{
  "id": 2276793,
  "title": "Nationwide multi-omics profiling of Japanese jack mackerel reveals geographic gut microbiome structuring despite host panmixia",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/20/nationwide-multi-omics-profiling-of-japanese-jack-mackerel-reveals",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-08-20T00:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "bioRxiv",
    "slug": "biorxiv",
    "url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.08.20.745924v1?rss=1"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A groundbreaking study has revealed that the gut microbiome of Japanese jack mackerel exhibits regional structuring, despite the fish showing minimal genetic population structure across Japan. Researchers employed nationwide multi-omics profiling to analyze the genomes and gut microbiomes of wild T. japonicus specimens collected from coastal regions nationwide. The genome-wide host SNP analyses demonstrated weak or absent geographic population structure, corroborating previous evidence of panmixia in Japanese waters. However, the gut microbiome composition displayed clear geographic structuring, as evidenced by Bray-Curtis dissimilarity and PERMANOVA analyses. This pattern was not influenced by proximity to river mouths or host-related variables. Unique bacterial lineages associated with specific localities or individuals contributed to the observed differences in the microbiome, while chloroplast-associated and Cyanobacteria-assigned ASVs suggested recent dietary or environmental influences. The findings underscore the potential of integrating host genomics and gut microbiome profiling to elucidate regional characteristics and origins in highly connected marine species, offering a proof-of-concept for this approach in fishery species.",
  "summary": "Host genetic markers often fail to resolve regional origins in highly connected or panmictic marine species. The Japanese jack mackerel, Trachurus japonicus, is a commercially important fishery species around Japan that shows little or no detectable population structure. Here, we used nationwide multi-omics profiling to compare host genomic variation and gut microbiome composition in wild T.…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}