RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Signatures of the evolution of parthenogenesis and cryptobiosis in the genomes of panagrolaimid nematodes JF bioRxiv FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory SP 159152 DO 10.1101/159152 A1 Philipp H. Schiffer A1 Etienne G.J. Danchin A1 Ann M. Burnell A1 Anne-Marike Schiffer A1 Christopher J. Creevey A1 Simon Wong A1 Ilona Dix A1 Georgina O’Mahony A1 Bridget A. Culleton A1 Corinne Rancurel A1 Gary Stier A1 Elizabeth A. Martínez-Salazar A1 Aleksandra Marconi A1 Urmi Trivedi A1 Michael Kroiher A1 Michael A. S. Thorne A1 Einhard Schierenberg A1 Thomas Wiehe A1 Mark Blaxter YR 2017 UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2017/07/03/159152.abstract AB Most animal species reproduce sexually, but parthenogenesis, asexual reproduction of various forms, has arisen repeatedly. Parthenogenetic lineages are usually short lived, though in some environments parthenogenesis may be advantageous. Panagrolaimus nematodes have colonised environments ranging from arid deserts to arctic and antarctic biomes. Many are parthenogens, and most have cryptobiotic (anhydrobiotic and/or cryobiotic) abilities. We compared the genomes and transcriptomes of parthenogenetic and sexual Panagrolaimus species to identify systems that contribute to these striking abilities. The parthenogens are triploids of hybrid origin. All Panagrolaimus have acquired genes through horizontal gene transfer, some of which are likely to contribute to cryptobiosis.