Progress in comparative analysis and rearrangement of Anomuran (Crustacea: Decapoda) mitogenomes

Due to the features of maternal inheritance, simple structure, conserved organization, small genome size, and high mutation rate, the mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) has been widely employed in population genetics, comparative genomics, and phylogenetic studies. The body type of Anomura (Crustacea: Decapoda) is between shrimps and crabs, which is of great significance in the study of system evolution. Compared with Brachyra, the closest relative, there has been a significant lack of attention to the study of Anomuran mitogenomes. So far, the mitogenome and gene rearrangement of this group have not been systematically and comprehensively understood. In this study, the research history and development on Anmouran mitogenomes have been briefly reviewed. We compared 26 Anomuran mitogenomes published in GenBank and summarized the fundamental features of these mitogenomes. The common rearrangement types and possible mechanisms of Anomuran mitogenomes were further analyzed. Using the ancestral gene arrangement of crustaceans as a reference, we summarized the mitogenomes of 26 Anomuran species into 15 rearrangement patterns. Gene rearrangement analysis of these mitogenomes showed that only two types of rearrangements were found, including translocation and inversion. Besides, we found that all these rearrangements can be reasonably explained by two rearrangement mechanisms, tandem duplication/random loss and intramitochondrial recombination. Finally, the application of rearrangement in the phylogeny of this taxon was discussed.