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Yoon K, Williams S, Duncan EJ. DNA methylation machinery is involved in development and reproduction in the viviparous pea aphid (Acyrthosiphon pisum). INSECT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2024. [PMID: 38923717 DOI: 10.1111/imb.12936] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2024] [Accepted: 06/07/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024]
Abstract
Epigenetic mechanisms, such as DNA methylation, have been proposed to mediate plastic responses in insects. The pea aphid (Acyrthosiphon pisum), like the majority of extant aphids, displays cyclical parthenogenesis - the ability of mothers to switch the reproductive mode of their offspring from reproducing parthenogenetically to sexually in response to environmental cues. The pea aphid genome encodes two paralogs of the de novo DNA methyltransferase gene, dnmt3a and dnmt3x. Here we show, using phylogenetic analysis, that this gene duplication event occurred at least 150 million years ago, likely after the divergence of the lineage leading to the Aphidomorpha (phylloxerans, adelgids and true aphids) from that leading to the scale insects (Coccomorpha) and that the two paralogs are maintained in the genomes of all aphids examined. We also show that the mRNA of both dnmt3 paralogs is maternally expressed in the viviparous aphid ovary. During development both paralogs are expressed in the germ cells of embryos beginning at stage 5 and persisting throughout development. Treatment with 5-azactyidine, a chemical that generally inhibits the DNA methylation machinery, leads to defects of oocytes and early-stage embryos and causes a proportion of later stage embryos to be born dead or die soon after birth. These phenotypes suggest a role for DNA methyltransferases in reproduction, consistent with that seen in other insects. Taking the vast evolutionary history of the dnmt3 paralogs, and the localisation of their mRNAs in the ovary, we suggest there is a role for dnmt3a and/or dnmt3x in early development, and a role for DNA methylation machinery in reproduction and development of the viviparous pea aphid.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kane Yoon
- School of Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Stephanie Williams
- School of Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Elizabeth J Duncan
- School of Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
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2
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Chaturvedi A, Li X, Dhandapani V, Marshall H, Kissane S, Cuenca-Cambronero M, Asole G, Calvet F, Ruiz-Romero M, Marangio P, Guigó R, Rago D, Mirbahai L, Eastwood N, Colbourne J, Zhou J, Mallon E, Orsini L. The hologenome of Daphnia magna reveals possible DNA methylation and microbiome-mediated evolution of the host genome. Nucleic Acids Res 2023; 51:9785-9803. [PMID: 37638757 PMCID: PMC10570034 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkad685] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2022] [Revised: 07/07/2023] [Accepted: 08/09/2023] [Indexed: 08/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Properties that make organisms ideal laboratory models in developmental and medical research are often the ones that also make them less representative of wild relatives. The waterflea Daphnia magna is an exception, by both sharing many properties with established laboratory models and being a keystone species, a sentinel species for assessing water quality, an indicator of environmental change and an established ecotoxicology model. Yet, Daphnia's full potential has not been fully exploited because of the challenges associated with assembling and annotating its gene-rich genome. Here, we present the first hologenome of Daphnia magna, consisting of a chromosomal-level assembly of the D. magna genome and the draft assembly of its metagenome. By sequencing and mapping transcriptomes from exposures to environmental conditions and from developmental morphological landmarks, we expand the previously annotates gene set for this species. We also provide evidence for the potential role of gene-body DNA-methylation as a mutagen mediating genome evolution. For the first time, our study shows that the gut microbes provide resistance to commonly used antibiotics and virulence factors, potentially mediating Daphnia's environmental-driven rapid evolution. Key findings in this study improve our understanding of the contribution of DNA methylation and gut microbiota to genome evolution in response to rapidly changing environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anurag Chaturvedi
- Environmental Genomics Group, School of Biosciences, and Institute for Interdisciplinary Data Science and AI, the University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| | - Xiaojing Li
- Environmental Genomics Group, School of Biosciences, and Institute for Interdisciplinary Data Science and AI, the University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| | - Vignesh Dhandapani
- Environmental Genomics Group, School of Biosciences, and Institute for Interdisciplinary Data Science and AI, the University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| | - Hollie Marshall
- Environmental Genomics Group, School of Biosciences, and Institute for Interdisciplinary Data Science and AI, the University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
- Department of Genetics and Genome Biology, the University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK
| | - Stephen Kissane
- Environmental Genomics Group, School of Biosciences, and Institute for Interdisciplinary Data Science and AI, the University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| | - Maria Cuenca-Cambronero
- Environmental Genomics Group, School of Biosciences, and Institute for Interdisciplinary Data Science and AI, the University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
- Aquatic Ecology Group, University of Vic - Central University of Catalonia, 08500 Vic, Spain
| | - Giovanni Asole
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology (BIST), Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Ferriol Calvet
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology (BIST), Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Marina Ruiz-Romero
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology (BIST), Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Paolo Marangio
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology (BIST), Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Roderic Guigó
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology (BIST), Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Daria Rago
- Environmental Genomics Group, School of Biosciences, and Institute for Interdisciplinary Data Science and AI, the University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| | - Leda Mirbahai
- Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK
| | - Niamh Eastwood
- Environmental Genomics Group, School of Biosciences, and Institute for Interdisciplinary Data Science and AI, the University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| | - John K Colbourne
- Environmental Genomics Group, School of Biosciences, and Institute for Interdisciplinary Data Science and AI, the University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| | - Jiarui Zhou
- Environmental Genomics Group, School of Biosciences, and Institute for Interdisciplinary Data Science and AI, the University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| | - Eamonn Mallon
- Department of Genetics and Genome Biology, the University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK
| | - Luisa Orsini
- Environmental Genomics Group, School of Biosciences, and Institute for Interdisciplinary Data Science and AI, the University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
- The Alan Turing Institute, British Library, London NW1 2DB, UK
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3
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Agrelius TC, Altman J, Dudycha JL. The maternal effects of dietary restriction on Dnmt expression and reproduction in two clones of Daphnia pulex. Heredity (Edinb) 2023; 130:73-81. [PMID: 36477021 PMCID: PMC9905607 DOI: 10.1038/s41437-022-00581-7] [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: 07/13/2022] [Revised: 11/23/2022] [Accepted: 11/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The inheritance of epigenetic marks induced by environmental variation in a previous generation is broadly accepted as a mediator of phenotypic plasticity. Transgenerational effects linking maternal experiences to changes in morphology, gene expression, and life history of successive generations are known across many taxa. While the number of studies linking epigenetic variation to ecological maternal effects is increasing rapidly, few if any attempts have been made to investigate molecular mechanisms governing epigenetic functions in the context of ecologically relevant maternal effects. Daphnia make an ideal model for investigating molecular epigenetic mechanisms and ecological maternal effects because they will reproduce asexually in the lab. Daphnia are also known to have strong maternal effects, involving a variety of traits and environmental variables. Using two clones of Daphnia pulex, we investigated the plasticity of life history and DNA methyltransferase (Dnmt) gene expression with respect to food limitation within and across generations. We found strong evidence of genotypic variation of responses of life history and Dnmt expression to low food diets, both within and across generations. In general, effects of offspring diet were larger than either the direct maternal effect or offspring-maternal environment interactions, but the direction of the maternal effect was usually in the opposite direction of the within-generation effect. For both life history and Dnmt expression, we also found that when offspring had low food, effects of the maternal environment were stronger than when offspring had high food.
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Affiliation(s)
- Trenton C Agrelius
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA.
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, USA.
| | - Julia Altman
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA
- Department of Biology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23284, USA
| | - Jeffry L Dudycha
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA
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Zhao Q, Wang W, Li JX, Yuan P, Liu Y, Li Y, Wang L, Song L. The DNA cytosine-5-methyltransferase 3 (DNMT3) involved in regulation of CgIL-17 expression in the immune response of oyster Crassostrea gigas. DEVELOPMENTAL AND COMPARATIVE IMMUNOLOGY 2021; 123:104092. [PMID: 33819545 DOI: 10.1016/j.dci.2021.104092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2021] [Revised: 03/29/2021] [Accepted: 03/29/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
DNA methyltransferase, a key enzyme mediating DNA methylation, is involved in numerous processes including genomic imprinting, X chromosome inactivation, transposable element suppression, and immune defense in vertebrates. In the present study, a DNA cytosine-5-methyltransferase 3 was identified from oyster Crassostrea gigas (designed as CgDNMT3). There were a PWWP domain, a PHD domain and a DNA-methylase domain in the deduced amino acid sequences of CgDNMT3, and the conserved motifs I, IV, VI, Ⅷ, IX and X were identified in its C-terminal catalytic DNA-methylase domain. The mRNA transcripts of CgDNMT3 were detected in haemocytes, mantle, gill, adductor muscle, digestive gland and labial palp, with higher expression level in haemocytes (6.54 folds of those in gill, p < 0.01). The expression level of CgDNMT3 mRNA in haemocytes increased significantly after LPS primed (2.87 folds of that in control group, p < 0.05) in vitro or Vibrio splendidus challenging (1.94 folds of that in control group, p < 0.05) in vivo. Immunocytochemical analysis revealed that CgDNMT3 protein was distributed mainly in cytoplasm and partial in nucleus of oyster haemocytes. After CgDNMT3 was transfected and expressed in HEK293T cells, the DNA 5-methylcytosine (5-mc) level in the transfected group was significantly increased, which was 1.22 folds (p < 0.05) of the pcDNA-3.1 group. The expressions of oyster CgIL17-1, CgIL17-2 and CgIL17-5 in haemocytes increased (13.05 folds, 4.78 folds and 9.41 folds of that in control group, respectively) at 12 h after V. splendidus challenging, but the increase were significantly inhibited when the oysters were pre-treated with DNA methyltransferase inhibitor 5-Azacytidine, which were 9 folds, 1.93 folds and 3.22 folds of that in control group, respectively. These results collectively suggested that CgDNMT3 was a conserved member of DNA methyltransferase 3 family in oyster, and participated in regulating the expression of cytokines during immune response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qi Zhao
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Marine Animal Immunology, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, 116023, China; Liaoning Key Laboratory of Marine Animal Immunology and Disease Control, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, 116023, China; Dalian Key Laboratory of Aquatic Animal Disease Prevention and Control, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, 116023, China
| | - Weilin Wang
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Marine Animal Immunology, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, 116023, China; Liaoning Key Laboratory of Marine Animal Immunology and Disease Control, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, 116023, China; Dalian Key Laboratory of Aquatic Animal Disease Prevention and Control, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, 116023, China
| | - Jia Xin Li
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Marine Animal Immunology, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, 116023, China; Liaoning Key Laboratory of Marine Animal Immunology and Disease Control, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, 116023, China; Dalian Key Laboratory of Aquatic Animal Disease Prevention and Control, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, 116023, China
| | - Pei Yuan
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Marine Animal Immunology, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, 116023, China; Liaoning Key Laboratory of Marine Animal Immunology and Disease Control, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, 116023, China; Dalian Key Laboratory of Aquatic Animal Disease Prevention and Control, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, 116023, China
| | - Yu Liu
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Marine Animal Immunology, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, 116023, China; Liaoning Key Laboratory of Marine Animal Immunology and Disease Control, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, 116023, China; Dalian Key Laboratory of Aquatic Animal Disease Prevention and Control, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, 116023, China
| | - Yan Li
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Marine Animal Immunology, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, 116023, China; Liaoning Key Laboratory of Marine Animal Immunology and Disease Control, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, 116023, China; Dalian Key Laboratory of Aquatic Animal Disease Prevention and Control, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, 116023, China
| | - Lingling Wang
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Marine Animal Immunology, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, 116023, China; Laboratory of Marine Fisheries Science and Food Production Process, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266235, China; Liaoning Key Laboratory of Marine Animal Immunology and Disease Control, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, 116023, China; Dalian Key Laboratory of Aquatic Animal Disease Prevention and Control, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, 116023, China
| | - Linsheng Song
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Marine Animal Immunology, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, 116023, China; Laboratory of Marine Fisheries Science and Food Production Process, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266235, China; Liaoning Key Laboratory of Marine Animal Immunology and Disease Control, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, 116023, China; Dalian Key Laboratory of Aquatic Animal Disease Prevention and Control, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, 116023, China.
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DNMT3.1 controls trade-offs between growth, reproduction, and life span under starved conditions in Daphnia magna. Sci Rep 2021; 11:7326. [PMID: 33795753 PMCID: PMC8016896 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-86578-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2020] [Accepted: 02/25/2021] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The cladoceran crustacean Daphnia has long been a model of energy allocation studies due to its important position in the trophic cascade of freshwater ecosystems. However, the loci for controlling energy allocation between life history traits still remain unknown. Here, we report CRISPR/Cas-mediated target mutagenesis of DNA methyltransferase 3.1 (DNMT3.1) that is upregulated in response to caloric restriction in Daphnia magna. The resulting biallelic mutant is viable and did not show any change in growth rate, reproduction, and longevity under nutrient rich conditions. In contrast, under starved conditions, the growth rate of this DNMT3.1 mutant was increased but its reproduction was reciprocally reduced compared to the wild type when the growth and reproduction activities competed during a period from instar 4 to 8. The life span of this mutant was significantly shorter than that of the wild type. We also compared transcriptomes between DNMT3.1 mutant and wild type under nutrient-rich and starved conditions. Consistent with the DNMT3.1 mutant phenotypes, the starved condition led to changes in the transcriptomes of the mutant including differential expression of vitellogenin genes. In addition, we found upregulation of the I am not dead yet (INDY) ortholog, which has been known to shorten the life span in Drosophila, explaining the shorter life span of the DNMT3.1 mutant. These results establish DNMT3.1 as a key regulator for life span and energy allocation between growth and reproduction during caloric restriction. Our findings reveal how energy allocation is implemented by selective expression of a DNMT3 ortholog that is widely distributed among animals. We also infer a previously unidentified adaptation of Daphnia that invests more energy for reproduction than growth under starved conditions.
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