Next Generation Sequencing Revolutionizes Organismal Biology Research in Bats

Abstract

The advent of next generation sequencing technologies (NGS) has greatly accelerated our understanding of critical aspects of organismal biology from non-model organisms. Bats form a particularly interesting group in this regard, as genomic data have helped unearth a vast spectrum of idiosyncrasies in bat genomes associated with bat biology, physiology, and evolution. Bats are important bioindicators and are keystone species to many eco-systems. They often live in proximity to humans and are frequently associated with emerging infectious diseases, including the COVID-19 pandemic. Nearly four dozen bat genomes have been published to date, ranging from drafts to chromosomal level assemblies. Genomic investigations in bats have also become critical towards our understanding of disease biology and host–pathogen coevolution. In addition to whole genome sequencing, low coverage genomic data like reduced representation libraries, resequencing data, etc. have contributed significantly towards our understanding of the evolution of natural populations, and their responses to climatic and anthropogenic perturbations. In this review, we discuss how genomic data have enhanced our understanding of physiological adaptations in bats (particularly related to ageing, immunity, diet, etc.), pathogen discovery, and host pathogen co-evolution. In comparison, the application of NGS towards population genomics, conservation, biodiversity assessment, and functional genomics has been appreciably slower. We reviewed the current areas of focus, identifying emerging topical research directions and providing a roadmap for future genomic studies in bats.

Mass Spectrometry Based Proteomic Profiling of Three Feeding Categories of Bats in Tirunelveli District of Tamilnadu, South India

“…2D SDS PAGE was rst termed in 1975 by O'Farrell and Klose (1975). 2DE SDS PAGE along with mass spectrometry is one of the most effective technologies for proteomic analysis [15,33,45].…”

Peculiarities of histological structure of some organs of serotine bat (Eptesicus serotinus)

“…As with E. serotinus, there are no literature data with descriptions of microscopic structure of the organs of this animal. Available reports contain studies of biological and ecological aspects of life of E. serotinus, but not its morphology (Tiede et al, 2020;Garg et al, 2023).…”