Horseshoe bats (genus Rhinolophus, family Rhinolophidae) represent an important group within chiropteran phylogeny due to their distinctive traits, including constant high-frequency
echolocation, rapid karyotype evolution, and unique immune system. Advances in evolutionary biology, supported by high-quality reference genomes and comprehensive whole-genome data, have significantly enhanced our understanding of species origins, speciation mechanisms, adaptive evolutionary processes, and phenotypic diversity. However, genomic research and understanding of the evolutionary patterns of Rhinolophus are severely constrained by limited data, with only a single published genome of R. ferrumequinum currently available. In this study, we constructed a high-quality chromosome-level reference genome for the intermediate horseshoe bat ( R. affinis). Comparative genomic analyses revealed potential genetic characteristics associated with virus tolerance in Rhinolophidae. Notably, we observed expansions in several immune-related gene families and identified various genes functionally associated with the SARS-CoV-2 signaling pathway, DNA repair, and apoptosis, which displayed signs of rapid evolution. In addition, we observed an expansion of the major histocompatibility complex class II (MHC-II) region and a higher copy number of the HLA- DQB2 gene in horseshoe bats compared to other chiropteran species. Based on whole-genome resequencing and population genomic analyses, we identified multiple candidate loci (e.g., GLI3) associated with variations in
echolocation call frequency across R. affinis subspecies. This research not only expands our understanding of the genetic characteristics of the Rhinolophus genus but also establishes a valuable foundation for future research.
菊头蝠物种(菊头蝠属,菊头蝠科)是蝙蝠众多科中的一个重要类群,它们具有多个显著区别于其他蝙蝠的特征,例如特化的高恒定频率回声定位信号、快速的核型进化以及独特的免疫系统。利用高质量参考基因组和全基因组数据进行的进化研究,使我们对物种起源、物种形成、适应性进化和表型变异有了更深入的见解。然而,目前有限的基因组数据(仅有一种菊头蝠物种(马铁菊头蝠, Rhinolophus ferrumequinum)的基因组已发表)限制了我们对菊头蝠进化模式的深入理解。在该研究中,我们构建了高质量染色体水平的中菊头蝠( R. affinis)参考基因组。通过比较基因组分析,我们揭示了与菊头蝠物种病毒耐受性相关的潜在遗传特征,包括多个与免疫反应相关的基因家族发生了显著扩张,以及多个与SARS-CoV-2信号通路、DNA修复和细胞凋亡功能相关的基因,发生了快速进化。此外,与其他蝙蝠相比,我们发现菊头蝠基因组中的MHC-2区域有所扩张,尤其是 HLA-DQB2基因呈现更高的拷贝数。最后,通过对中菊头蝠种群进行全基因组重测序分析,我们鉴定到了多个与中菊头蝠亚种回声定位频率变异相关的候选基因(例如基因 GLI3)。我们的工作不仅加深了对菊头蝠类群遗传特征的理解,还为将来蝙蝠比较基因组学研究提供了重要的数据基础。.