><b>540, </b>316<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>(15 December 2016)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>doi:10.1038/540316a<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>A<span
class=apple-converted-space> </span><i>Nature</i><span
class=apple-converted-space> </span>paper explores this unusual creature
from the inside out.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";
color:#222222;letter-spacing:-.4pt'>Sequence reveals genes behind bizarre
sea-horse traits</span></b><span style='font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";
color:#222222;letter-spacing:-.4pt'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>14
December 2016<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>http://www.nature.com/news/sequence-reveals-genes-behind-bizarre-sea-horse-traits-1.21149?WT.ec_id=NATURE-20161215&spMailingID=52992218&spUserID=MjA1NTE2ODQxMAS2&spJobID=1062902411&spReportId=MTA2MjkwMjQxMQS2<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:19.8pt;
margin-left:0in'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>The
gods of Greek mythology were busy people. Poseidon, as well as having dominion
over the sea and sending earthquakes, had a sideline in creating animals. His
most celebrated design was the horse. Poseidon was so keen on his horses that
he held onto some to pull his chariot through the waves. These first sea
horses — called the hippocampi or, loosely,
horse-monsters — had the tails of fish and two front hooves. They
could be seen on a windy day, racing across the foam and waves of the sea’s
surface. That’s why ocean breakers are still called white horses.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:19.8pt;
margin-left:0in'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>The
sea horse, in other words — or its name at least — has a
complicated origin story. Whereas Poseidon’s mythical horses were considered
the most beautiful creatures of the ancient world, the real sea horse has a
tale of wonder of its own to tell. These fragile, elegant animals look like
almost nothing else on Earth (except, naturally, a horse, and a distinctive
part of the human brain). They are fish without scales and the usual fins. They
are covered in bony plates. They swim upright. They form monogamous pairs. And
most famously, the male sea horse experiences pregnancy — well, the
closest that fish get to pregnancy — as he holds and nurtures the
developing embryo in a special pouch.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:19.8pt;
margin-left:0in'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>In
a paper this week, scientists explore the bizarre features of the sea horse
from the inside out (<a
href="http://www.nature.com/uidfinder/10.1038/nature20595"><span
style='color:#5C7996'>Q.</span><span style='font-family:"Cambria Math","serif";
color:#5C7996'> </span><span style='color:#5C7996'>Lin<i>et al. Nature</i></span><span
class=apple-converted-space><b><span style='color:#5C7996;text-decoration:none'> </span></b></span><b><span
style='color:#5C7996'>540,</span></b><span class=apple-converted-space><span
style='color:#5C7996;text-decoration:none'> </span></span><span
style='color:#5C7996'>395–399; 2016</span></a>). They describe how they
sequenced and analysed the genome of <i>Hippocampus comes</i>, the tiger tail
sea horse (just to add to the morphological mix). The results offer some clues
to the genetic basis of their unique traits.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:19.8pt;
margin-left:0in'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>A
gene family with a role in embryo hatching shows high expression in the male
brood pouch, the scientists say. And some potential regulatory elements are
missing, which might help to explain the evolution of the sea horse’s strange
body shape. The animals eat through a tubular snout (no teeth) and, sure
enough, the genome showed a lack of genes for enamel proteins, needed to make
teeth. The absence of a gene called</span><span class=apple-converted-space><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> </span></span><i><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>tbx4</span></i><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>, a known regulator
of limb development, may have contributed to the loss of pelvic fins. And to
the unusual features of the sea horse we can add a relatively high evolutionary
rate in their genes as compared to other fish.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:19.8pt;
margin-left:0in'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>As
we gain understanding of what makes the sea horse so special, its future is far
from assured. Many of the 46 or so known species are on the endangered
list: drained from the sea as by-catch and sent around the world as live pets
or as dried food and medicine. The sea horse is a powerful symbol, and one that
has been used to catalyse conservation efforts, such as the creation of
protected marine zones in places such as the Philippines. But pollution and
habitat loss are also taking their toll — as they are on much of the
wider ocean environment. The white horses may still skim across the surface,
but the world of Poseidon is losing its magic.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>///////////////////////<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Nature </span></i><b><span
style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>540</span></b><span style='font-family:
"Arial","sans-serif"'>, 395–399<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>(15 December
2016)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>doi:10.1038/nature20595<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Published
online 14 December 2016<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<h1 style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:15.0pt;
margin-left:0in'><span style='font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";
color:#222222;letter-spacing:-.4pt'>The seahorse genome and the evolution of
its specialized morphology<o:p></o:p></span></h1>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:0in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l3 level1 lfo3'><![if !supportLists]><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Symbol'><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>·<span
style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'>
</span></span></span><![endif]><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><a
href="http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v540/n7633/full/nature20595.html?WT.ec_id=NATURE-20161215&spMailingID=52992218&spUserID=MjA1NTE2ODQxMAS2&spJobID=1062902411&spReportId=MTA2MjkwMjQxMQS2#auth-1"><span
class=fn><span style='color:windowtext;text-decoration:none'>Qiang Lin</span></span></a><span
class=comma>,</span> <a
href="http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v540/n7633/full/nature20595.html?WT.ec_id=NATURE-20161215&spMailingID=52992218&spUserID=MjA1NTE2ODQxMAS2&spJobID=1062902411&spReportId=MTA2MjkwMjQxMQS2#auth-2"><span
class=fn><span style='color:windowtext;text-decoration:none'>Shaohua Fan</span></span></a><span
class=comma>,</span> <a
href="http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v540/n7633/full/nature20595.html?WT.ec_id=NATURE-20161215&spMailingID=52992218&spUserID=MjA1NTE2ODQxMAS2&spJobID=1062902411&spReportId=MTA2MjkwMjQxMQS2#auth-3"><span
class=fn><span style='color:windowtext;text-decoration:none'>Yanhong Zhang</span></span></a><span
class=comma>,</span> <a
href="http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v540/n7633/full/nature20595.html?WT.ec_id=NATURE-20161215&spMailingID=52992218&spUserID=MjA1NTE2ODQxMAS2&spJobID=1062902411&spReportId=MTA2MjkwMjQxMQS2#auth-4"><span
class=fn><span style='color:windowtext;text-decoration:none'>Meng Xu</span></span></a><span
class=comma>,</span> <a
href="http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v540/n7633/full/nature20595.html?WT.ec_id=NATURE-20161215&spMailingID=52992218&spUserID=MjA1NTE2ODQxMAS2&spJobID=1062902411&spReportId=MTA2MjkwMjQxMQS2#auth-5"><span
class=fn><span style='color:windowtext;text-decoration:none'>Huixian Zhang</span></span></a><span
class=comma>,</span> <a
href="http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v540/n7633/full/nature20595.html?WT.ec_id=NATURE-20161215&spMailingID=52992218&spUserID=MjA1NTE2ODQxMAS2&spJobID=1062902411&spReportId=MTA2MjkwMjQxMQS2#auth-6"><span
class=fn><span style='color:windowtext;text-decoration:none'>Yulan Yang</span></span></a><span
class=comma>,</span> <a
href="http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v540/n7633/full/nature20595.html?WT.ec_id=NATURE-20161215&spMailingID=52992218&spUserID=MjA1NTE2ODQxMAS2&spJobID=1062902411&spReportId=MTA2MjkwMjQxMQS2#auth-7"><span
class=fn><span style='color:windowtext;text-decoration:none'>Alison P. Lee</span></span></a><span
class=comma>,</span> <a
href="http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v540/n7633/full/nature20595.html?WT.ec_id=NATURE-20161215&spMailingID=52992218&spUserID=MjA1NTE2ODQxMAS2&spJobID=1062902411&spReportId=MTA2MjkwMjQxMQS2#auth-8"><span
class=fn><span style='color:windowtext;text-decoration:none'>Joost M. Woltering</span></span></a><span
class=comma>,</span> <a
href="http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v540/n7633/full/nature20595.html?WT.ec_id=NATURE-20161215&spMailingID=52992218&spUserID=MjA1NTE2ODQxMAS2&spJobID=1062902411&spReportId=MTA2MjkwMjQxMQS2#auth-9"><span
class=fn><span style='color:windowtext;text-decoration:none'>Vydianathan Ravi</span></span></a><span
class=comma>,</span> <a
href="http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v540/n7633/full/nature20595.html?WT.ec_id=NATURE-20161215&spMailingID=52992218&spUserID=MjA1NTE2ODQxMAS2&spJobID=1062902411&spReportId=MTA2MjkwMjQxMQS2#auth-10"><span
class=fn><span style='color:windowtext;text-decoration:none'>Helen M. Gunter</span></span></a><span
class=comma>,</span> <a
href="http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v540/n7633/full/nature20595.html?WT.ec_id=NATURE-20161215&spMailingID=52992218&spUserID=MjA1NTE2ODQxMAS2&spJobID=1062902411&spReportId=MTA2MjkwMjQxMQS2#auth-11"><span
class=fn><span style='color:windowtext;text-decoration:none'>Wei Luo</span></span></a><span
class=comma>,</span> <a
href="http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v540/n7633/full/nature20595.html?WT.ec_id=NATURE-20161215&spMailingID=52992218&spUserID=MjA1NTE2ODQxMAS2&spJobID=1062902411&spReportId=MTA2MjkwMjQxMQS2#auth-12"><span
class=fn><span style='color:windowtext;text-decoration:none'>Zexia Gao</span></span></a><span
class=comma>,</span> <a
href="http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v540/n7633/full/nature20595.html?WT.ec_id=NATURE-20161215&spMailingID=52992218&spUserID=MjA1NTE2ODQxMAS2&spJobID=1062902411&spReportId=MTA2MjkwMjQxMQS2#auth-13"><span
class=fn><span style='color:windowtext;text-decoration:none'>Zhi Wei Lim</span></span></a><span
class=comma>,</span> <a
href="http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v540/n7633/full/nature20595.html?WT.ec_id=NATURE-20161215&spMailingID=52992218&spUserID=MjA1NTE2ODQxMAS2&spJobID=1062902411&spReportId=MTA2MjkwMjQxMQS2#auth-14"><span
class=fn><span style='color:windowtext;text-decoration:none'>Geng Qin</span></span></a><span
class=comma>,</span> <a
href="http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v540/n7633/full/nature20595.html?WT.ec_id=NATURE-20161215&spMailingID=52992218&spUserID=MjA1NTE2ODQxMAS2&spJobID=1062902411&spReportId=MTA2MjkwMjQxMQS2#auth-15"><span
class=fn><span style='color:windowtext;text-decoration:none'>Ralf F. Schneider</span></span></a><span
class=comma>,</span> <a
href="http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v540/n7633/full/nature20595.html?WT.ec_id=NATURE-20161215&spMailingID=52992218&spUserID=MjA1NTE2ODQxMAS2&spJobID=1062902411&spReportId=MTA2MjkwMjQxMQS2#auth-16"><span
class=fn><span style='color:windowtext;text-decoration:none'>Xin Wang</span></span></a><span
class=comma>,</span> <a
href="http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v540/n7633/full/nature20595.html?WT.ec_id=NATURE-20161215&spMailingID=52992218&spUserID=MjA1NTE2ODQxMAS2&spJobID=1062902411&spReportId=MTA2MjkwMjQxMQS2#auth-17"><span
class=fn><span style='color:windowtext;text-decoration:none'>Peiwen Xiong</span></span></a><span
class=comma>,</span> <a
href="http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v540/n7633/full/nature20595.html?WT.ec_id=NATURE-20161215&spMailingID=52992218&spUserID=MjA1NTE2ODQxMAS2&spJobID=1062902411&spReportId=MTA2MjkwMjQxMQS2#auth-18"><span
class=fn><span style='color:windowtext;text-decoration:none'>Gang Li</span></span></a><span
class=comma>,</span> <a
href="http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v540/n7633/full/nature20595.html?WT.ec_id=NATURE-20161215&spMailingID=52992218&spUserID=MjA1NTE2ODQxMAS2&spJobID=1062902411&spReportId=MTA2MjkwMjQxMQS2#auth-19"><span
class=fn><span style='color:windowtext;text-decoration:none'>Kai Wang</span></span></a><span
class=comma>,</span> <a
href="http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v540/n7633/full/nature20595.html?WT.ec_id=NATURE-20161215&spMailingID=52992218&spUserID=MjA1NTE2ODQxMAS2&spJobID=1062902411&spReportId=MTA2MjkwMjQxMQS2#auth-20"><span
class=fn><span style='color:windowtext;text-decoration:none'>Jiumeng Min</span></span></a><span
class=comma>,</span> <a
href="http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v540/n7633/full/nature20595.html?WT.ec_id=NATURE-20161215&spMailingID=52992218&spUserID=MjA1NTE2ODQxMAS2&spJobID=1062902411&spReportId=MTA2MjkwMjQxMQS2#auth-21"><span
class=fn><span style='color:windowtext;text-decoration:none'>Chi Zhang</span></span></a><span
class=comma>,</span> <a
href="http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v540/n7633/full/nature20595.html?WT.ec_id=NATURE-20161215&spMailingID=52992218&spUserID=MjA1NTE2ODQxMAS2&spJobID=1062902411&spReportId=MTA2MjkwMjQxMQS2#auth-22"><span
class=fn><span style='color:windowtext;text-decoration:none'>Ying Qiu</span></span></a><span
class=comma>,</span> <a
href="http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v540/n7633/full/nature20595.html?WT.ec_id=NATURE-20161215&spMailingID=52992218&spUserID=MjA1NTE2ODQxMAS2&spJobID=1062902411&spReportId=MTA2MjkwMjQxMQS2#auth-23"><span
class=fn><span style='color:windowtext;text-decoration:none'>Jie Bai</span></span></a><span
class=comma>,</span> <a
href="http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v540/n7633/full/nature20595.html?WT.ec_id=NATURE-20161215&spMailingID=52992218&spUserID=MjA1NTE2ODQxMAS2&spJobID=1062902411&spReportId=MTA2MjkwMjQxMQS2#auth-24"><span
class=fn><span style='color:windowtext;text-decoration:none'>Weiming He</span></span></a><span
class=comma>,</span> <a
href="http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v540/n7633/full/nature20595.html?WT.ec_id=NATURE-20161215&spMailingID=52992218&spUserID=MjA1NTE2ODQxMAS2&spJobID=1062902411&spReportId=MTA2MjkwMjQxMQS2#auth-25"><span
class=fn><span style='color:windowtext;text-decoration:none'>Chao Bian</span></span></a>
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<h1 style='mso-margin-top-alt:13.5pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span style='font-size:16.0pt;
font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#444444;letter-spacing:-.4pt'>Abstract<o:p></o:p></span></h1>
<p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:15.0pt;
margin-left:0in'><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Seahorses have
a specialized morphology that includes a toothless tubular mouth, a body
covered with bony plates, a male brood pouch, and the absence of caudal and
pelvic fins. Here we report the sequencing and<span
class=apple-converted-space> </span><i>de novo</i><span
class=apple-converted-space> </span>assembly of the genome of the tiger
tail seahorse,<span class=apple-converted-space> </span><i>Hippocampus
comes</i>. Comparative genomic analysis identifies higher protein and
nucleotide evolutionary rates in<i>H. comes</i><span
class=apple-converted-space> </span>compared with other teleost fish
genomes. We identified an astacin metalloprotease gene family that has
undergone expansion and is highly expressed in the male brood pouch. We also
find that the<span class=apple-converted-space> </span><i>H. comes</i><span
class=apple-converted-space> </span>genome lacks enamel matrix
protein-coding proline/glutamine-rich secretory calcium-binding phosphoprotein
genes, which might have led to the loss of mineralized teeth.<span
class=apple-converted-space> </span><i>tbx4</i>, a regulator of hindlimb
development, is also not found in<span class=apple-converted-space> </span><i>H.
comes</i><span class=apple-converted-space> </span>genome. Knockout of<span
class=apple-converted-space> </span><i>tbx4</i><span
class=apple-converted-space> </span>in zebrafish showed a ‘pelvic
fin-loss’ phenotype similar to that of seahorses.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:15.0pt;
margin-left:0in'><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Members of the
teleost family Syngnathidae (seahorses, pipefishes and seadragons) (<a
href="http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v540/n7633/fig_tab/nature20595_SF1.html"><span
style='color:#5C7996;text-decoration:none'>Extended Data Fig. 1</span></a>),
comprising approximately 300 species, display a complex array of morphological
innovations and reproductive behaviours. This includes specialized
morphological phenotypes such as an elongated snout with a small terminal
mouth, fused jaws, absent pelvic and caudal fins, and an extended body covered
with an armour of bony plates instead of scales</span><sup><span
style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><a
href="http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v540/n7633/full/nature20595.html?WT.ec_id=NATURE-20161215&spMailingID=52992218&spUserID=MjA1NTE2ODQxMAS2&spJobID=1062902411&spReportId=MTA2MjkwMjQxMQS2#ref1"
title="Leysen, H. et al. Musculoskeletal structure of the feeding system and implications of snout elongation in Hippocampus reidi and Dunckerocampus dactyliophorus. J. Fish Biol. 78, 1799–1823 (2011)"
id=ref-link-5><span style='color:#5C7996;text-decoration:none'>1</span></a></span></sup><span
class=apple-converted-space><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> </span></span><span
style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>(<a
href="http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v540/n7633/full/nature20595.html#f1"><span
style='color:#5C7996;text-decoration:none'>Fig. 1a</span></a>). Syngnathids are
also unique among vertebrates due to their ‘male pregnancy’, whereby males
nourish developing embryos in a brood pouch until hatching and parturition
occurs</span><sup><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><a
href="http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v540/n7633/full/nature20595.html?WT.ec_id=NATURE-20161215&spMailingID=52992218&spUserID=MjA1NTE2ODQxMAS2&spJobID=1062902411&spReportId=MTA2MjkwMjQxMQS2#ref2"
title="Stölting, K. N. & Wilson, A. B. Male pregnancy in seahorses and pipefish: beyond the mammalian model. BioEssays 29, 884–896 (2007)"
id=ref-link-6><span style='color:#5C7996;text-decoration:none'>2</span></a>,<span
class=apple-converted-space> </span><a
href="http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v540/n7633/full/nature20595.html?WT.ec_id=NATURE-20161215&spMailingID=52992218&spUserID=MjA1NTE2ODQxMAS2&spJobID=1062902411&spReportId=MTA2MjkwMjQxMQS2#ref3"
title="Wilson, A. B., Vincent, A., Ahnesjö, I. & Meyer, A. Male pregnancy in seahorses and pipefishes (family Syngnathidae): rapid diversification of paternal brood pouch morphology inferred from a molecular phylogeny. J. Hered. 92, 159–166 (2001)"
id=ref-link-7><span style='color:#5C7996;text-decoration:none'>3</span></a></span></sup><span
style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>. In addition, members of the
subfamily Hippocampinae (seahorses) exhibit other derived features such as the
lack of a caudal fin, a characteristic prehensile tail, and a vertical body axis</span><sup><span
style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><a
href="http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v540/n7633/full/nature20595.html?WT.ec_id=NATURE-20161215&spMailingID=52992218&spUserID=MjA1NTE2ODQxMAS2&spJobID=1062902411&spReportId=MTA2MjkwMjQxMQS2#ref4"
title="Teske, P. R., Cherry, M. I. & Matthee, C. A. The evolutionary history of seahorses (Syngnathidae: Hippocampus): molecular data suggest a West Pacific origin and two invasions of the Atlantic Ocean. Mol. Phylogenet. Evol. 30, 273–286 (2004)"
id=ref-link-8><span style='color:#5C7996;text-decoration:none'>4</span></a></span></sup><span
class=apple-converted-space><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> </span></span><span
style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>(<a
href="http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v540/n7633/full/nature20595.html#f1"><span
style='color:#5C7996;text-decoration:none'>Fig. 1a</span></a>). To understand
the genetic basis of the specialized morphology and reproductive system of
seahorses, we sequenced the genome of the tiger tail seahorse,<span
class=apple-converted-space> </span><i>H. comes</i>, and carried out
comparative genomic analyses with the genome sequences of other ray-finned fishes
(Actinopterygii).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span class=legend><b><span style='color:#111111'>Figure 1:
Adaptations and evolutionary rate of</span></b></span><span
class=apple-converted-space><b><span style='color:#111111'> </span></b></span><span
class=legend><b><i><span style='color:#111111'>H. comes</span></i><span
style='color:#111111'>.</span></b></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><span
style='border:none windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in'><a
href="http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v540/n7633/fig_tab/nature20595_F1.html"><b><span
style='color:#5C7996;text-decoration:none'><img border=0 width=600 height=391
id="Imagen_x0020_12" src="cid:image001.jpg@01D256C5.B9C22460"
alt="Adaptations and evolutionary rate of H. comes."></span></b></a></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p align=center style='mso-margin-top-alt:13.5pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:
13.5pt;margin-left:0in;text-align:center;line-height:18.1pt'><b><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>a</span></b><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>, Schematic diagram
of a pregnant male seahorse.<span class=apple-converted-space> </span><b>b</b>,
The phylogenetic tree generated using protein sequences. The values on the
branches are the distances (number of substitutions per site) between each of
the teleost fishes and the spotted gar (outgroup). Spotted gar,<span
class=apple-converted-space> </span><i>Lepisosteus oculatus</i>;
zebrafish,<span class=apple-converted-space> </span><i>Danio rerio</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
</div>
<br /><br />
<hr style='border:none; color:#909090; background-color:#B0B0B0; height: 1px; width: 99%;' />
<table style='border-collapse:collapse;border:none;'>
<tr>
<td style='border:none;padding:0px 15px 0px 8px'>
<a href="https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=emailclient">
<img border=0 src="http://static.avast.com/emails/avast-mail-stamp.png" />
</a>
</td>
<td>
<p style='color:#3d4d5a; font-family:"Calibri","Verdana","Arial","Helvetica"; font-size:12pt;'>
This email is free from viruses and malware because <a href="https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=emailclient">avast! Antivirus</a> protection is active.
</p>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
<br />
</body>
</html>