Molecular Insights Into the Sensory Adaption of the Cave-Dwelling Leech Sinospelaeobdella wulingensis to the Karst Cave Environment.

ABSTRACT: Karst caves are a unique environment significantly different from the external environment; adaptation of cave-dwelling animals to the cave environment is often accompanied by shifts in the sensory systems. Aquatic and terrestrial leeches have been found in the karst caves. In this study, we conducted a transcriptome analysis on the cave-dwelling leech Sinospelaeobdella wulingensis. A total of 29,286 unigenes were obtained by assembling the clean reads, and only 395 genes are differentially expressed in winter and summer samples. Two piezo-type mechanosensitive ion channels (Piezos), eight transient receptor potential channels (TRPs), and six ionotropic glutamate receptors (iGluRs) were identified in the transcriptome. These channels/receptors are transmembrane proteins sharing cons

SUBMITTER: Wen X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11748453 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature