In the long evolutionary process of exploring the transition of vertebrates from aquatic to terrestrial life, a particular species has aroused great interest among scientists. It is the African lungfish, known not only for its unique ability to dormant for months to years in extreme drought conditions, but also for its special place on the evolutionary tree: it is one of the closest living relatives of tetrapods, and is therefore considered a key species in solving the mystery of the evolution of vertebrates from aquatic to terrestrial. Let's find out and uncover the mystery of barramundi.
The African lungfish, a creature that has lived on Earth for more than 400 million years, has witnessed countless biological evolutions and geological changes. The reason why African lungfish can survive on arid land is due to their special respiratory system. Not only do lungfish get oxygen through their gills, but they also develop a lung-like organ for gas exchange. This means that when the waters dry up, they can burrow into the mud and use their lung-like organs to stay alive until the rainy season comes again.
With the scientists' research on the African lungfish, the research team of the BGI Shenzhen Institute of Life Sciences published their new findings in the journal Nature Communications, a panoramic view of the respiratory organs of the African lungfish based on a single-cell library sequencing platform. This achievement marks an important step forward in our understanding of the mechanisms of evolution and adaptation of the respiratory system of African lungfish and vertebrate animals as a whole.
At the heart of the study is the most complete cellular atlas of the respiratory organs of the African lungfish to date, covering detailed data from thousands of cells in lung and gill tissue. By sequencing these cells, scientists were able to fully characterize the cell type composition of the respiratory organs of the African lungfish, providing a valuable resource for further study of its respiratory and the evolution of the broader vertebrate respiratory system.
Another highlight of the study was the laboratory's success in inducing the African lungfish into a state of summer hibernation and sampling them for analysis after 33 days. The results were surprising, with 14 and 22 different cell types identified in the lungs and gills of the lungfish, respectively, and for the first time, the cellular composition of the respiratory organs of the African lungfish was shown in a high-resolution map.
By comparing the genomic data of the African lungfish with other species, the research team found that although the lungs of the lungfish appear to be structurally primitive, their cell composition and key gene expression show a high degree of similarity with that of higher mammals. This finding further strengthens the understanding of homology between the African lungfish and the respiratory organs of typical vertebrates.
The importance of this study lies in the fact that it not only enriches our understanding of the amazing creature of the African lungfish, but more importantly, it provides new clues to how vertebrates adapt to life on land from the aquatic environment. As we continue to research, we look forward to unlocking more secrets about the evolution of life and better understanding the formation and development of biodiversity in nature.
In the future, the BGI research team plans to continue a series of studies on the respiratory system of African lungfish, hoping to provide more key evidence to describe the evolution of vertebrates. With the development of science and technology and the advancement of research methods, we have reason to believe that these efforts will eventually paint a clearer and more complete picture of the evolution of life for us.