Creteuchiloglanis macropterus

Investigating the adaptation of organisms in high altitude environments maintains hot in evolutionary biology. As a member of three widely distributed fishes in Tibetan Plateau and peripheral regions, Glyptosternoid fishes could be a finely evolutionary model to detect the adaptation mechanism of high-attitude. Creteuchiloglanis macropterus of Glyptosternoid fishes, mainly inhabits in regions with gradual lifting altitudes along the Nujiang River. Here, we sampled C. macropterus individuals from five locations in different altitudes to detect genetic background involved in divergence and evolution. Based on RNA-seq, we examined 745 orthologous genes between zebrafish and three catfishes (Silurus asotus, Synodontis nigriventris and C. macropterus) to explore the divergence of evolutionary rates. In addition, SNPs calling between two groups from significant different altitudes, and genes enriched for expression in high altitude were utilized together to explore more genetic signals of C. macropterus corresponding with high-altitude. Overall, a significantly high ratio of nonsynonymous to synonymous was not only detected between C. macropterus and other species in low-altitude, but also among internal of C. macropterus. Functional categories reveal the rapid evolution related with energy metabolism and hypoxia, and annotations of twenty genes emerging in at least two above methods, indicate the divergence adaptations may be related with to stronger bearable capacity of emerge consumptions and low oxygen. Moreover, detection of ARL6IP (ADP-ribosylation factor-like 6 interacting protein 1), involved with development of horizontally pectoral fins, might provide explanations that Glyptosternoid fishes could adapt the fast-flowing water environment, which is the special living pattern different from other two broadly distributed high-altitude fish lineages (Triplophysa, Schizothoracine).