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Catalán A, Gygax D, Rodríguez-Montes L, Hinzke T, Hoff KJ, Duchen P. Two novel genomes of fireflies with different degrees of sexual dimorphism reveal insights into sex-biased gene expression and dosage compensation. Commun Biol 2024; 7:906. [PMID: 39068254 PMCID: PMC11283472 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-06550-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 06/27/2024] [Indexed: 07/30/2024] Open
Abstract
Sexual dimorphism arises because of divergent fitness optima between the sexes. Phenotypic divergence between sexes can range from mild to extreme. Fireflies, bioluminescent beetles, present various degrees of sexual dimorphism, with species showing very mild sexual dimorphism to species presenting female-specific neoteny, posing a unique framework to investigate the evolution of sexually dimorphic traits across species. In this work, we present novel assembled genomes of two firefly species, Lamprohiza splendidula and Luciola italica, species with different degrees of sexual dimorphism. We uncover high synteny conservation of the X-chromosome across ~ 180 Mya and find full X-chromosome dosage compensation in our two fireflies, hinting at common mechanism upregulating the single male X-chromosome. Different degrees of sex-biased expressed genes were found across two body parts showing different proportions of expression conservation between species. Interestingly, we do not find X-chromosome enrichment of sex-biased genes, but retrieve autosomal enrichment of sex-biased genes. We further uncover higher nucleotide diversity in the intronic regions of sex-biased genes, hinting at a maintenance of heterozygosity through sexual selection. We identify different levels of sex-biased gene expression divergence including a set of genes showing conserved sex-biased gene expression between species. Divergent and conserved sex-biased genes are good candidates to test their role in the maintenance of sexually dimorphic traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Catalán
- Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich, Division of Evolutionary Biology, Großhaderner Straße 2, Planegg-Martinsried, Bavaria, 82152, Germany.
| | - Daniel Gygax
- Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich, Division of Evolutionary Biology, Großhaderner Straße 2, Planegg-Martinsried, Bavaria, 82152, Germany
- Helmholtz Center Munich, Helmholtz Pioneer Campus, Ingolstädter Landstraße 1, Munich, Oberschleißheim, 85764, Germany
| | - Leticia Rodríguez-Montes
- Center for Molecular Biology of Heidelberg University (ZMBH), DKFZ-ZMBH Alliance, D-69120, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Tjorven Hinzke
- Institute of Microbiology, Department of Microbial Physiology and Molecular Biology, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
- Department of Pathogen Evolution, Helmholtz Institute for One Health, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Katharina J Hoff
- University of Greifswald, Institute for Mathematics and Computer Science, Walther-Rathenau-Str. 47, 17489, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Pablo Duchen
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, Hanns-Dieter-Hüsch-Weg 15, 55128, Mainz, Germany
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Brandon AA, Michael C, Carmona Baez A, Moore EC, Ciccotto PJ, Roberts NB, Roberts RB, Powder KE. Distinct genetic origins of eumelanin levels and barring patterns in cichlid fishes. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0306614. [PMID: 38976656 PMCID: PMC11230561 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0306614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2023] [Accepted: 06/20/2024] [Indexed: 07/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Pigment patterns are incredibly diverse across vertebrates and are shaped by multiple selective pressures from predator avoidance to mate choice. A common pattern across fishes, but for which we know little about the underlying mechanisms, is repeated melanic vertical bars. To understand the genetic factors that modify the level or pattern of vertical barring, we generated a genetic cross of 322 F2 hybrids between two cichlid species with distinct barring patterns, Aulonocara koningsi and Metriaclima mbenjii. We identify 48 significant quantitative trait loci that underlie a series of seven phenotypes related to the relative pigmentation intensity, and four traits related to patterning of the vertical bars. We find that genomic regions that generate variation in the level of eumelanin produced are largely independent of those that control the spacing of vertical bars. Candidate genes within these intervals include novel genes and those newly-associated with vertical bars, which could affect melanophore survival, fate decisions, pigment biosynthesis, and pigment distribution. Together, this work provides insights into the regulation of pigment diversity, with direct implications for an animal's fitness and the speciation process.
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Affiliation(s)
- A. Allyson Brandon
- Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, United States of America
| | - Cassia Michael
- Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, United States of America
| | - Aldo Carmona Baez
- Department of Biological Sciences, Genetics and Genomics Academy, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Emily C. Moore
- Department of Biological Sciences, Genetics and Genomics Academy, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Patrick J. Ciccotto
- Department of Biology, Warren Wilson College, Swannanoa, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Natalie B. Roberts
- Department of Biological Sciences, Genetics and Genomics Academy, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Reade B. Roberts
- Department of Biological Sciences, Genetics and Genomics Academy, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Kara E. Powder
- Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, United States of America
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VanKuren NW, Chen J, Long M. Sexual conflict drive in the rapid evolution of new gametogenesis genes. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2024; 159-160:27-37. [PMID: 38309142 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2024.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2023] [Revised: 01/19/2024] [Accepted: 01/19/2024] [Indexed: 02/05/2024]
Abstract
The evolutionary forces underlying the rapid evolution in sequences and functions of new genes remain a mystery. Adaptation by natural selection explains the evolution of some new genes. However, many new genes perform sex-biased functions that have rapidly evolved over short evolutionary time scales, suggesting that new gene evolution may often be driven by conflicting selective pressures on males and females. It is well established that such sexual conflict (SC) plays a central role in maintaining phenotypic and genetic variation within populations, but the role of SC in driving new gene evolution remains essentially unknown. This review explores the connections between SC and new gene evolution through discussions of the concept of SC, the phenotypic and genetic signatures of SC in evolving populations, and the molecular mechanisms by which SC could drive the evolution of new genes. We synthesize recent work in this area with a discussion of the case of Apollo and Artemis, two extremely young genes (<200,000 years) in Drosophila melanogaster, which offered the first empirical insights into the evolutionary process by which SC could drive the evolution of new genes. These new duplicate genes exhibit the hallmarks of sexually antagonistic selection: rapid DNA and protein sequence evolution, essential sex-specific functions in gametogenesis, and complementary sex-biased expression patterns. Importantly, Apollo is essential for male fitness but detrimental to female fitness, while Artemis is essential for female fitness but detrimental to male fitness. These sexually antagonistic fitness effects and complementary changes to expression, sequence, and function suggest that these duplicates were selected for mitigating SC, but that SC has not been fully resolved. Finally, we propose Sexual Conflict Drive as a self-driven model to interpret the rapid evolution of new genes, explain the potential for SC and sexually antagonistic selection to contribute to long-term evolution, and suggest its utility for understanding the rapid evolution of new genes in gametogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas W VanKuren
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, The University of Chicago, United States.
| | - Jianhai Chen
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, The University of Chicago, United States
| | - Manyuan Long
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, The University of Chicago, United States.
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4
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Blackburn GS, Keeling CI, Prunier J, Keena MA, Béliveau C, Hamelin R, Havill NP, Hebert FO, Levesque RC, Cusson M, Porth I. Genetics of flight in spongy moths (Lymantria dispar ssp.): functionally integrated profiling of a complex invasive trait. BMC Genomics 2024; 25:541. [PMID: 38822259 PMCID: PMC11140922 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-023-09936-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2023] [Accepted: 12/22/2023] [Indexed: 06/02/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Flight can drastically enhance dispersal capacity and is a key trait defining the potential of exotic insect species to spread and invade new habitats. The phytophagous European spongy moths (ESM, Lymantria dispar dispar) and Asian spongy moths (ASM; a multi-species group represented here by L. d. asiatica and L. d. japonica), are globally invasive species that vary in adult female flight capability-female ASM are typically flight capable, whereas female ESM are typically flightless. Genetic markers of flight capability would supply a powerful tool for flight profiling of these species at any intercepted life stage. To assess the functional complexity of spongy moth flight and to identify potential markers of flight capability, we used multiple genetic approaches aimed at capturing complementary signals of putative flight-relevant genetic divergence between ESM and ASM: reduced representation genome-wide association studies, whole genome sequence comparisons, and developmental transcriptomics. We then judged the candidacy of flight-associated genes through functional analyses aimed at addressing the proximate demands of flight and salient features of the ecological context of spongy moth flight evolution. RESULTS Candidate gene sets were typically non-overlapping across different genetic approaches, with only nine gene annotations shared between any pair of approaches. We detected an array of flight-relevant functional themes across gene sets that collectively suggest divergence in flight capability between European and Asian spongy moth lineages has coincided with evolutionary differentiation in multiple aspects of flight development, execution, and surrounding life history. Overall, our results indicate that spongy moth flight evolution has shaped or been influenced by a large and functionally broad network of traits. CONCLUSIONS Our study identified a suite of flight-associated genes in spongy moths suited to exploration of the genetic architecture and evolution of flight, or validation for flight profiling purposes. This work illustrates how complementary genetic approaches combined with phenotypically targeted functional analyses can help to characterize genetically complex traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gwylim S Blackburn
- Natural Resources Canada, Pacific Forestry Centre, Canadian Forest Service, 506 Burnside Road West, Victoria, BC, V8Z 1M5, Canada.
- Natural Resources Canada, Laurentian Forestry Centre, Canadian Forest Service, 1055 Rue du PEPS, Quebec City, Québec, G1V 4C7, Canada.
- Department of Wood and Forest Sciences, Laval University, 1030 Avenue de La Médecine, Québec, QC, G1V 0A6, Canada.
| | - Christopher I Keeling
- Natural Resources Canada, Laurentian Forestry Centre, Canadian Forest Service, 1055 Rue du PEPS, Quebec City, Québec, G1V 4C7, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Bioinformatics, Laval University, Québec, QC, G1V 0A6, Canada
| | - Julien Prunier
- Department of Wood and Forest Sciences, Laval University, 1030 Avenue de La Médecine, Québec, QC, G1V 0A6, Canada
- Institute of Integrative Biology and Systems, Laval University, Québec, QC, Canada
| | - Melody A Keena
- United States Department of Agriculture, Northern Research Station, Forest Service, 51 Mill Pond Road, Hamden, CT, 06514, USA
| | - Catherine Béliveau
- Natural Resources Canada, Laurentian Forestry Centre, Canadian Forest Service, 1055 Rue du PEPS, Quebec City, Québec, G1V 4C7, Canada
| | - Richard Hamelin
- Forest Sciences Centre, University of British Columbia, 2424 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC, 3032V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Nathan P Havill
- United States Department of Agriculture, Northern Research Station, Forest Service, 51 Mill Pond Road, Hamden, CT, 06514, USA
| | | | - Roger C Levesque
- Institute of Integrative Biology and Systems, Laval University, Québec, QC, Canada
| | - Michel Cusson
- Natural Resources Canada, Laurentian Forestry Centre, Canadian Forest Service, 1055 Rue du PEPS, Quebec City, Québec, G1V 4C7, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Bioinformatics, Laval University, Québec, QC, G1V 0A6, Canada
| | - Ilga Porth
- Department of Wood and Forest Sciences, Laval University, 1030 Avenue de La Médecine, Québec, QC, G1V 0A6, Canada
- Institute of Integrative Biology and Systems, Laval University, Québec, QC, Canada
- Centre for Forest Research, Laval University, 2405 Rue de La Terrasse, Québec, QC, G1V 0A6, Canada
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Liu DS, Wang XS, Zhong XH, Cao H, Zhang F. Sexual dimorphism in the gut microbiota and sexual dimorphism in chronic diseases: Association or causation? J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol 2024; 237:106451. [PMID: 38154505 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsbmb.2023.106451] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2022] [Revised: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 12/24/2023] [Indexed: 12/30/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the sexual dimorphism in diseases is essential to investigate the pathogenesis of some chronic diseases (e.g., autoimmune diseases, etc). The gut microbiota has been found to show a notable impact on the pathology of several chronic diseases in recent years. Intriguingly, the composition of the gut microbiota varies between sexes. Here, we reviewed 'facts and fiction' regarding sexual dimorphism in chronic diseases and sexual dimorphism in the gut microbiota respectively. The association and causative relationship between them aiming to elucidate the pathological mechanisms of sexual dimorphism in chronic diseases were further explored. The development of gender-special food products based on the sexual dimorphism in the gut microbiota were recommended, which would be beneficial to facilitating the personalized treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dong-Song Liu
- Affiliated Hospital of Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China; Nantong University, Nantong, China
| | - Xue-Song Wang
- Affiliated Hospital of Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China; Nantong University, Nantong, China; Wuxi School of Medicine, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China
| | - Xiao-Hui Zhong
- Wuxi School of Medicine, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China
| | - Hong Cao
- Affiliated Hospital of Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China; Nantong University, Nantong, China; Wuxi School of Medicine, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China.
| | - Feng Zhang
- Affiliated Hospital of Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China; Wuxi School of Medicine, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China.
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Ryu T, Okamoto K, Ansai S, Nakao M, Kumar A, Iguchi T, Ogino Y. Gene Duplication of Androgen Receptor As An Evolutionary Driving Force Underlying the Diversity of Sexual Characteristics in Teleost Fishes. Zoolog Sci 2024; 41:68-76. [PMID: 38587519 DOI: 10.2108/zs230098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2023] [Accepted: 01/15/2024] [Indexed: 04/09/2024]
Abstract
Sexual dimorphism allows species to meet their fitness optima based on the physiological availability of each sex. Although intralocus sexual conflict appears to be a genetic constraint for the evolution of sex-specific traits, sex-linked genes and the regulation of sex steroid hormones contribute to resolving this conflict by allowing sex-specific developments. Androgens and their receptor, androgen receptor (Ar), regulate male-biased phenotypes. In teleost fish, ar ohnologs have emerged as a result of teleost-specific whole genome duplication (TSGD). Recent studies have highlighted the evolutionary differentiation of ar ohnologs responsible for the development of sexual characteristics, which sheds light on the need for comparative studies on androgen regulation among different species. In this review, we discuss the importance of ar signaling as a regulator of male-specific traits in teleost species because teleost species are suitable experimental models for comparative studies owing to their great diversity in male-biased morphological and physiological traits. To date, both in vivo and in vitro studies on teleost ar ohnologs have shown a substantial influence of ars as a regulator of male-specific reproductive traits such as fin elongation, courtship behavior, and nuptial coloration. In addition to these sexual characteristics, ar substantially influences immunity, inducing a sex-biased immune response. This review aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the current state of teleost ar studies and emphasizes the potential of teleost fishes, given their availability, to find molecular evidence about what gives rise to the spectacular diversity among fish species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tsukasa Ryu
- Laboratory of Marine Biochemistry, Graduate School of Bioresource and Bioenvironmental Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
| | - Keigo Okamoto
- Laboratory of Aquatic Molecular Developmental Biology, Graduate School of Bioresource and Bioenvironmental Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
| | - Satoshi Ansai
- Laboratory of Genome Editing Breeding, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan
| | - Miki Nakao
- Laboratory of Marine Biochemistry, Graduate School of Bioresource and Bioenvironmental Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
- Center for Promotion of International Education and Research, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
| | - Anu Kumar
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, CSIRO Environment, PMB2, Glen Osmond, 5064 South Australia, Australia
| | - Taisen Iguchi
- Graduate School of Nanobioscience, Yokohama City University, Yokohama, Kanagawa 236-0027, Japan
- Noto Marine Laboratory, Institute of Nature and Environmental Technology, Kanazawa University, Ishikawa 927-0553, Japan
| | - Yukiko Ogino
- Laboratory of Aquatic Molecular Developmental Biology, Graduate School of Bioresource and Bioenvironmental Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan,
- Center for Promotion of International Education and Research, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
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Sánchez-Baizán N, Jarne-Sanz I, Roco ÁS, Schartl M, Piferrer F. Extraordinary variability in gene activation and repression programs during gonadal sex differentiation across vertebrates. Front Cell Dev Biol 2024; 12:1328365. [PMID: 38322165 PMCID: PMC10844511 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2024.1328365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2023] [Accepted: 01/11/2024] [Indexed: 02/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Genes involved in gonadal sex differentiation have been traditionally thought to be fairly conserved across vertebrates, but this has been lately questioned. Here, we performed the first comparative analysis of gonadal transcriptomes across vertebrates, from fish to mammals. Our results unambiguously show an extraordinary overall variability in gene activation and repression programs without a phylogenetic pattern. During sex differentiation, genes such as dmrt1, sox9, amh, cyp19a and foxl2 were consistently either male- or female-enriched across species while many genes with the greatest expression change within each sex were not. We also found that downregulation in the opposite sex, which had only been quantified in the mouse model, was also prominent in the rest of vertebrates. Finally, we report 16 novel conserved markers (e.g., fshr and dazl) and 11 signaling pathways. We propose viewing vertebrate gonadal sex differentiation as a hierarchical network, with conserved hub genes such as sox9 and amh alongside less connected and less conserved nodes. This proposed framework implies that evolutionary pressures may impact genes based on their level of connectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Núria Sánchez-Baizán
- Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM), Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ignasi Jarne-Sanz
- Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM), Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Álvaro S. Roco
- Developmental Biochemistry, Biocenter, University of Wuerzburg, Wuerzburg, Germany
- Department of Experimental Biology, Faculty of Experimental Sciences, University of Jaén, Jaén, Spain
| | - Manfred Schartl
- Developmental Biochemistry, Biocenter, University of Wuerzburg, Wuerzburg, Germany
- Xiphophorus Genetic Stock Center, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX, United States
| | - Francesc Piferrer
- Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM), Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Barcelona, Spain
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Zamora-Camacho FJ. Keep the ball rolling: sexual differences in conglobation behavior of a terrestrial isopod under different degrees of perceived predation pressure. PeerJ 2023; 11:e16696. [PMID: 38144184 PMCID: PMC10740659 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.16696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 12/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Antipredator behaviors are theoretically subjected to a balance by which their display should be minimized when their benefits do not outweigh their costs. Such costs may be not only energetic, but also entail a reduction in the time available for other fitness-enhancing behaviors. However, these behaviors are only beneficial under predation risk. Therefore, antipredator behaviors are predicted to be maximized under strong predation risk. Moreover, predation pressure can differ among individuals according to traits such as sex or body size, if these traits increase vulnerability. Antipredator behaviors are expected to be maximized in individuals whose traits make them more conspicuous to predators. However, how sex, body size and antipredator behaviors interact is not always understood. Methods In this work, I tested the interaction between sex, body size and antipredator behavior in the common pill woodlouse (Armadillidium vulgare), which conglobate (i.e., they roll up their bodies almost conforming a sphere that conceals their appendages) in response to predator attacks. Specifically, I tested whether latency to unroll after a standardized mechanical induction was greater in animals exposed to predator chemical cues (toad feces) than in conspecifics exposed to cues of non-predatory animals (rabbits) or no chemical cues whatsoever (distilled water), incorporating sex and body mass in the analyses. Results In agreement with my prediction, latency to unroll was greater in individuals exposed to predator chemical cues. In other words, these animals engage in conglobation for longer under perceived predator vicinity. However, this result was only true for males. This sexual dimorphism in antipredator behavior could result from males being under greater predation risk than females, thus having evolved more refined antipredator strategies. Indeed, males of this species are known to actively search for females, which makes them more prone to superficial ground mobility, and likely to being detected by predators. Body size was unrelated to latency to unroll. As a whole, these results support the hypothesis that antipredator behavior is tuned to predator cues in a way consistent with a balance between costs and benefits, which might differ between the sexes.
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Tamagawa K, Sunobe T, Makino T, Kawata M. Transcriptomic signatures associated with underlying rapid changes in the early phase brain of bi-directional sex change in Trimma okinawae. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2023; 10:231450. [PMID: 38077214 PMCID: PMC10698487 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.231450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2023] [Accepted: 11/16/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2024]
Abstract
Teleost fish exhibit remarkable sexual plasticity and divergent developmental systems, including sequential hermaphroditism. One of the more fascinating models of sexual plasticity is socially controlled sex change, which is often observed in coral reef fish. The Okinawa rubble goby, Trimma okinawae, is a bi-directional sex-changing fish. It can rapidly change sex in either direction based on social circumstances. Although behavioural and neuroendocrine sex change occurs immediately and is believed to trigger gonadal changes, the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. In this study, we conducted a de novo transcriptome analysis of the T. okinawae brain and identified genes that are differentially expressed between the sexes and genes that were immediately controlled by social stimulation implicating sex change. Several genes showed concordant expression shifts regardless of the sex change direction and were associated with histone modification in nerve cells. These genes are known to function in the neuroendocrine control of reproduction in nerve cells. Overall, we identified genes associated with the initiation of sex change, which provides insight into the regulation of sex change and sexual plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katsunori Tamagawa
- Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8578, Japan
| | - Tomoki Sunobe
- Laboratory of Fish Behavioral Ecology, Tateyama Station, Field Science Center, Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, 670 Banda, Tateyama, Chiba 294-0308, Japan
| | - Takashi Makino
- Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8578, Japan
| | - Masakado Kawata
- Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8578, Japan
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10
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Ji J, Shi Q, Zhang K, Chen L, Zhu X, Li D, Gao X, Niu L, Wang L, Luo J, Cui J. Sexually dimorphic morphology, feeding behavior and gene expression profiles in cotton aphid Aphis gossypii. PEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE 2023; 79:5152-5161. [PMID: 37642384 DOI: 10.1002/ps.7718] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2023] [Revised: 05/23/2023] [Accepted: 08/29/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Sexual dimorphism exists in most insects; however, less is known about sexual dimorphism in aphids. In this study, we identified sexually dimorphic differences in morphology, feeding behavior and gene expression between sexual females and males of the cotton aphid through electron microscopy, electrical penetration graph techniques and RNA sequencing. RESULTS All males were alate with a slender reddish-yellow body and abdominal yellow-black stripes, whereas all sexual females were apterous with a pudgy green body. Sensillum types on the antennae were identical between the two sexes, although males had more sensilla, possibly because the antennae are significantly longer in males compared with sexual females. In terms of feeding behavior, males spent more time probing mesophyll cells and the phloem sieve, and salivating into the phloem sieve. By contrast, sexual females spent more time ingesting xylem sap. In total, 510 and 724 genes were specifically expressed in sexual females and males, respectively, and were significantly enriched in signaling pathways related to reproduction for sexual females (e.g. ovarian steroidogenesis, oxytocin signaling pathway) and energy and flight for males (e.g. thermogenesis, insulin signaling pathway). Moreover, 8551 differentially expressed genes were identified between the two sexes, of which the 3720 upregulated genes in sexual females were mostly enriched in signaling pathways of metabolism and energy, such as thermogenesis and the citrate cycle. CONCLUSION This study provides insight into sexual dimorphism in aphids and lays a foundation for revealing the molecular mechanism underlying differences between the two sexes in cotton aphid. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jichao Ji
- Zhengzhou Research Base, National Key Laboratory of Cotton Bio-breeding and Integrated Utilization, School of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
- National Key Laboratory of Cotton Bio-breeding and Integrated Utilization, Institute of Cotton Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Anyang, China
- Western Agricultural Research Center, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changji, China
| | - Qingyu Shi
- National Key Laboratory of Cotton Bio-breeding and Integrated Utilization, Institute of Cotton Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Anyang, China
| | - Kaixin Zhang
- Zhengzhou Research Base, National Key Laboratory of Cotton Bio-breeding and Integrated Utilization, School of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
- National Key Laboratory of Cotton Bio-breeding and Integrated Utilization, Institute of Cotton Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Anyang, China
- Western Agricultural Research Center, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changji, China
| | - Lulu Chen
- College of Agronomy, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi, China
| | - Xiangzhen Zhu
- Zhengzhou Research Base, National Key Laboratory of Cotton Bio-breeding and Integrated Utilization, School of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
- National Key Laboratory of Cotton Bio-breeding and Integrated Utilization, Institute of Cotton Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Anyang, China
- Western Agricultural Research Center, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changji, China
| | - Dongyang Li
- Zhengzhou Research Base, National Key Laboratory of Cotton Bio-breeding and Integrated Utilization, School of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
- National Key Laboratory of Cotton Bio-breeding and Integrated Utilization, Institute of Cotton Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Anyang, China
- Western Agricultural Research Center, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changji, China
| | - Xueke Gao
- Zhengzhou Research Base, National Key Laboratory of Cotton Bio-breeding and Integrated Utilization, School of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
- National Key Laboratory of Cotton Bio-breeding and Integrated Utilization, Institute of Cotton Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Anyang, China
- Western Agricultural Research Center, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changji, China
| | - Lin Niu
- Zhengzhou Research Base, National Key Laboratory of Cotton Bio-breeding and Integrated Utilization, School of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
- National Key Laboratory of Cotton Bio-breeding and Integrated Utilization, Institute of Cotton Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Anyang, China
- Western Agricultural Research Center, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changji, China
| | - Li Wang
- Zhengzhou Research Base, National Key Laboratory of Cotton Bio-breeding and Integrated Utilization, School of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
- National Key Laboratory of Cotton Bio-breeding and Integrated Utilization, Institute of Cotton Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Anyang, China
- Western Agricultural Research Center, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changji, China
| | - Junyu Luo
- Zhengzhou Research Base, National Key Laboratory of Cotton Bio-breeding and Integrated Utilization, School of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
- National Key Laboratory of Cotton Bio-breeding and Integrated Utilization, Institute of Cotton Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Anyang, China
- Western Agricultural Research Center, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changji, China
| | - Jinjie Cui
- Zhengzhou Research Base, National Key Laboratory of Cotton Bio-breeding and Integrated Utilization, School of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
- National Key Laboratory of Cotton Bio-breeding and Integrated Utilization, Institute of Cotton Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Anyang, China
- Western Agricultural Research Center, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changji, China
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11
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Erlenbach T, Haynes L, Fish O, Beveridge J, Giambrone S, Reed LK, Dyer KA, Scott Chialvo CH. Investigating the phylogenetic history of toxin tolerance in mushroom-feeding Drosophila. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10736. [PMID: 38099137 PMCID: PMC10719611 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2023] [Revised: 11/01/2023] [Accepted: 11/02/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Understanding how and when key novel adaptations evolved is a central goal of evolutionary biology. Within the immigrans-tripunctata radiation of Drosophila, many mushroom-feeding species are tolerant of host toxins, such as cyclopeptides, that are lethal to nearly all other eukaryotes. In this study, we used phylogenetic and functional approaches to investigate the evolution of cyclopeptide tolerance in the immigrans-tripunctata radiation of Drosophila. First, we inferred the evolutionary relationships among 48 species in this radiation using 978 single copy orthologs. Our results resolved previous incongruities within species groups across the phylogeny. Second, we expanded on previous studies of toxin tolerance by assaying 16 of these species for tolerance to α-amanitin and found that six of them could develop on diet with toxin. Finally, we asked how α-amanitin tolerance might have evolved across the immigrans-tripunctata radiation, and inferred that toxin tolerance was ancestral in mushroom-feeding Drosophila and subsequently lost multiple times. Our findings expand our understanding of toxin tolerance across the immigrans-tripunctata radiation and emphasize the uniqueness of toxin tolerance in this adaptive radiation and the complexity of biochemical adaptations.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lauren Haynes
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of AlabamaTuscaloosaAlabamaUSA
| | - Olivia Fish
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of AlabamaTuscaloosaAlabamaUSA
| | - Jordan Beveridge
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of AlabamaTuscaloosaAlabamaUSA
| | | | - Laura K. Reed
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of AlabamaTuscaloosaAlabamaUSA
| | - Kelly A. Dyer
- Department of GeneticsUniversity of GeorgiaAthensGeorgiaUSA
| | - Clare H. Scott Chialvo
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of AlabamaTuscaloosaAlabamaUSA
- Department of BiologyAppalachian State UniversityBooneNorth CarolinaUSA
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12
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Robinson CD, Hale MD, Wittman TN, Cox CL, John-Alder HB, Cox RM. Species differences in hormonally mediated gene expression underlie the evolutionary loss of sexually dimorphic coloration in Sceloporus lizards. J Hered 2023; 114:637-653. [PMID: 37498153 DOI: 10.1093/jhered/esad046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 07/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Phenotypic sexual dimorphism often involves the hormonal regulation of sex-biased expression for underlying genes. However, it is generally unknown whether the evolution of hormonally mediated sexual dimorphism occurs through upstream changes in tissue sensitivity to hormone signals, downstream changes in responsiveness of target genes, or both. Here, we use comparative transcriptomics to explore these possibilities in 2 species of Sceloporus lizards exhibiting different patterns of sexual dichromatism. Sexually dimorphic S. undulatus develops blue and black ventral coloration in response to testosterone, while sexually monomorphic S. virgatus does not, despite exhibiting similar sex differences in circulating testosterone levels. We administered testosterone implants to juveniles of each species and used RNAseq to quantify gene expression in ventral skin. Transcriptome-wide responses to testosterone were stronger in S. undulatus than in S. virgatus, suggesting species differences in tissue sensitivity to this hormone signal. Species differences in the expression of genes for androgen metabolism and sex hormone-binding globulin were consistent with this idea, but expression of the androgen receptor gene was higher in S. virgatus, complicating this interpretation. Downstream of androgen signaling, we found clear species differences in hormonal responsiveness of genes related to melanin synthesis, which were upregulated by testosterone in S. undulatus, but not in S. virgatus. Collectively, our results indicate that hormonal regulation of melanin synthesis pathways contributes to the development of sexual dimorphism in S. undulatus, and that changes in the hormonal responsiveness of these genes in S. virgatus contribute to the evolutionary loss of ventral coloration.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Matthew D Hale
- University of Virginia, Department of Biology, Charlottesville, VA, United States
- U.S. Military HIV Research Program, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD, United States
- Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine Inc., Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Tyler N Wittman
- University of Virginia, Department of Biology, Charlottesville, VA, United States
| | - Christian L Cox
- Florida International University, Department of Biological Sciences and Institute of Environment, Miami, FL, United States
| | - Henry B John-Alder
- Rutgers University, Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources, New Brunswick, NJ, United States
| | - Robert M Cox
- University of Virginia, Department of Biology, Charlottesville, VA, United States
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13
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Rodríguez-Montes L, Ovchinnikova S, Yuan X, Studer T, Sarropoulos I, Anders S, Kaessmann H, Cardoso-Moreira M. Sex-biased gene expression across mammalian organ development and evolution. Science 2023; 382:eadf1046. [PMID: 37917687 PMCID: PMC7615307 DOI: 10.1126/science.adf1046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2022] [Accepted: 09/18/2023] [Indexed: 11/04/2023]
Abstract
Sexually dimorphic traits are common among mammals and are specified during development through the deployment of sex-specific genetic programs. Because little is known about these programs, we investigated them using a resource of gene expression profiles in males and females throughout the development of five organs in five mammals (human, mouse, rat, rabbit, and opossum) and a bird (chicken). We found that sex-biased gene expression varied considerably across organs and species and was often cell-type specific. Sex differences increased abruptly around sexual maturity instead of increasing gradually during organ development. Finally, sex-biased gene expression evolved rapidly at the gene level, with differences between organs in the evolutionary mechanisms used, but more slowly at the cellular level, with the same cell types being sexually dimorphic across species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leticia Rodríguez-Montes
- Center for Molecular Biology of Heidelberg University (ZMBH), DKFZ-ZMBH Alliance, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | | | - Xuefei Yuan
- Center for Molecular Biology of Heidelberg University (ZMBH), DKFZ-ZMBH Alliance, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Tania Studer
- Center for Molecular Biology of Heidelberg University (ZMBH), DKFZ-ZMBH Alliance, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Ioannis Sarropoulos
- Center for Molecular Biology of Heidelberg University (ZMBH), DKFZ-ZMBH Alliance, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Simon Anders
- BioQuant, Heidelberg University, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Henrik Kaessmann
- Center for Molecular Biology of Heidelberg University (ZMBH), DKFZ-ZMBH Alliance, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
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14
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Otte M, Netschitailo O, Weidtkamp-Peters S, Seidel CA, Beye M. Recognition of polymorphic Csd proteins determines sex in the honeybee. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadg4239. [PMID: 37792946 PMCID: PMC10550236 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adg4239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2022] [Accepted: 09/05/2023] [Indexed: 10/06/2023]
Abstract
Sex in honeybees, Apis mellifera, is genetically determined by heterozygous versus homo/hemizygous genotypes involving numerous alleles at the single complementary sex determination locus. The molecular mechanism of sex determination is however unknown because there are more than 4950 known possible allele combinations, but only two sexes in the species. We show how protein variants expressed from complementary sex determiner (csd) gene determine sex. In females, the amino acid differences between Csd variants at the potential-specifying domain (PSD) direct the selection of a conserved coiled-coil domain for binding and protein complexation. This recognition mechanism activates Csd proteins and, thus, the female pathway. In males, the absence of polymorphisms establishes other binding elements at PSD for binding and complexation of identical Csd proteins. This second recognition mechanism inactivates Csd proteins and commits male development via default pathway. Our results demonstrate that the recognition of different versus identical variants of a single protein is a mechanism to determine sex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marianne Otte
- Institute of Evolutionary Genetics, Heinrich-Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Oksana Netschitailo
- Institute of Evolutionary Genetics, Heinrich-Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | | | - Claus A. M. Seidel
- Institut für Physikalische Chemie, Heinrich-Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Martin Beye
- Institute of Evolutionary Genetics, Heinrich-Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany
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15
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Salamanna F, Contartese D, Borsari V, Pagani S, Sartori M, Tschon M, Griffoni C, Giavaresi G, Tedesco G, Barbanti Brodano G, Gasbarrini A, Fini M. Gender-Specific Differences in Human Vertebral Bone Marrow Clot. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:11856. [PMID: 37511617 PMCID: PMC10380734 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241411856] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2023] [Revised: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 07/22/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Recently, our group described the application of vertebral bone marrow (vBMA) clot as a cell therapy strategy for spinal fusion. Its beneficial effects were confirmed in aging-associated processes, but the influence of gender is unknown. In this study, we compared the biological properties of vBMA clots and derived vertebral mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from female and male patients undergoing spinal fusion procedures and treated with vBMA clot. We analyzed the expression of growth factors (GFs) in vBMA clots and MSCs as well as morphology, viability, doubling time, markers expression, clonogenicity, differentiation ability, senescence factors, Klotho expression, and HOX and TALE gene profiles from female and male donors. Our findings indicate that vBMA clots and derived MSCs from males had higher expression of GFs and greater osteogenic and chondrogenic potential compared to female patients. Additionally, vBMA-clot-derived MSCs from female and male donors exhibited distinct levels of HOX and TALE gene expression. Specifically, HOXA1, HOXB8, HOXD9, HOXA11, and PBX1 genes were upregulated in MSCs derived from clotted vBMA from male donors. These results demonstrate that vBMA clots can be effectively used for spinal fusion procedures; however, gender-related differences should be taken into consideration when utilizing vBMA-clot-based studies to optimize the design and implementation of this cell therapy strategy in clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Salamanna
- Complex Structure Surgical Sciences and Technologies, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, 40136 Bologna, Italy
| | - Deyanira Contartese
- Complex Structure Surgical Sciences and Technologies, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, 40136 Bologna, Italy
| | - Veronica Borsari
- Complex Structure Surgical Sciences and Technologies, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, 40136 Bologna, Italy
| | - Stefania Pagani
- Complex Structure Surgical Sciences and Technologies, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, 40136 Bologna, Italy
| | - Maria Sartori
- Complex Structure Surgical Sciences and Technologies, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, 40136 Bologna, Italy
| | - Matilde Tschon
- Complex Structure Surgical Sciences and Technologies, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, 40136 Bologna, Italy
| | - Cristiana Griffoni
- Spine Surgery Unit, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, 40136 Bologna, Italy
| | - Gianluca Giavaresi
- Complex Structure Surgical Sciences and Technologies, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, 40136 Bologna, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Tedesco
- Spine Surgery Unit, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, 40136 Bologna, Italy
| | | | | | - Milena Fini
- Scientific Direction, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, 40136 Bologna, Italy
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16
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Brandon AA, Michael C, Carmona Baez A, Moore EC, Ciccotto PJ, Roberts NB, Roberts RB, Powder KE. Distinct genetic origins of eumelanin intensity and barring patterns in cichlid fishes. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.07.02.547430. [PMID: 37461734 PMCID: PMC10349982 DOI: 10.1101/2023.07.02.547430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/25/2023]
Abstract
Pigment patterns are incredibly diverse across vertebrates and are shaped by multiple selective pressures from predator avoidance to mate choice. A common pattern across fishes, but for which we know little about the underlying mechanisms, is repeated melanic vertical bars. In order to understand genetic factors that modify the level or pattern of vertical barring, we generated a genetic cross of 322 F2 hybrids between two cichlid species with distinct barring patterns, Aulonocara koningsi and Metriaclima mbenjii. We identify 48 significant quantitative trait loci that underlie a series of seven phenotypes related to the relative pigmentation intensity, and four traits related to patterning of the vertical bars. We find that genomic regions that generate variation in the level of eumelanin produced are largely independent of those that control the spacing of vertical bars. Candidate genes within these intervals include novel genes and those newly-associated with vertical bars, which could affect melanophore survival, fate decisions, pigment biosynthesis, and pigment distribution. Together, this work provides insights into the regulation of pigment diversity, with direct implications for an animal's fitness and the speciation process.
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Affiliation(s)
- A. Allyson Brandon
- Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA
| | - Cassia Michael
- Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA
| | - Aldo Carmona Baez
- Department of Biological Sciences, and Genetics and Genomics Academy, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
| | - Emily C. Moore
- Department of Biological Sciences, and Genetics and Genomics Academy, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
| | | | - Natalie B. Roberts
- Department of Biological Sciences, and Genetics and Genomics Academy, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
| | - Reade B. Roberts
- Department of Biological Sciences, and Genetics and Genomics Academy, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
| | - Kara E. Powder
- Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA
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17
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De La Paz JS, Buckley HR, Halcrow SE, Techataweewan N, Woodley SJ. Architecture of head and neck soft tissues and associated entheses: An exploration of sexual dimorphism in, and population differences between, New Zealand and Thai individuals. J Anat 2023; 243:110-127. [PMID: 36882366 PMCID: PMC10273350 DOI: 10.1111/joa.13853] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2022] [Revised: 01/24/2023] [Accepted: 02/14/2023] [Indexed: 03/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Understanding the musculoskeletal anatomy of soft tissues of the head and neck is important for surgical applications, biomechanical modelling and management of injuries, such as whiplash. Additionally, analysing sex and population differences in cervical anatomy can inform how biological sex and population variation may impact these anatomical applications. Although some muscles of the head and neck are well-studied, there is limited architectural information that also analyses sex and population variation, for many small cervical soft tissues (muscles and ligaments) and associated entheses (soft tissue attachment sites). Therefore, the aim of this study was to present architectural data (e.g., proximal and distal attachment sites, muscle physiological cross-sectional area, ligament mass, enthesis area) and analyse sex and population differences in soft tissues and entheses associated with sexually dimorphic landmarks on the cranium (nuchal crest and mastoid process) and clavicle (rhomboid fossa). Through the dissection and three-dimensional analysis of 20 donated cadavers from New Zealand (five males, five females; mean age 83 ± 8 years; range 67-93 years) and Thailand (five males, five females; 69 ± 13 years; range 44-87 years), the following soft tissues and their associated entheses were analysed: upper trapezius, semispinalis capitis and the nuchal ligament (nuchal crest); sternocleidomastoid, splenius capitis and longissimus capitis (mastoid process); the clavicular head of pectoralis major, subclavius, sternohyoid and the costoclavicular (rhomboid) ligament (rhomboid fossa). Findings indicate that although muscle, ligament and enthesis sizes were generally similar to previously published data, muscle size was smaller for six of the eight muscles in this study, with only the upper trapezius and subclavius demonstrating similar values to previous studies. Proximal and distal attachment sites were largely consistent with the current research. However, some individuals (six of 20) had proximal upper trapezius attachments on the cranium, with most attaching solely to the nuchal ligament, contrasting with existing literature, which often describes attachment to the occipital bone. With respect to sexual dimorphism, the Thai sample exhibited more sex differences in muscle size than the New Zealand sample, but for enthesis size (area), both samples had the same amount of statistically significant sex differences (5 of 10). Additionally, some significant population differences were found when comparing muscle and enthesis size data between the New Zealand and Thai samples. Despite these findings, no sex or population differences were found for ligament size (mass) in either group. This paper presents new architectural data for several understudied areas of the head and neck, as well as providing analyses on sex and population differences, two areas that have limited representation in anatomy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jade S. De La Paz
- Department of Anatomy, School of Biomedical SciencesUniversity of OtagoDunedinNew Zealand
| | - Hallie R. Buckley
- Department of Anatomy, School of Biomedical SciencesUniversity of OtagoDunedinNew Zealand
| | - Siân E. Halcrow
- Department of Anatomy, School of Biomedical SciencesUniversity of OtagoDunedinNew Zealand
| | | | - Stephanie J. Woodley
- Department of Anatomy, School of Biomedical SciencesUniversity of OtagoDunedinNew Zealand
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18
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Zhou Y, Zhan X, Jin J, Zhou L, Bergman J, Li X, Rousselle MMC, Belles MR, Zhao L, Fang M, Chen J, Fang Q, Kuderna L, Marques-Bonet T, Kitayama H, Hayakawa T, Yao YG, Yang H, Cooper DN, Qi X, Wu DD, Schierup MH, Zhang G. Eighty million years of rapid evolution of the primate Y chromosome. Nat Ecol Evol 2023; 7:1114-1130. [PMID: 37268856 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-022-01974-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2022] [Accepted: 12/15/2022] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
The Y chromosome usually plays a critical role in determining male sex and comprises sequence classes that have experienced unique evolutionary trajectories. Here we generated 19 new primate sex chromosome assemblies, analysed them with 10 existing assemblies and report rapid evolution of the Y chromosome across primates. The pseudoautosomal boundary has shifted at least six times during primate evolution, leading to the formation of a Simiiformes-specific evolutionary stratum and to the independent start of young strata in Catarrhini and Platyrrhini. Different primate lineages experienced different rates of gene loss and structural and chromatin change on their Y chromosomes. Selection on several Y-linked genes has contributed to the evolution of male developmental traits across the primates. Additionally, lineage-specific expansions of ampliconic regions have further increased the diversification of the structure and gene composition of the Y chromosome. Overall, our comprehensive analysis has broadened our knowledge of the evolution of the primate Y chromosome.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Long Zhou
- Centre for Evolutionary & Organismal Biology, and Women's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
- Liangzhu Laboratory, Zhejiang University Medical Center, Hangzhou, China
| | - Juraj Bergman
- Section for Ecoinformatics & Biodiversity, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus C., Denmark
- Bioinformatics Research Centre, Aarhus University, Aarhus C., Denmark
| | - Xuemei Li
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | | | | | - Lan Zhao
- College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
| | | | | | - Qi Fang
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China
| | - Lukas Kuderna
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology (UPF-CSIC), PRBB, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Tomas Marques-Bonet
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology (UPF-CSIC), PRBB, Barcelona, Spain
- Catalan Institution of Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain
- CNAG-CRG, Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), Barcelona, Spain
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Haruka Kitayama
- Graduate School of Environmental Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Takashi Hayakawa
- Faculty of Environmental Earth Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
- Japan Monkey Centre, Inuyama, Japan
| | - Yong-Gang Yao
- Kunming College of Life Science, University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
- Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of Chinese Academy of Sciences & Yunnan Province, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
- Center for Excellence in Animal Evolution and Genetics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
- National Resource Center for Non-Human Primates, Kunming Primate Research Center, and National Research Facility for Phenotypic & Genetic Analysis of Model Animals (Primate Facility), Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
- KIZ-CUHK Joint Laboratory of Bioresources and Molecular Research in Common Diseases, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
| | - Huanming Yang
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- James D. Watson Institute of Genome Sciences, Hangzhou, China
- Guangdong Provincial Academician Workstation of BGI Synthetic Genomics, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China
- The Cancer Hospital of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Zhejiang Cancer Hospital), Institute of Basic Medicine and Cancer (IBMC), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, China
| | - David N Cooper
- Institute of Medical Genetics, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Xiaoguang Qi
- College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
| | - Dong-Dong Wu
- Center for Excellence in Animal Evolution and Genetics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
- National Resource Center for Non-Human Primates, Kunming Primate Research Center, and National Research Facility for Phenotypic & Genetic Analysis of Model Animals (Primate Facility), Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
- KIZ-CUHK Joint Laboratory of Bioresources and Molecular Research in Common Diseases, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
| | | | - Guojie Zhang
- Centre for Evolutionary & Organismal Biology, and Women's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
- Liangzhu Laboratory, Zhejiang University Medical Center, Hangzhou, China.
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China.
- Section for Ecology and Evolution, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
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19
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DeLorenzo L, Mathews D, Brandon AA, Joglekar M, Carmona Baez A, Moore EC, Ciccotto PJ, Roberts NB, Roberts RB, Powder KE. Genetic basis of ecologically relevant body shape variation among four genera of cichlid fishes. Mol Ecol 2023; 32:3975-3988. [PMID: 37161914 PMCID: PMC10502943 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16977] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2021] [Revised: 04/20/2023] [Accepted: 04/26/2023] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Divergence in body shape is one of the most widespread and repeated patterns of morphological variation in fishes and is associated with habitat specification and swimming mechanics. Such ecological diversification is the first stage of the explosive adaptive radiation of cichlid fishes in the East African Rift Lakes. We use two hybrid crosses of cichlids (Metriaclima sp. × Aulonocara sp. and Labidochromis sp. × Labeotropheus sp., >975 animals total) to determine the genetic basis of body shape diversification that is similar to benthic-pelagic divergence across fishes. Using a series of both linear and geometric shape measurements, we identified 34 quantitative trait loci (QTL) that underlie various aspects of body shape variation. These QTL are spread throughout the genome, each explaining 3.2-8.6% of phenotypic variation, and are largely modular. Further, QTL are distinct both between these two crosses of Lake Malawi cichlids and compared to previously identified QTL for body shape in fishes such as sticklebacks. We find that body shape is controlled by many genes of small effect. In all, we find that convergent body shape phenotypes commonly observed across fish clades are most likely due to distinct genetic and molecular mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leah DeLorenzo
- Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA
| | - Destiny Mathews
- Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA
| | - A. Allyson Brandon
- Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA
| | - Mansi Joglekar
- Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA
| | - Aldo Carmona Baez
- Department of Biological Sciences, and Genetics and Genomics Academy, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
| | - Emily C. Moore
- Department of Biological Sciences, and Genetics and Genomics Academy, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
| | - Patrick J. Ciccotto
- Department of Biological Sciences, and Genetics and Genomics Academy, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
- Department of Biology, Warren Wilson College, Swannanoa, NC 28778, USA
| | - Natalie B. Roberts
- Department of Biological Sciences, and Genetics and Genomics Academy, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
| | - Reade B. Roberts
- Department of Biological Sciences, and Genetics and Genomics Academy, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
| | - Kara E. Powder
- Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA
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20
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Romanowska J, Nustad HE, Page CM, Denault WRP, Lee Y, Magnus MC, Haftorn KL, Gjerdevik M, Novakovic B, Saffery R, Gjessing HK, Lyle R, Magnus P, Håberg SE, Jugessur A. The X-factor in ART: does the use of assisted reproductive technologies influence DNA methylation on the X chromosome? Hum Genomics 2023; 17:35. [PMID: 37085889 PMCID: PMC10122315 DOI: 10.1186/s40246-023-00484-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2023] [Accepted: 04/10/2023] [Indexed: 04/23/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Assisted reproductive technologies (ART) may perturb DNA methylation (DNAm) in early embryonic development. Although a handful of epigenome-wide association studies of ART have been published, none have investigated CpGs on the X chromosome. To bridge this knowledge gap, we leveraged one of the largest collections of mother-father-newborn trios of ART and non-ART (natural) conceptions to date to investigate sex-specific DNAm differences on the X chromosome. The discovery cohort consisted of 982 ART and 963 non-ART trios from the Norwegian Mother, Father, and Child Cohort Study (MoBa). To verify our results from the MoBa cohort, we used an external cohort of 149 ART and 58 non-ART neonates from the Australian 'Clinical review of the Health of adults conceived following Assisted Reproductive Technologies' (CHART) study. The Illumina EPIC array was used to measure DNAm in both datasets. In the MoBa cohort, we performed a set of X-chromosome-wide association studies ('XWASs' hereafter) to search for sex-specific DNAm differences between ART and non-ART newborns. We tested several models to investigate the influence of various confounders, including parental DNAm. We also searched for differentially methylated regions (DMRs) and regions of co-methylation flanking the most significant CpGs. Additionally, we ran an analogous model to our main model on the external CHART dataset. RESULTS In the MoBa cohort, we found more differentially methylated CpGs and DMRs in girls than boys. Most of the associations persisted after controlling for parental DNAm and other confounders. Many of the significant CpGs and DMRs were in gene-promoter regions, and several of the genes linked to these CpGs are expressed in tissues relevant for both ART and sex (testis, placenta, and fallopian tube). We found no support for parental DNAm-dependent features as an explanation for the observed associations in the newborns. The most significant CpG in the boys-only analysis was in UBE2DNL, which is expressed in testes but with unknown function. The most significant CpGs in the girls-only analysis were in EIF2S3 and AMOT. These three loci also displayed differential DNAm in the CHART cohort. CONCLUSIONS Genes that co-localized with the significant CpGs and DMRs associated with ART are implicated in several key biological processes (e.g., neurodevelopment) and disorders (e.g., intellectual disability and autism). These connections are particularly compelling in light of previous findings indicating that neurodevelopmental outcomes differ in ART-conceived children compared to those naturally conceived.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Romanowska
- Centre for Fertility and Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway.
- Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
| | - Haakon E Nustad
- Centre for Fertility and Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
- DeepInsight, 0154, Oslo, Norway
| | - Christian M Page
- Centre for Fertility and Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - William R P Denault
- Centre for Fertility and Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Yunsung Lee
- Centre for Fertility and Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
| | - Maria C Magnus
- Centre for Fertility and Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
| | - Kristine L Haftorn
- Centre for Fertility and Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
| | - Miriam Gjerdevik
- Centre for Fertility and Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Computer Science, Electrical Engineering and Mathematical Sciences, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Bergen, Norway
| | - Boris Novakovic
- Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia
- Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Richard Saffery
- Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia
- Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Håkon K Gjessing
- Centre for Fertility and Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Robert Lyle
- Centre for Fertility and Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Medical Genetics, Oslo University Hospital and University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Per Magnus
- Centre for Fertility and Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
| | - Siri E Håberg
- Centre for Fertility and Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
| | - Astanand Jugessur
- Centre for Fertility and Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
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21
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Kyrgiafini MA, Sarafidou T, Giannoulis T, Chatziparasidou A, Christoforidis N, Mamuris Z. Gene-by-Sex Interactions: Genome-Wide Association Study Reveals Five SNPs Associated with Obesity and Overweight in a Male Population. Genes (Basel) 2023; 14:genes14040799. [PMID: 37107557 PMCID: PMC10137758 DOI: 10.3390/genes14040799] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2023] [Revised: 03/23/2023] [Accepted: 03/24/2023] [Indexed: 03/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Obesity is a chronic health problem associated with severe complications and with an increasing prevalence in the Western world. Body-fat composition and distribution are closely associated with obesity, but the human body’s composition is a sexually dimorphic trait, as differences between the two sexes are evident even from fetal life. The effect of sex hormones contributes to this phenomenon. However, studies investigating gene-by-sex interactions for obesity are limited. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to identify single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with obesity and overweight in a male population. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) that included 104 control, 125 overweight, and 61 obese subjects revealed four SNPs associated with overweight (rs7818910, rs7863750, rs1554116, and rs7500401) and one SNP (rs114252547) associated with obesity in males. An in silico functional annotation was subsequently used to further investigate their role. Most of the SNPs were found in genes regulating energy metabolism and homeostasis, and some of them were expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL). These findings contribute to the understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying obesity-related traits, especially in males, and pave the road for future research toward the improvement of the diagnosis and therapy of obese individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria-Anna Kyrgiafini
- Laboratory of Genetics, Comparative and Evolutionary Biology, Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of Thessaly, Viopolis, Mezourlo, 41500 Larissa, Greece
| | - Theologia Sarafidou
- Laboratory of Genetics, Comparative and Evolutionary Biology, Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of Thessaly, Viopolis, Mezourlo, 41500 Larissa, Greece
| | - Themistoklis Giannoulis
- Laboratory of Biology, Genetics and Bioinformatics, Department of Animal Sciences, University of Thessaly, Gaiopolis, 41336 Larissa, Greece
| | - Alexia Chatziparasidou
- Embryolab IVF Unit, St. 173-175 Ethnikis Antistaseos, Kalamaria, 55134 Thessaloniki, Greece
| | | | - Zissis Mamuris
- Laboratory of Genetics, Comparative and Evolutionary Biology, Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of Thessaly, Viopolis, Mezourlo, 41500 Larissa, Greece
- Correspondence:
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22
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Evolutionary differentiation of androgen receptor is responsible for sexual characteristic development in a teleost fish. Nat Commun 2023; 14:1428. [PMID: 36918573 PMCID: PMC10014959 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-37026-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2022] [Accepted: 02/28/2023] [Indexed: 03/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Teleost fishes exhibit complex sexual characteristics in response to androgens, such as fin enlargement and courtship display. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying their evolutionary acquisition remain largely unknown. To address this question, we analyse medaka (Oryzias latipes) mutants deficient in teleost-specific androgen receptor ohnologs (ara and arb). We discovered that neither ar ohnolog was required for spermatogenesis, whilst they appear to be functionally redundant for the courtship display in males. However, both were required for reproductive success: ara for tooth enlargement and the reproductive behaviour eliciting female receptivity, arb for male-specific fin morphogenesis and sexual motivation. We further showed that differences between the two ar ohnologs in their transcription, cellular localisation of their encoded proteins, and their downstream genetic programmes could be responsible for the phenotypic diversity between the ara and arb mutants. These findings suggest that the ar ohnologs have diverged in two ways: first, through the loss of their roles in spermatogenesis and second, through gene duplication followed by functional differentiation that has likely resolved the pleiotropic roles derived from their ancestral gene. Thus, our results provide insights into how genome duplication impacts the massive diversification of sexual characteristics in the teleost lineage.
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23
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The function and evolution of a genetic switch controlling sexually dimorphic eye differentiation in honeybees. Nat Commun 2023; 14:463. [PMID: 36709321 PMCID: PMC9884244 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-36153-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2022] [Accepted: 01/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Animals develop sex-specific morphological structures that are diverse between organisms. However, understanding the developmental and evolutionary mechanisms governing these traits is still limited and largely restricted to DM domain genes, which are conserved, sex-specific developmental regulators identified in genetic models. Here, we report a sex-specific developmental regulator gene, glubschauge (glu) that selectively regulates sexually dimorphic eye differentiation in honeybees. We found that the sex determination gene feminizer (fem) controls sex-specific splicing of glu transcripts, establishing a genetic switch in which Glu proteins with a zinc finger (ZnF) domain are only expressed in females. We showed that female coding sequence was essential and sufficient for partial feminization. Comparative sequence and functional studies revealed that the evolutionary origination of the genetic switch was followed by the mutational origin of the essential ZnF domain. Our results demonstrate that glu is a newly evolved sex-specific genetic switch for region-specific regulation of a dimorphic character.
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24
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Han C, Peng Q, Su X, Xing L, Ji X, Pan Y. A male-specific doublesex isoform reveals an evolutionary pathway of sexual development via distinct alternative splicing mechanisms. Commun Biol 2022; 5:728. [PMID: 35869175 PMCID: PMC9307624 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-03664-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2022] [Accepted: 06/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The doublesex/mab-3 related transcription factor (Dmrt) genes regulate sexual development in metazoans. Studies of the doublesex (dsx) gene in insects, in particular Drosophila melanogaster, reveal that alternative splicing of dsx generates sex-specific Dsx isoforms underlying sexual differentiation. Such a splicing-based mechanism underlying sex-specific Dmrt function is thought to be evolved from a transcription-based mechanism used in non-insect species, but how such transition occurs during evolution is not known. Here we identified a male-specific dsx transcript (dsxM2) through intron retention (IR), in addition to previously identified dsxM and dsxF transcripts through alternative polyadenylation (APA) with mutually exclusive exons. We found that DsxM2 had similarly masculinizing function as DsxM. We also found that the IR-based mechanism generating sex-specific dsx transcripts was conserved from flies to cockroaches. Further analysis of these dsx transcripts suggested an evolutionary pathway from sexually monomorphic to sex-specific dsx via the sequential use of IR-based and APA-based alternative splicing. An ancestral male-specific doublesex isoform, dsxM2, is identified via intron retention, with a masculinizing function weaker than the modern dsxM
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25
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CRISPR/Cas9-Mediated Mutagenesis of Sex-Specific Doublesex Splicing Variants Leads to Sterility in Spodoptera frugiperda, a Global Invasive Pest. Cells 2022; 11:cells11223557. [PMID: 36428986 PMCID: PMC9688123 DOI: 10.3390/cells11223557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2022] [Revised: 11/06/2022] [Accepted: 11/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith), an emerging invasive pest worldwide, has posed a serious agricultural threat to the newly invaded areas. Although somatic sex differentiation is fundamentally conserved among insects, the sex determination cascade in S. frugiperda is largely unknown. In this study, we cloned and functionally characterized Doublesex (dsx), a "molecular switch" modulating sexual dimorphism in S. frugiperda using male- and female-specific isoforms. Given that Lepidoptera is recalcitrant to RNAi, CRISPR/Cas9-mediated mutagenesis was employed to construct S. frugiperda mutants. Specifically, we designed target sites on exons 2, 4, and 5 to eliminate the common, female-specific, and male-specific regions of S. frugiperda dsx (Sfdsx), respectively. As expected, abnormal development of both the external and internal genitalia was observed during the pupal and adult stages. Interestingly, knocking out sex-specific dsx variants in S. frugiperda led to significantly reduced fecundity and fertility in adults of corresponding sex. Our combined results not only confirm the conserved function of dsx in S. frugiperda sex differentiation but also provide empirical evidence for dsx as a potential target for the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) to combat this globally invasive pest in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way.
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26
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Khodursky S, Jiang CS, Zheng EB, Vaughan R, Schrider DR, Zhao L. Sex differences in interindividual gene expression variability across human tissues. PNAS NEXUS 2022; 1:pgac243. [PMID: 36712323 PMCID: PMC9802459 DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgac243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2022] [Accepted: 10/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Understanding phenotypic sex differences has long been a goal of biology from both a medical and evolutionary perspective. Although much attention has been paid to mean differences in phenotype between the sexes, little is known about sex differences in phenotypic variability. To gain insight into sex differences in interindividual variability at the molecular level, we analyzed RNA-seq data from 43 tissues from the Genotype-Tissue Expression project (GTEx). Within each tissue, we identified genes that show sex differences in gene expression variability. We found that these sex-differentially variable (SDV) genes are associated with various important biological functions, including sex hormone response, immune response, and other signaling pathways. By analyzing single-cell RNA sequencing data collected from breast epithelial cells, we found that genes with sex differences in gene expression variability in breast tissue tend to be expressed in a cell-type-specific manner. We looked for an association between SDV expression and Graves' disease, a well-known heavily female-biased disease, and found a significant enrichment of Graves' associated genes among genes with higher variability in females in thyroid tissue. This suggests a possible role for SDV expression in sex-biased disease. We then examined the evolutionary constraints acting on genes with sex differences in variability and found that they exhibit evidence of increased selective constraint. Through analysis of sex-biased eQTL data, we found evidence that SDV expression may have a genetic basis. Finally, we propose a simple evolutionary model for the emergence of SDV expression from sex-specific constraints.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel Khodursky
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Genetics and Genomics, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Caroline S Jiang
- Department of Biostatistics, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Eric B Zheng
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Genetics and Genomics, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Roger Vaughan
- Department of Biostatistics, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Daniel R Schrider
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27514, USA
| | - Li Zhao
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Genetics and Genomics, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
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27
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Potential Involvement of ewsr1-w Gene in Ovarian Development of Chinese Tongue Sole, Cynoglossus semilaevis. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:ani12192503. [PMID: 36230245 PMCID: PMC9559465 DOI: 10.3390/ani12192503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2022] [Revised: 09/09/2022] [Accepted: 09/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Sexual dimorphism is a phenomenon commonly existing in animals. Chinese tongue sole Cynoglossus semilaevis is an economical marine fish with obvious female-biased size dimorphism. So, it is important to explore the molecular mechanism beyond gonadal development for sex control in aquaculture industry. RNA-binding protein Ewing Sarcoma protein-like (ewsr1) gene is important for mouse gonadal development and reproduction, however there are limited studies on this gene in teleost. In this study, two ewsr1 genes were cloned and characterized from C. semilaevis. The ewsr1-w gene, located in W chromosomes, showed female-biased expression during C. semilaevis gonadal development. In addition, knock-down effect and transcriptional regulation of Cs-ewsr1-w further suggested its essential role in ovarian development. This study broadened our understanding on ewsr1 function in teleost, and provided genetic resources for the further development of sex control breeding techniques in C. semilaevis aquaculture. Abstract Ewsr1 encodes a protein that acts as a multifunctional molecule in a variety of cellular processes. The full-length of Cs-ewsr1-w and Cs-ewsr1-z were cloned in Chinese tongue sole (Cynoglossus semilaevis). The open reading frame (ORF) of Cs-ewsr1-w was 1,767 bp that encoded 589 amino acids, while Cs-ewsr1-z was 1,794 bp that encoded 598 amino acids. Real-time PCR assays showed that Cs-ewsr1-w exhibited significant female-biased expression and could be hardly detected in male. It has the most abundant expression in ovaries among eight healthy tissues. Its expression in ovary increased gradually from 90 d to 3 y with C. semilaevis ovarian development and reached the peak at 3 y. After Cs-ewsr1-w knockdown with siRNA interference, several genes related to gonadal development including foxl2, sox9b and pou5f1 were down-regulated in ovarian cell line, suggesting the possible participation of Cs-ewsr1-w in C. semilaevis ovarian development. The dual-luciferase reporter assay revealed that the -733/-154 bp Cs-ewsr1-w promoter fragment exhibited strong transcription activity human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293T cell line. The mutation of a MAF BZIP Transcription Factor K (Mafk) binding site located in this fragment suggested that transcription factor Mafk might play an important role in Cs-ewsr1-w basal transcription. Our results will provide clues on the gene expression level, transcriptional regulation and knock-down effect of ewsr1 gene during ovarian development in teleost.
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28
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The Genetic Basis of Gene Expression Divergence in Antennae of Two Closely Related Moth Species, Helicoverpa armigera and Helicoverpa assulta. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms231710050. [PMID: 36077444 PMCID: PMC9456569 DOI: 10.3390/ijms231710050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2022] [Revised: 08/27/2022] [Accepted: 08/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The closely related species Helicoverpa armigera (H. armigera) and Helicoverpa assulta (H. assulta) have different host plant ranges and share two principal components of sex pheromones but with reversed ratios. The antennae are the main olfactory organ of insects and play a crucial role in host plant selection and mate seeking. However, the genetic basis for gene expression divergence in the antennae of the two species is unclear. We performed an allele-specific expression (ASE) analysis in the antennal transcriptomes of the two species and their F1 hybrids, examining the connection between gene expression divergence and phenotypic differences. The results show that the proportion of genes classified as all cis was higher than that of all trans in males and reversed in females. The contribution of regulatory patterns to gene expression divergence in males was less than that in females, which explained the functional differentiation of male and female antennae. Among the five groups of F1 hybrids, the fertile males from the cross of H. armigera female and H. assulta male had the lowest proportion of misexpressed genes, and the inferred regulatory patterns were more accurate. By using this group of F1 hybrids, we discovered that cis-related regulations play a crucial role in gene expression divergence of sex pheromone perception-related proteins. These results are helpful for understanding how specific changes in the gene expression of olfactory-related genes can contribute to rapid evolutionary changes in important olfactory traits in closely related moths.
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29
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Gao JJ, Barmina O, Thompson A, Kim BY, Suvorov A, Tanaka K, Watabe H, Toda MJ, Chen JM, Katoh TK, Kopp A. Secondary reversion to sexual monomorphism associated with tissue-specific loss of doublesex expression. Evolution 2022; 76:2089-2104. [PMID: 35841603 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14564] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2022] [Revised: 06/23/2022] [Accepted: 06/27/2022] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Animal evolution is characterized by frequent turnover of sexually dimorphic traits-new sex-specific characters are gained, and some ancestral sex-specific characters are lost, in many lineages. In insects, sexual differentiation is predominantly cell autonomous and depends on the expression of the doublesex (dsx) transcription factor. In most cases, cells that transcribe dsx have the potential to undergo sex-specific differentiation, while those that lack dsx expression do not. Consistent with this mode of development, comparative research has shown that the origin of new sex-specific traits can be associated with the origin of new spatial domains of dsx expression. In this report, we examine the opposite situation-a secondary loss of the sex comb, a male-specific grasping structure that develops on the front legs of some drosophilid species. We show that while the origin of the sex comb is linked to an evolutionary gain of dsx expression in the leg, sex comb loss in a newly identified species of Lordiphosa (Drosophilidae) is associated with a secondary loss of dsx expression. We discuss how the developmental control of sexual dimorphism affects the mechanisms by which sex-specific traits can evolve.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jian-Jun Gao
- Yunnan Key Laboratory of Plant Reproductive Adaptation and Evolutionary Ecology, Yunnan University, China.,State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Bioresources in Yunnan, Yunnan University, China
| | - Olga Barmina
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Ammon Thompson
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Bernard Y Kim
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Anton Suvorov
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Kohtaro Tanaka
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Hideaki Watabe
- The Hokkaido University Museum, Kita-10, Nishi-8, Kitaku, Sapporo, 060-0810, Japan
| | - Masanori J Toda
- The Hokkaido University Museum, Kita-10, Nishi-8, Kitaku, Sapporo, 060-0810, Japan
| | - Ji-Min Chen
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Bioresources in Yunnan, Yunnan University, China
| | - Takehiro K Katoh
- Yunnan Key Laboratory of Plant Reproductive Adaptation and Evolutionary Ecology, Yunnan University, China
| | - Artyom Kopp
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
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30
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Deng D, Xing S, Liu X, Ji Q, Zhai Z, Peng W. Transcriptome analysis of sex-biased gene expression in the spotted-wing Drosophila, Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura). G3 GENES|GENOMES|GENETICS 2022; 12:6588685. [PMID: 35587603 PMCID: PMC9339319 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkac127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2022] [Accepted: 05/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Sexual dimorphism occurs widely throughout insects and has profound influences on evolutionary path. Sex-biased genes are considered to account for most of phenotypic differences between sexes. In order to explore the sex-biased genes potentially associated with sexual dimorphism and sexual development in Drosophila suzukii, a major devastating and invasive crop pest, we conducted whole-organism transcriptome profiling and sex-biased gene expression analysis on adults of both sexes. We identified transcripts of genes involved in several sex-specific physiological and functional processes, including transcripts involved in sex determination, reproduction, olfaction, and innate immune signals. A total of 11,360 differentially expressed genes were identified in the comparison, and 1,957 differentially expressed genes were female-biased and 4,231 differentially expressed genes were male-biased. The pathway predominantly enriched for differentially expressed genes was related to spliceosome, which might reflect the differences in the alternative splicing mechanism between males and females. Twenty-two sex determination and 16 sex-related reproduction genes were identified, and expression pattern analysis revealed that the majority of genes were differentially expressed between sexes. Additionally, the differences in sex-specific olfactory and immune processes were analyzed and the sex-biased expression of these genes may play important roles in pheromone and odor detection, and immune response. As a valuable dataset, our sex-specific transcriptomic data can significantly contribute to the fundamental elucidation of the molecular mechanisms of sexual dimorphism in fruit flies, and may provide candidate genes potentially useful for the development of genetic sexing strains, an important tool for sterile insect technique applications against this economically important species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan Deng
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Intestinal Function and Regulation, State Key Laboratory of Developmental Biology of Freshwater Fish, Hunan International Joint Laboratory of Animal Intestinal Ecology and Health, Hunan Normal University , Changsha 410081, China
| | - Shisi Xing
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Intestinal Function and Regulation, State Key Laboratory of Developmental Biology of Freshwater Fish, Hunan International Joint Laboratory of Animal Intestinal Ecology and Health, Hunan Normal University , Changsha 410081, China
| | - Xuxiang Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Key Lab of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology, Ministry of Education, Institute of Biological Control, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University , Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Qinge Ji
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Key Lab of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology, Ministry of Education, Institute of Biological Control, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University , Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Zongzhao Zhai
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Intestinal Function and Regulation, State Key Laboratory of Developmental Biology of Freshwater Fish, Hunan International Joint Laboratory of Animal Intestinal Ecology and Health, Hunan Normal University , Changsha 410081, China
| | - Wei Peng
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Intestinal Function and Regulation, State Key Laboratory of Developmental Biology of Freshwater Fish, Hunan International Joint Laboratory of Animal Intestinal Ecology and Health, Hunan Normal University , Changsha 410081, China
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31
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Masculinizer and Doublesex as Key Factors Regulate Sexual Dimorphism in Ostrinia furnacalis. Cells 2022; 11:cells11142161. [PMID: 35883604 PMCID: PMC9320909 DOI: 10.3390/cells11142161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2022] [Revised: 07/06/2022] [Accepted: 07/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary In animals, sexually dimorphic traits are ubiquitous and play vital roles in reproduction, courtship, and environmental adaptation, especially in insects. In this study, we used the CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing system to generate somatic mutations of the Masculinizer (Masc) and doublesex (dsx) genes in the sex determination pathway of Ostrinia furnacalis. The OfMasc and Ofdsx genes are structural orthologs of the key sex regulation factors in Bombyx mori. Mutation of the OfMasc and Ofdsx genes induced abnormal external genitalia, adult sterility, and sex reversal of sexually dimorphic traits including wing pigmentation, gene expression patterns, and dsx sex-specific splicing. These results demonstrate that the Masc and dsx genes are conserved factors in sexually dimorphic traits, and therefore represent potential target genes in the effort to control O. furnacalis and other lepidopteran pests. Abstract Sex determination is an important and traditional biological process. In Lepidoptera, Masculinizer (Masc) and doublesex (dsx) are the essential genes for sex determination and play critical roles in sexual differentiation and development. The functions of Masc and dsx have been characterized in several model insect species. However, the molecular mechanism and sex determination functions of Masc and dsx in Ostrinia furnacalis, an agricultural pest, are still unknown. Here, we successfully used the CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing system to knock out OfMasc and Ofdsx. Mutation of OfMasc induced male external genital defects and sterility. Disruptions of the Ofdsx common region caused sex-specific defects in the external genitals and adult sterility. In addition, we found that OfMasc and Ofdsx can regulate the pigmentation genes that control wing pigmentation patterns. These results demonstrate that OfMasc and Ofdsx play key roles in the sex determination of O. furnacalis, and suggest novel genetic control approaches for the management of pests, including O. furnacalis.
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Li XY, Mei J, Ge CT, Liu XL, Gui JF. Sex determination mechanisms and sex control approaches in aquaculture animals. SCIENCE CHINA. LIFE SCIENCES 2022; 65:1091-1122. [PMID: 35583710 DOI: 10.1007/s11427-021-2075-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2021] [Accepted: 01/14/2022] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Aquaculture is one of the most efficient modes of animal protein production and plays an important role in global food security. Aquaculture animals exhibit extraordinarily diverse sexual phenotypes and underlying mechanisms, providing an ideal system to perform sex determination research, one of the important areas in life science. Moreover, sex is also one of the most valuable traits because sexual dimorphism in growth, size, and other economic characteristics commonly exist in aquaculture animals. Here, we synthesize current knowledge of sex determination mechanisms, sex chromosome evolution, reproduction strategies, and sexual dimorphism, and also review several approaches for sex control in aquaculture animals, including artificial gynogenesis, application of sex-specific or sex chromosome-linked markers, artificial sex reversal, as well as gene editing. We anticipate that better understanding of sex determination mechanisms and innovation of sex control approaches will facilitate sustainable development of aquaculture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xi-Yin Li
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, The Innovative Academy of Seed Design, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Jie Mei
- College of Fisheries, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Chu-Tian Ge
- College of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Zhejiang Wanli University, Ningbo, 315100, China
| | - Xiao-Li Liu
- Key Laboratory of Tropical & Subtropical Fishery Resource Application & Cultivation of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Pearl River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Guangzhou, 510380, China
| | - Jian-Fang Gui
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, The Innovative Academy of Seed Design, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, China.
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Deep conservation and co-option of programmed cell death facilitates evolution of alternative phenotypes at multiple biological levels. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2022; 145:28-41. [PMID: 35654666 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2022.05.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2021] [Revised: 03/04/2022] [Accepted: 05/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Alternative phenotypes, such as polyphenisms and sexual dimorphisms, are widespread in nature and appear at all levels of biological organization, from genes and cells to morphology and behavior. Yet, our understanding of the mechanisms through which alternative phenotypes develop and how they evolve remains understudied. In this review, we explore the association between alternative phenotypes and programmed cell death, a mechanism responsible for the elimination of superfluous cells during development. We discuss the ancient origins and deep conservation of programmed cell death (its function, forms and underlying core regulatory gene networks), and propose that it was co-opted repeatedly to generate alternative phenotypes at the level of cells, tissues, organs, external morphology, and even individuals. We review several examples from across the tree of life to explore the conditions under which programmed cell death is likely to facilitate the evolution of alternative phenotypes.
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34
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Jay P, Joron M. The double game of chromosomal inversions in a neotropical butterfly. C R Biol 2022; 345:57-73. [DOI: 10.5802/crbiol.73] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2022] [Accepted: 01/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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35
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Penn DJ, Zala SM, Luzynski KC. Regulation of Sexually Dimorphic Expression of Major Urinary Proteins. Front Physiol 2022; 13:822073. [PMID: 35431992 PMCID: PMC9008510 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2022.822073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2021] [Accepted: 02/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Male house mice excrete large amounts of protein in their urinary scent marks, mainly composed of Major Urinary Proteins (MUPs), and these lipocalins function as pheromones and pheromone carriers. Here, we review studies on sexually dimorphic MUP expression in house mice, including the proximate mechanisms controlling MUP gene expression and their adaptive functions. Males excrete 2 to 8 times more urinary protein than females, though there is enormous variation in gene expression across loci in both sexes. MUP expression is dynamically regulated depending upon a variety of factors. Males regulate MUP expression according to social status, whereas females do not, and males regulate expression depending upon health and condition. Male-biased MUP expression is regulated by pituitary secretion of growth hormone (GH), which binds receptors in the liver, activating the JAK2-STAT5 signaling pathway, chromatin accessibility, and MUP gene transcription. Pulsatile male GH secretion is feminized by several factors, including caloric restriction, microbiota depletion, and aging, which helps explain condition-dependent MUP expression. If MUP production has sex-specific fitness optima, then this should generate sexual antagonism over allelic expression (intra-locus sexual conflict) selectively favoring sexually dimorphic expression. MUPs influence the sexual attractiveness of male urinary odor and increased urinary protein excretion is correlated with the reproductive success of males but not females. This finding could explain the selective maintenance of sexually dimorphic MUP expression. Producing MUPs entails energetic costs, but increased excretion may reduce the net energetic costs and predation risks from male scent marking as well as prolong the release of chemical signals. MUPs may also provide physiological benefits, including regulating metabolic rate and toxin removal, which may have sex-specific effects on survival. A phylogenetic analysis on the origins of male-biased MUP gene expression in Mus musculus suggests that this sexual dimorphism evolved by increasing male MUP expression rather than reducing female expression.
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Paris JR, Whiting JR, Daniel MJ, Ferrer Obiol J, Parsons PJ, van der Zee MJ, Wheat CW, Hughes KA, Fraser BA. A large and diverse autosomal haplotype is associated with sex-linked colour polymorphism in the guppy. Nat Commun 2022; 13:1233. [PMID: 35264556 PMCID: PMC8907176 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-28895-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2021] [Accepted: 02/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Male colour patterns of the Trinidadian guppy (Poecilia reticulata) are typified by extreme variation governed by both natural and sexual selection. Since guppy colour patterns are often inherited faithfully from fathers to sons, it has been hypothesised that many of the colour trait genes must be physically linked to sex determining loci as a ‘supergene’ on the sex chromosome. Here, we phenotype and genotype four guppy ‘Iso-Y lines’, where colour was inherited along the patriline for 40 generations. Using an unbiased phenotyping method, we confirm the breeding design was successful in creating four distinct colour patterns. We find that genetic differentiation among the Iso-Y lines is repeatedly associated with a diverse haplotype on an autosome (LG1), not the sex chromosome (LG12). Moreover, the LG1 haplotype exhibits elevated linkage disequilibrium and evidence of sex-specific diversity in the natural source population. We hypothesise that colour pattern polymorphism is driven by Y-autosome epistasis. Extreme colour pattern variation in male Trinidadian guppies are influenced by natural selection and sexual selection. Here, the authors phenotype and genotype four guppy lineages finding that colour pattern is associated with a diverse haplotype on an autosome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josephine R Paris
- Department of Biosciences, University of Exeter, Stocker Road, Exeter, EX4 4QD, UK.
| | - James R Whiting
- Department of Biosciences, University of Exeter, Stocker Road, Exeter, EX4 4QD, UK
| | - Mitchel J Daniel
- Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, 319 Stadium Drive, Tallahassee, FL, 32304, USA
| | - Joan Ferrer Obiol
- Departament de Microbiologia, Genètica i Estadística and Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Paul J Parsons
- Department of Biosciences, University of Exeter, Stocker Road, Exeter, EX4 4QD, UK.,NERC Environmental Omics Facility, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK
| | - Mijke J van der Zee
- Department of Biosciences, University of Exeter, Stocker Road, Exeter, EX4 4QD, UK
| | | | - Kimberly A Hughes
- Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, 319 Stadium Drive, Tallahassee, FL, 32304, USA
| | - Bonnie A Fraser
- Department of Biosciences, University of Exeter, Stocker Road, Exeter, EX4 4QD, UK
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37
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Wang Z, Meng N, Wang Y, Zhou T, Li M, Wang S, Chen S, Zheng H, Kong S, Wang H, Yan W. Ablation of the miR-465 Cluster Causes a Skewed Sex Ratio in Mice. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2022; 13:893854. [PMID: 35677715 PMCID: PMC9167928 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2022.893854] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2022] [Accepted: 04/11/2022] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
The X-linked miR-465 cluster is highly expressed in the testis, sperm, newborn ovary, and blastocysts as well as in 8-16 cell embryos. However, the physiological role of the miR-465 cluster is still largely unknown. This study aims to dissect the role of the miR-465 cluster in murine development. Despite abundant expression in the testis, ablation of the miR-465 miRNA cluster using CRISPR-Cas9 did not cause infertility. Instead, a skewed sex ratio biased toward males (60% males) was observed among miR-465 KO mice. Further analyses revealed that the female conceptuses selectively degenerated as early as embryonic day 8.5 (E8.5). Small RNA deep sequencing, qPCR, and in situ hybridization analyses revealed that the miRNAs encoded by the miR-465 cluster were mainly localized to the extraembryonic tissue/developing placenta. RNA-seq analyses identified altered mRNA transcriptome characterized by the dysregulation of numerous critical placental genes, e.g., Alkbh1, in the KO conceptuses at E7.5. Taken together, this study showed that the miR-465 cluster is required for normal female placental development, and ablation of the miR-465 cluster leads to a skewed sex ratio with more males (~60%) due to selective degeneration and resorption of the female conceptuses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhuqing Wang
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine, Reno, NV, United States
- The Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, CA, United States
| | - Nan Meng
- Reproductive Medical Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Reproductive Health Research, School of Medicine Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Yue Wang
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine, Reno, NV, United States
- The Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, CA, United States
| | - Tong Zhou
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine, Reno, NV, United States
| | - Musheng Li
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine, Reno, NV, United States
| | - Shawn Wang
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine, Reno, NV, United States
| | - Sheng Chen
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine, Reno, NV, United States
- The Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, CA, United States
| | - Huili Zheng
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine, Reno, NV, United States
- The Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, CA, United States
| | - Shuangbo Kong
- Reproductive Medical Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Reproductive Health Research, School of Medicine Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Haibin Wang
- Reproductive Medical Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Reproductive Health Research, School of Medicine Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Wei Yan
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine, Reno, NV, United States
- The Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, CA, United States
- Department of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
- *Correspondence: Wei Yan,
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38
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Ottenburghs J, Harteman J. Sexually dichromatic hybrids between two monochromatic duck species, the Chiloé wigeon and the Philippine duck. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:16409-16412. [PMID: 34938444 PMCID: PMC8668737 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2021] [Revised: 09/29/2021] [Accepted: 10/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Captive bird hybrids can provide important data on certain traits, such as hybrid viability and fertility. In this paper, we describe four hybrids between the Chiloé wigeon (Anas sibilatrix) and the Philippine duck (Anas luzonica). These two species diverged about 13 million years ago and are found on different continents, making the occurrence of wild hybrids extremely unlikely. Hence, these captive hybrids provide a unique opportunity to learn more about the outcome of hybridization between these highly divergent species. One pair of hybrids mated and produced six unfertilized eggs, suggesting that hybrids between these species are infertile. Morphologically, the hybrids were slightly larger than the parental species, but had intermediate bill lengths. With regard to plumage patterns, the hybrids displayed characteristics of both parental species: Males developed the iridescent green head pattern of the Chiloé wigeon, whereas the females showed the dark crown and eye stripe of the Philippine duck. Interestingly, Chiloé wigeon and Philippine duck are both sexually monochromatic whereas the hybrids showed clear sexual dimorphism. These hybrids can thus lead to novel insights into the genetic and developmental basis of sexual mono- and dichromatism in ducks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jente Ottenburghs
- Wildlife Ecology and ConservationWageningen University & ResearchWageningenThe Netherlands
- Forest Ecology and Forest ManagementWageningen University & ResearchWageningenThe Netherlands
| | - Jan Harteman
- Harteman Wildfowl AviariesWinssenThe Netherlands
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39
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Pinto JA, Araujo JM, Gómez HL. Sex, immunity, and cancer. Biochim Biophys Acta Rev Cancer 2021; 1877:188647. [PMID: 34767966 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbcan.2021.188647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2021] [Revised: 11/03/2021] [Accepted: 11/04/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The composition of the tumor microenvironment is the complex result of the interaction between tumoral and host factors. Since there are several differences in the regulation of gene circuits between sexes, mainly influenced by sex hormones, the tumor-host interaction presents some differences, leading tumors to evolve under different conditions. Nowadays, it is well known the existence of sexual dimorphism in the regulation of the immune system, where women present an improved immunity to various infectious agents and, on the other hand, a higher incidence of autoimmune diseases than men. In oncology, differences in cancer susceptibility, response to treatment, and clinical outcomes between men and women patients are well known. Recently, sex-specific differences have also been reported in mutations in driver genes and the prognostic value of several biomarkers. Sex has been a widely forgotten biomarker in cancer therapy, but it has recently acquired great relevance due to the different results seen in immunotherapy treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph A Pinto
- Escuela de Medicina Humana-Filial Ica, Universidad Privada San Juan Bautista, Panamericana Sur Km. 305, 11004 Ica, Peru.
| | - Jhajaira M Araujo
- Centro de Investigación Básica y Traslacional, AUNA-Ideas, Guardia Civil 571, San Borja, Lima 41, Peru
| | - Henry L Gómez
- Departamento de Medicina Oncológica, Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Neoplásicas, Av. Angamos Este 2520, Surquillo, Lima 34, Peru
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40
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Gamache I, Legault MA, Grenier JC, Sanchez R, Rhéaume E, Asgari S, Barhdadi A, Zada YF, Trochet H, Luo Y, Lecca L, Murray M, Raychaudhuri S, Tardif JC, Dubé MP, Hussin J. A sex-specific evolutionary interaction between ADCY9 and CETP. eLife 2021; 10:69198. [PMID: 34609279 PMCID: PMC8594919 DOI: 10.7554/elife.69198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2021] [Accepted: 10/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Pharmacogenomic studies have revealed associations between rs1967309 in the adenylyl cyclase type 9 (ADCY9) gene and clinical responses to the cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) modulator dalcetrapib, however, the mechanism behind this interaction is still unknown. Here, we characterized selective signals at the locus associated with the pharmacogenomic response in human populations and we show that rs1967309 region exhibits signatures of positive selection in several human populations. Furthermore, we identified a variant in CETP, rs158477, which is in long-range linkage disequilibrium with rs1967309 in the Peruvian population. The signal is mainly seen in males, a sex-specific result that is replicated in the LIMAA cohort of over 3400 Peruvians. Analyses of RNA-seq data further suggest an epistatic interaction on CETP expression levels between the two SNPs in multiple tissues, which also differs between males and females. We also detected interaction effects of the two SNPs with sex on cardiovascular phenotypes in the UK Biobank, in line with the sex-specific genotype associations found in Peruvians at these loci. We propose that ADCY9 and CETP coevolved during recent human evolution due to sex-specific selection, which points toward a biological link between dalcetrapib’s pharmacogene ADCY9 and its therapeutic target CETP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabel Gamache
- Université de Montréal, Montréal, Canada.,Montreal Heart Institute, Montréal, Canada
| | - Marc-André Legault
- Université de Montréal, Montréal, Canada.,Montreal Heart Institute, Montréal, Canada.,Université de Montréal Beaulieu-Saucier Pharmacogenomics Centre, Montréal, Canada
| | | | | | - Eric Rhéaume
- Université de Montréal, Montréal, Canada.,Montreal Heart Institute, Montréal, Canada
| | - Samira Asgari
- Center for Data Sciences, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States.,Program in Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, United States
| | - Amina Barhdadi
- Montreal Heart Institute, Montréal, Canada.,Université de Montréal Beaulieu-Saucier Pharmacogenomics Centre, Montréal, Canada
| | - Yassamin Feroz Zada
- Université de Montréal Beaulieu-Saucier Pharmacogenomics Centre, Montréal, Canada
| | - Holly Trochet
- Université de Montréal, Montréal, Canada.,Montreal Heart Institute, Montréal, Canada
| | - Yang Luo
- Center for Data Sciences, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States.,Program in Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, United States
| | - Leonid Lecca
- Socios En Salud, Lima, Peru.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States
| | - Megan Murray
- Center for Data Sciences, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States
| | - Soumya Raychaudhuri
- Center for Data Sciences, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States.,Program in Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, United States.,Centre for Genetics and Genomics Versus Arthritis, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom.,Department of Biomedical Informatics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States.,Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States
| | - Jean-Claude Tardif
- Université de Montréal, Montréal, Canada.,Montreal Heart Institute, Montréal, Canada
| | - Marie-Pierre Dubé
- Université de Montréal, Montréal, Canada.,Montreal Heart Institute, Montréal, Canada.,Université de Montréal Beaulieu-Saucier Pharmacogenomics Centre, Montréal, Canada
| | - Julie Hussin
- Université de Montréal, Montréal, Canada.,Montreal Heart Institute, Montréal, Canada
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41
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Mank JE, Rideout EJ. Developmental mechanisms of sex differences: from cells to organisms. Development 2021; 148:272484. [PMID: 34647574 DOI: 10.1242/dev.199750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Male-female differences in many developmental mechanisms lead to the formation of two morphologically and physiologically distinct sexes. Although this is expected for traits with prominent differences between the sexes, such as the gonads, sex-specific processes also contribute to traits without obvious male-female differences, such as the intestine. Here, we review sex differences in developmental mechanisms that operate at several levels of biological complexity - molecular, cellular, organ and organismal - and discuss how these differences influence organ formation, function and whole-body physiology. Together, the examples we highlight show that one simple way to gain a more accurate and comprehensive understanding of animal development is to include both sexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Judith E Mank
- Department of Zoology, Biodiversity Research Centre, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada.,Biosciences, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn TR10 9FE, UK
| | - Elizabeth J Rideout
- Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences, Life Sciences Institute, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada
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Hernández DG, Rivera C, Cande J, Zhou B, Stern DL, Berman GJ. A framework for studying behavioral evolution by reconstructing ancestral repertoires. eLife 2021; 10:e61806. [PMID: 34473052 PMCID: PMC8445618 DOI: 10.7554/elife.61806] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2020] [Accepted: 09/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Although different animal species often exhibit extensive variation in many behaviors, typically scientists examine one or a small number of behaviors in any single study. Here, we propose a new framework to simultaneously study the evolution of many behaviors. We measured the behavioral repertoire of individuals from six species of fruit flies using unsupervised techniques and identified all stereotyped movements exhibited by each species. We then fit a Generalized Linear Mixed Model to estimate the intra- and inter-species behavioral covariances, and, by using the known phylogenetic relationships among species, we estimated the (unobserved) behaviors exhibited by ancestral species. We found that much of intra-specific behavioral variation has a similar covariance structure to previously described long-time scale variation in an individual's behavior, suggesting that much of the measured variation between individuals of a single species in our assay reflects differences in the status of neural networks, rather than genetic or developmental differences between individuals. We then propose a method to identify groups of behaviors that appear to have evolved in a correlated manner, illustrating how sets of behaviors, rather than individual behaviors, likely evolved. Our approach provides a new framework for identifying co-evolving behaviors and may provide new opportunities to study the mechanistic basis of behavioral evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Damián G Hernández
- Department of Physics, Emory UniversityAtlantaUnited States
- Department of Medical Physics, Centro Atómico Bariloche and Instituto BalseiroBarilocheArgentina
| | | | - Jessica Cande
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical InstituteAshburnUnited States
| | - Baohua Zhou
- Department of Physics, Emory UniversityAtlantaUnited States
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale UniversityNew HavenUnited States
| | - David L Stern
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical InstituteAshburnUnited States
| | - Gordon J Berman
- Department of Physics, Emory UniversityAtlantaUnited States
- Department of Biology, Emory UniversityAtlantaUnited States
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Boudinot BE, Moosdorf OTD, Beutel RG, Richter A. Anatomy and evolution of the head of Dorylus helvolus (Formicidae: Dorylinae): Patterns of sex- and caste-limited traits in the sausagefly and the driver ant. J Morphol 2021; 282:1616-1658. [PMID: 34427942 DOI: 10.1002/jmor.21410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2021] [Revised: 08/12/2021] [Accepted: 08/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Ants are highly polyphenic Hymenoptera, with at least three distinct adult forms in the vast majority of species. Their sexual dimorphism, however, is overlooked to the point of being a nearly forgotten phenomenon. Using a multimodal approach, we interrogate the near total head microanatomy of the male of Dorylus helvolus, the "sausagefly," and compare it with the conspecific or near-conspecific female castes, the "driver ants." We found that no specific features were shared uniquely between the workers and males to the exclusion of the queens, indicating independence of male and worker development; males and queens, however, uniquely shared several features. Certain previous generalizations about ant sexual dimorphism are confirmed, while we also discover discrete muscular presences and absences, for which reason we provide a coarse characterization of functional morphology. Based on the unexpected retention of a medial carinate line on the structurally simplified mandible of the male, we postulate a series of developmental processes to explain the patterning of ant mandibles. We invoke functional and anatomical principles to classify sensilla. Critically, we observe an inversion of the expected pattern of male-queen mandible development: male Dorylus mandibles are extremely large while queen mandibles are poorly developed. To explain this, we posit that the reproductive-limited mandible phenotype is canalized in Dorylus, thus partially decoupling the queen and worker castes. We discuss alternative hypotheses and provide further comparisons to understand mandibular evolution in army ants. Furthermore, we hypothesize that the expression of the falcate phenotype in the queen is coincidental, that is, a "spandrel," and that the form of male mandibles is also generally coincidental across the ants. We conclude that the theory of ant development and evolution is incomplete without consideration of the male system, and we call for focused study of male anatomy and morphogenesis, and of trait limitation across all castes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brendon Elias Boudinot
- Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, Institut für Spezielle Zoologie und Evolutionsforschung, Entomology Group, Erbertstraße, Jena, Germany
| | - Olivia Tikuma Diana Moosdorf
- Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, Institut für Spezielle Zoologie und Evolutionsforschung, Entomology Group, Erbertstraße, Jena, Germany
| | - Rolf Georg Beutel
- Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, Institut für Spezielle Zoologie und Evolutionsforschung, Entomology Group, Erbertstraße, Jena, Germany
| | - Adrian Richter
- Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, Institut für Spezielle Zoologie und Evolutionsforschung, Entomology Group, Erbertstraße, Jena, Germany
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Adolfi MC, Herpin A, Schartl M. The replaceable master of sex determination: bottom-up hypothesis revisited. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2021; 376:20200090. [PMID: 34247496 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Different group of vertebrates and invertebrates demonstrate an amazing diversity of gene regulations not only at the top but also at the bottom of the sex determination genetic network. As early as 1995, based on emerging findings in Drosophila melanogaster and Caenorhabditis elegans, Wilkins suggested that the evolution of the sex determination pathway evolved from the bottom to the top of the hierarchy. Based on our current knowledge, this review revisits the 'bottom-up' hypothesis and applies its logic to vertebrates. The basic operation of the determination network is through the dynamics of the opposing male and female pathways together with a persistent need to maintain the sexual identity of the cells of the gonad up to the reproductive stage in adults. The sex-determining trigger circumstantially acts from outside the genetic network, but the regulatory network is not built around it as a main node, thus maintaining the genetic structure of the network. New sex-promoting genes arise either through allelic diversification or gene duplication and act specially at the sex-determination period, without integration into the complete network. Due to this peripheral position the new regulator is not an indispensable component of the sex-determining network and can be easily replaced. This article is part of the theme issue 'Challenging the paradigm in sex chromosome evolution: empirical and theoretical insights with a focus on vertebrates (Part I)'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mateus Contar Adolfi
- Developmental Biochemistry, Biocenter, University of Wuerzburg, 97074 Wuerzburg, Germany
| | - Amaury Herpin
- INRA, UR 1037 Fish Physiology and Genomics, 35000 Rennes, France.,State Key Laboratory of Developmental Biology of Freshwater Fish, College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410081, Hunan, People's Republic of China
| | - Manfred Schartl
- Developmental Biochemistry, Biocenter, University of Wuerzburg, 97074 Wuerzburg, Germany.,Xiphophorus Genetic Stock Center, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX 78666, USA
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Curzon AY, Dor L, Shirak A, Meiri-Ashkenazi I, Rosenfeld H, Ron M, Seroussi E. A novel c.1759T>G variant in follicle-stimulating hormone-receptor gene is concordant with male determination in the flathead grey mullet (Mugil cephalus). G3-GENES GENOMES GENETICS 2021; 11:6046932. [PMID: 33589926 PMCID: PMC8022982 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkaa044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2020] [Accepted: 12/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Various master key regulators (MKRs) that control a binary switch of sex determination (SD) have been found in fish; these provide an excellent model for the study of vertebrate genetic SD. The SD region in flathead grey mullet has been previously mapped to a 1 Mbp region harboring 27 genes, of which one is follicle-stimulating hormone receptor (fshr). Although this gene is involved in gonad differentiation and function, it has not been considered as an MKR of SD. We systematically investigated polymorphism in mullet fshr using DNA shotgun sequences, and compared them between males and females. Capable of encoding nonconservative amino acid substitutions, c.1732G>A and c.1759T>G exhibited association with sex on a population level (N = 83; P ≤ 6.7 × 10-19). Hence, 1732 A and 1759 G represent a male-specific haplotype of the gene, designated as "fshry." Additional flanking SNPs showed a weaker degree of association with sex, delimiting the SD critical region to 143 nucleotides on exon 14. Lack of homozygotes for fshry, and the resulting divergence from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (N = 170; P ≤ 3.9 × 10-5), were compatible with a male heterogametic model (XY/XX). Capable of replacing a phenylalanine with valine, c.1759T>G alters a conserved position across the sixth transmembrane domain of vertebrate FSHRs. Amino acid substitutions in this position in vertebrates are frequently associated with constant receptor activation and consequently with FSH/FSHR signaling alteration; thus, indicating a potential role of fshr as an MKR of SD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arie Y Curzon
- Agricultural Research Organization, Institute of Animal Science, Rishon LeTsiyon, 7528809, Israel.,Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot 76100, Israel
| | - Lior Dor
- Agricultural Research Organization, Institute of Animal Science, Rishon LeTsiyon, 7528809, Israel.,Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot 76100, Israel
| | - Andrey Shirak
- Agricultural Research Organization, Institute of Animal Science, Rishon LeTsiyon, 7528809, Israel
| | - Iris Meiri-Ashkenazi
- National Center for Mariculture, Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research, Eilat 88112, Israel
| | - Hana Rosenfeld
- National Center for Mariculture, Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research, Eilat 88112, Israel
| | - Micha Ron
- Agricultural Research Organization, Institute of Animal Science, Rishon LeTsiyon, 7528809, Israel
| | - Eyal Seroussi
- Agricultural Research Organization, Institute of Animal Science, Rishon LeTsiyon, 7528809, Israel
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46
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Lesoway MP, Henry JQ. Retinoids promote penis development in sequentially hermaphroditic snails. Dev Biol 2021; 478:122-132. [PMID: 34224682 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2021.06.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2020] [Revised: 06/21/2021] [Accepted: 06/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Sexual systems are surprisingly diverse, considering the ubiquity of sexual reproduction. Sequential hermaphroditism, the ability of an individual to change sex, has emerged multiple times independently across the animal kingdom. In molluscs, repeated shifts between ancestrally separate sexes and hermaphroditism are generally found at the level of family and above, suggesting recruitment of deeply conserved mechanisms. Despite this, molecular mechanisms of sexual development are poorly known. In molluscs with separate sexes, endocrine disrupting toxins bind the retinoid X receptor (RXR), activating ectopic male development in females, suggesting the retinoid pathway as a candidate controlling sexual transitions in sequential hermaphrodites. We therefore tested the role of retinoic acid signaling in sequentially hermaphroditic Crepidula snails, which develop first into males, then change sex, maturing into females. We show that retinoid agonists induce precocious penis growth in juveniles and superimposition of male development in females. Combining RXR antagonists with retinoid agonists significantly reduces penis length in induced juveniles, while similar treatments using retinoic acid receptor (RAR) antagonists increase penis length. Transcripts of both receptors are expressed in the induced penis. Our findings therefore show that retinoid signaling can initiate molluscan male genital development, and regulate penis length. Further, we show that retinoids induce ectopic male development in multiple Crepidula species. Species-specific influence of conspecific induction of sexual transitions correlates with responsiveness to retinoids. We propose that retinoid signaling plays a conserved role in molluscan male development, and that shifts in the timing of retinoid signaling may have been important for the origins of sequential hermaphroditism within molluscs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maryna P Lesoway
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology University of Illinois, 601 S Goodwin Avenue Urbana, IL, USA, 61801.
| | - Jonathan Q Henry
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology University of Illinois, 601 S Goodwin Avenue Urbana, IL, USA, 61801
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Toubiana W, Armisén D, Dechaud C, Arbore R, Khila A. Impact of male trait exaggeration on sex-biased gene expression and genome architecture in a water strider. BMC Biol 2021; 19:89. [PMID: 33931057 PMCID: PMC8088084 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-021-01021-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2020] [Accepted: 04/01/2021] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Exaggerated secondary sexual traits are widespread in nature and often evolve under strong directional sexual selection. Although heavily studied from both theoretical and empirical viewpoints, we have little understanding of how sexual selection influences sex-biased gene regulation during the development of exaggerated secondary sexual phenotypes, and how these changes are reflected in genomic architecture. This is primarily due to the limited availability of representative genomes and associated tissue and sex transcriptomes to study the development of these traits. Here we present the genome and developmental transcriptomes, focused on the legs, of the water strider Microvelia longipes, a species where males exhibit strikingly long third legs compared to females, which they use as weapons. RESULTS We generated a high-quality genome assembly with 90% of the sequence captured in 13 scaffolds. The most exaggerated legs in males were particularly enriched in both sex-biased and leg-biased genes, indicating a specific signature of gene expression in association with trait exaggeration. We also found that male-biased genes showed patterns of fast evolution compared to non-biased and female-biased genes, indicative of directional or relaxed purifying selection. By contrast to male-biased genes, female-biased genes that are expressed in the third legs, but not the other legs, are over-represented in the X chromosome compared to the autosomes. An enrichment analysis for sex-biased genes along the chromosomes revealed also that they arrange in large genomic regions or in small clusters of two to four consecutive genes. The number and expression of these enriched regions were often associated with the exaggerated legs of males, suggesting a pattern of common regulation through genomic proximity in association with trait exaggeration. CONCLUSION Our findings indicate how directional sexual selection may drive sex-biased gene expression and genome architecture along the path to trait exaggeration and sexual dimorphism.
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Affiliation(s)
- William Toubiana
- Institut de Génomique Fonctionnelle de Lyon, Université de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon1, CNRS UMR 5242, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, 46, allée d'Italie, 69364, Lyon Cedex 07, France
- Present address: Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, CH-1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - David Armisén
- Institut de Génomique Fonctionnelle de Lyon, Université de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon1, CNRS UMR 5242, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, 46, allée d'Italie, 69364, Lyon Cedex 07, France
| | - Corentin Dechaud
- Institut de Génomique Fonctionnelle de Lyon, Université de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon1, CNRS UMR 5242, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, 46, allée d'Italie, 69364, Lyon Cedex 07, France
| | - Roberto Arbore
- Institut de Génomique Fonctionnelle de Lyon, Université de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon1, CNRS UMR 5242, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, 46, allée d'Italie, 69364, Lyon Cedex 07, France
- Present address: Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Rua da Quinta Grande 6, 2780-156, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Abderrahman Khila
- Institut de Génomique Fonctionnelle de Lyon, Université de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon1, CNRS UMR 5242, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, 46, allée d'Italie, 69364, Lyon Cedex 07, France.
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Duncan CA, Cohick WS, John-Alder HB. Testosterone Reduces Growth and Hepatic IGF-1 mRNA in a Female-Larger Lizard, Sceloporus undulatus: Evidence of an Evolutionary Reversal in Growth Regulation. Integr Org Biol 2021; 2:obaa036. [PMID: 33791574 PMCID: PMC7715992 DOI: 10.1093/iob/obaa036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Previous research has demonstrated that testosterone (T) can inhibit growth in female-larger species and stimulate growth in male-larger species, but the underlying mechanisms of this regulatory bipotentiality have not been investigated. In this study, we investigated the effects of T on the expression of hepatic insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) mRNA and circulating IGF-1 hormone in Sceloporus undulatus, a species of lizard in which females grow faster to become larger than males and in which T inhibits growth. Experiments were performed in captivity on mature female and male adults in the asymptotic phase of their growth curve and on actively growing, pre-reproductive juveniles. In adult males, the expression of hepatic IGF-1 mRNA increased following surgical castration and returned to control levels with T replacement; in intact adult females, exogenous T had no effect on IGF-1 mRNA expression. In juveniles, T significantly reduced both growth and the expression of hepatic IGF-1 mRNA to similar extents in intact females and in castrated males. The relative inhibitory effects of T on mRNA expression were greater in juveniles than in adults. Plasma IGF-1 hormone was about four times higher in juveniles than in adults, but T had no significant effect on IGF-1 hormone in either sex or in either age group. Our finding of inhibition of the expression of hepatic IGF-1 mRNA stands in contrast to the stimulatory effects of T in the published body of literature. We attribute our novel finding to our use of a species in which T inhibits rather than stimulates growth. Our findings begin to explain how T has the regulatory bipotentiality to be stimulatory in some species and inhibitory in others, requiring only an evolutionary reversal in the molecular regulation of growth-regulatory genes including IGF-1. Further comparative transcriptomic studies will be required to fully resolve the molecular mechanism of growth inhibition.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Wendie S Cohick
- Graduate Program in Endocrinology and Animal Biosciences, Rutgers University, 84 Lipman Drive, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
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Wan ZY, Lin VCL, Hua YG. Pomc Plays an Important Role in Sexual Size Dimorphism in Tilapia. MARINE BIOTECHNOLOGY (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2021; 23:201-214. [PMID: 33580373 DOI: 10.1007/s10126-020-10015-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2020] [Accepted: 12/27/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Sexual dimorphism is common across the animal kingdom. Knowledge of the mechanisms of sexual size dimorphism is limited although it is important in biology and aquaculture. Tilapia is the common name for ~ 100 species of cichlid fish. Some are important aquaculture species and males outgrow females. To gain novel insights into the mechanisms underlying sexual size dimorphism, we analyzed the differences of brain transcriptomes between males and females in Mozambique tilapia and studied the function of the pro-opiomelanocortin (Pomc) gene in tilapia and zebrafish. The transcriptome analysis identified 123, 55, and 2706 sex-biased genes at 5, 30, and 90 dph (days post-hatch), respectively, indicating sexual dimorphism of gene expressions in the brain. The expression of Pomc in the tilapia brain was a female-biased at 30, 90, and 120 dph. An analysis of the DNA sequence located upstream of the tilapia Pomc transcriptional start site identified two estrogenic response elements. In vitro luciferase assay of the two elements revealed that β-estradiol significantly enhanced the expression of luciferase activity, suggesting that the expression of Pomc is mediated by estrogen. We knocked out Pomc in zebrafish using Crispr/Cas-9. The Pomc-knockout zebrafish showed faster growth and higher sensitivity to feeding as compared to the wild-type fish. Taken together, our results indicate that Pomc contributes to sexual size dimorphism and suggest that the high estrogen level in females promotes the expression of Pomc and suppresses feeding in female tilapias, which leads to the slower growth of female tilapias.
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Affiliation(s)
- Z Y Wan
- Molecular Population Genetics and Breeding Group, Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory, 1 Research Link, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117604, Singapore
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore, 637551, Singapore
| | - V C L Lin
- Molecular Population Genetics and Breeding Group, Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory, 1 Research Link, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117604, Singapore.
| | - Yue Gen Hua
- Molecular Population Genetics and Breeding Group, Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory, 1 Research Link, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117604, Singapore.
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore, 637551, Singapore.
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 14 Science Drive 4, Singapore, 117543, Singapore.
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50
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Jin B, Zhao Y, Liu P, Sun Y, Li X, Zhang X, Chen XG, Gu J. The direct regulation of Aalbdsx on AalVgR is indispensable for ovarian development in Aedes albopictus. PEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE 2021; 77:1654-1667. [PMID: 33205515 DOI: 10.1002/ps.6185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2020] [Revised: 11/13/2020] [Accepted: 11/17/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Aedes albopictus is an important vector with an extensive worldwide distribution. Only female mosquitoes play a significant role in the transmission of pathogens. Doublesex (dsx) is a central nexus gene in the insect somatic sex determination hierarchy. RESULTS In this study, we characterized the full-length sex-specific splicing forms of the Ae. albopictus dsx (Aalbdsx) gene. Then, we identified 15 direct target genes of DSX in adult females using digital gene expression combined with quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) by performing a chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay with specific DSX antibodies. Knockdown of Aalbdsx suppressed ovarian development and decreased the transcript levels of the Aalbdsx target vitellogenin receptor (VgR) gene, whereas vitellogenin (Vg) expression showed an increase in the fat body. Genes in the major Vg regulatory pathway were also up-regulated. CONCLUSION Our results suggest that both Vg and VgR are direct target genes of Aalbdsx and that direct regulation of Aalbdsx on VgR is indispensable for ovarian development in Ae. albopictus, which not only provides a reference for the further elucidation of the evolutionarily conserved role of dsx in Ae. albopictus sexual differentiation but also reveals potential molecular targets for application to the development of sterile male mosquitoes to be released for vector control. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Binbin Jin
- Department of Pathogen Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yijie Zhao
- Department of Pathogen Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Peiwen Liu
- Department of Pathogen Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yan Sun
- Department of Pathogen Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiaocong Li
- Department of Pathogen Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xin Zhang
- Department of Pathogen Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiao-Guang Chen
- Department of Pathogen Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jinbao Gu
- Department of Pathogen Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
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