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Genome analysis of Lagocephalus sceleratus: unraveling the genomic landscape of a successful invader
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  • Theodoros Danis,
  • Vasilis Papadogiannis,
  • Alexandros Tsakogiannis,
  • Jon Kristoffersen,
  • Daniel Golani,
  • Dimitris Tsaparis,
  • Aspasia Sterioti,
  • Panagiotis Kasapidis,
  • Georgios Kotoulas,
  • Antonios Magoulas,
  • Costas Tsigenopoulos,
  • Tereza Manousaki
Theodoros Danis
Hellenic Centre for Marine Research
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Vasilis Papadogiannis
Hellenic Centre for Marine Research
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Alexandros Tsakogiannis
Hellenic Centre for Marine Research
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Jon Kristoffersen
Hellenic Centre for Marine Research
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Daniel Golani
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
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Dimitris Tsaparis
Hellenic Centre for Marine Research
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Aspasia Sterioti
Hellenic Centre for Marine Research
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Panagiotis Kasapidis
Hellenic Centre for Marine Research
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Georgios Kotoulas
Hellenic Centre for Marine Research
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Antonios Magoulas
Hellenic Centre for Marine Research
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Costas Tsigenopoulos
Hellenic Centre for Marine Research
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Tereza Manousaki
Hellenic Center for Marine Research

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Abstract

The Tetraodontidae family encompasses several species which attract scientific interest in terms of their ecology and evolution. The silver-cheeked toadfish (Lagocephalus sceleratus) is a well-known ‘invasive sprinter’ that has invaded and spread, in less than a decade, throughout the Eastern and part of the Western Mediterranean Sea from the Red Sea through the Suez Canal. In this study, we built and analysed the first near-chromosome level genome assembly of L. sceleratus and explored its evolutionary landscape. Through a phylogenomic analysis, we positioned L. sceleratus closer to T. nigroviridis, compared to other members of the family, while gene family evolution analysis revealed that genes associated with the immune response have experienced rapid expansion, providing a genetic basis for studying how L. sceleratus is able to achieve highly successful colonisation. Moreover, we found that voltage-gated sodium channel (Nav 1.4) mutations previously connected to tetrodotoxin resistance in other pufferfishes are not found in L. sceleratus, highlighting the complex evolution of this trait. The high-quality genome assembly built here is expected to set the ground for future studies on the species biology.