1
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Forni G, Mantovani B, Mikheyev AS, Luchetti A. Parthenogenetic Stick Insects Exhibit Signatures of Preservation in the Molecular Architecture of Male Reproduction. Genome Biol Evol 2024; 16:evae073. [PMID: 38573594 PMCID: PMC11108686 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evae073] [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: 06/18/2023] [Revised: 03/06/2024] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024] Open
Abstract
After the loss of a trait, theory predicts that the molecular machinery underlying its phenotypic expression should decay. Yet, empirical evidence is contrasting. Here, we test the hypotheses that (i) the molecular ground plan of a lost trait could persist due to pleiotropic effects on other traits and (ii) that gene co-expression network architecture could constrain individual gene expression. Our testing ground has been the Bacillus stick insect species complex, which contains close relatives that are either bisexual or parthenogenetic. After the identification of genes expressed in male reproductive tissues in a bisexual species, we investigated their gene co-expression network structure in two parthenogenetic species. We found that gene co-expression within the male gonads was partially preserved in parthenogens. Furthermore, parthenogens did not show relaxed selection on genes upregulated in male gonads in the bisexual species. As these genes were mostly expressed in female gonads, this preservation could be driven by pleiotropic interactions and an ongoing role in female reproduction. Connectivity within the network also played a key role, with highly connected-and more pleiotropic-genes within male gonad also having a gonad-biased expression in parthenogens. Our findings provide novel insight into the mechanisms which could underlie the production of rare males in parthenogenetic lineages; more generally, they provide an example of the cryptic persistence of a lost trait molecular architecture, driven by gene pleiotropy on other traits and within their co-expression network.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giobbe Forni
- Dip. Scienze Biologiche, Geologiche e Ambientali (BiGeA), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Barbara Mantovani
- Dip. Scienze Biologiche, Geologiche e Ambientali (BiGeA), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Alexander S Mikheyev
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, 2600 Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Andrea Luchetti
- Dip. Scienze Biologiche, Geologiche e Ambientali (BiGeA), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
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2
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Wilson CG, Pieszko T, Nowell RW, Barraclough TG. Recombination in bdelloid rotifer genomes: asexuality, transfer and stress. Trends Genet 2024; 40:422-436. [PMID: 38458877 DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2024.02.001] [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: 11/03/2023] [Revised: 01/31/2024] [Accepted: 02/01/2024] [Indexed: 03/10/2024]
Abstract
Bdelloid rotifers constitute a class of microscopic animals living in freshwater habitats worldwide. Several strange features of bdelloids have drawn attention: their ability to tolerate desiccation and other stresses, a lack of reported males across the clade despite centuries of study, and unusually high numbers of horizontally acquired, non-metazoan genes. Genome sequencing is transforming our understanding of their lifestyle and its consequences, while in turn providing wider insights about recombination and genome organisation in animals. Many questions remain, not least how to reconcile apparent genomic signatures of sex with the continued absence of reported males, why bdelloids have so many horizontally acquired genes, and how their remarkable ability to survive stress interacts with recombination and other genomic processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher G Wilson
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, 11a Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3SZ, UK.
| | - Tymoteusz Pieszko
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, 11a Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3SZ, UK
| | - Reuben W Nowell
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Ashworth Laboratories, Charlotte Auerbach Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, UK; Biological and Environmental Sciences, School of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA, UK
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3
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Duan H, Shao X, Liu W, Xiang J, Pan N, Wang X, Du G, Li Y, Zhou J, Sui L. Spatio-temporal patterns of ovarian development and VgR gene silencing reduced fecundity in parthenogenetic Artemia. Open Biol 2023; 13:230172. [PMID: 37963545 PMCID: PMC10645507 DOI: 10.1098/rsob.230172] [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: 06/04/2023] [Accepted: 10/03/2023] [Indexed: 11/16/2023] Open
Abstract
The halophilic zooplankton brine shrimp Artemia has been used as an experimental animal in multidisciplinary studies. However, the reproductive patterns and its regulatory mechanisms in Artemia remain unclear. In this study, the ovarian development process of parthenogenetic Artemia (A. parthenogenetica) was divided into five stages, and oogenesis or egg formation was identified in six phases. The oogenesis mode was assumed to be polytrophic. We also traced the dynamic translocation of candidate germline stem cells (cGSCs) using EdU labelling and elucidated several key cytological events in oogenesis through haematoxylin and eosin staining and fluorescence imaging. Distinguished from the ovary structure of insects and crustaceans, Artemia germarium originated from ovariole buds and are located at the base of the ovarioles. RNA-seq based on five stages of ovarian development identified 2657 upregulated genes related to reproduction by pair-to-pair comparison. Gbb, Dpp, piwi, vasa, nanos, VgA and VgR genes associated with cGSCs recognition and reproductive development were screened and verified using qPCR. Silencing of the VgR gene in A. parthenogenetica (Ap-VgR) at ovarian development Stage II led to a low level of gene expression (less than 10%) within 5 days, which resulted in variations in oogenesis-related gene expression and significantly inhibited vitellogenesis, impeded oocyte maturation, and eventually decreased the number of offspring. In conclusion, we have illustrated the patterns of ovarian development, outlined the key spatio-temporal features of oogenesis and identified the negative impacts of VgR gene knockdown on oogenesis using A. parthenogenetica as an experimental animal. The findings of this study also lay a foundation for the further study of reproductive biology of invertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hu Duan
- Asian Regional Artemia Reference Center, College of Marine and Environmental Sciences, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, No. 29, 13th Avenue, Tianjin 300457, People's Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Chemistry and Food Technology, Ministry of Education, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, No. 29, 13th Avenue, Tianjin 300457, People's Republic of China
| | - Xuanxuan Shao
- Asian Regional Artemia Reference Center, College of Marine and Environmental Sciences, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, No. 29, 13th Avenue, Tianjin 300457, People's Republic of China
| | - Wei Liu
- Asian Regional Artemia Reference Center, College of Marine and Environmental Sciences, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, No. 29, 13th Avenue, Tianjin 300457, People's Republic of China
| | - Jianhai Xiang
- Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 7 Nanhai Road, Qingdao 266071, People's Republic of China
| | - Namin Pan
- Asian Regional Artemia Reference Center, College of Marine and Environmental Sciences, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, No. 29, 13th Avenue, Tianjin 300457, People's Republic of China
| | - Xuehui Wang
- Tianjin Fisheries Research Institute, Tianjin 300221, People's Republic of China
| | - Guoru Du
- Asian Regional Artemia Reference Center, College of Marine and Environmental Sciences, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, No. 29, 13th Avenue, Tianjin 300457, People's Republic of China
| | - Ying Li
- Asian Regional Artemia Reference Center, College of Marine and Environmental Sciences, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, No. 29, 13th Avenue, Tianjin 300457, People's Republic of China
| | - Jiaping Zhou
- Research Center of Modern Analytical Technology, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, No. 29, 13th Avenue, Tianjin 300457, People's Republic of China
| | - Liying Sui
- Asian Regional Artemia Reference Center, College of Marine and Environmental Sciences, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, No. 29, 13th Avenue, Tianjin 300457, People's Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Chemistry and Food Technology, Ministry of Education, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, No. 29, 13th Avenue, Tianjin 300457, People's Republic of China
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4
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Freitas S, Parker DJ, Labédan M, Dumas Z, Schwander T. Evidence for cryptic sex in parthenogenetic stick insects of the genus Timema. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20230404. [PMID: 37727092 PMCID: PMC10509586 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.0404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2023] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 09/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Obligately parthenogenetic species are expected to be short lived since the lack of sex and recombination should translate into a slower adaptation rate and increased accumulation of deleterious alleles. Some, however, are thought to have been reproducing without males for millions of years. It is not clear how these old parthenogens can escape the predicted long-term costs of parthenogenesis, but an obvious explanation is cryptic sex. In this study, we screen for signatures of cryptic sex in eight populations of four parthenogenetic species of Timema stick insects, some estimated to be older than 1 Myr. Low genotype diversity, homozygosity of individuals and high linkage disequilibrium (LD) unaffected by marker distances support exclusively parthenogenetic reproduction in six populations. However, in two populations (namely, of the species Timema douglasi and T. monikensis) we find strong evidence for cryptic sex, most likely mediated by rare males. These populations had comparatively high genotype diversities, lower LD, and a clear LD decay with genetic distance. Rare sex in species that are otherwise largely parthenogenetic could help explain the unusual success of parthenogenesis in the Timema genus and raises the question whether episodes of rare sex are in fact the simplest explanation for the persistence of many old parthenogens in nature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susana Freitas
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Darren J. Parker
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, UK
| | - Marjorie Labédan
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Zoé Dumas
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Tanja Schwander
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
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5
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Molinier C, Lenormand T, Haag CR. No recombination suppression in asexually produced males of Daphnia pulex. Evolution 2023; 77:1987-1999. [PMID: 37345677 DOI: 10.1093/evolut/qpad114] [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: 12/09/2021] [Revised: 05/26/2023] [Accepted: 06/20/2023] [Indexed: 06/23/2023]
Abstract
Obligate parthenogenesis (OP) is often thought to evolve by disruption of reductional meiosis and suppression of crossover recombination. In the crustacean Daphnia pulex, OP lineages, which have evolved from cyclical parthenogenetic (CP) ancestors, occasionally produce males that are capable of reductional meiosis. Here, by constructing high-density linkage maps, we find that these males show only slightly and nonsignificantly reduced recombination rates compared to CP males and females. Both meiosis disruption and recombination suppression are therefore sex-limited (or partly so), which speaks against the evolution of OP by disruption of a gene that is essential for meiosis or recombination in both sexes. The findings may be explained by female-limited action of genes that suppress recombination, but previously identified candidate genes are known to be expressed in both sexes. Alternatively, and equally consistent with the data, OP might have evolved through a reuse of the parthenogenesis pathways already present in CP and through their extension to all events of oogenesis. The causal mutations for the CP to OP transition may therefore include mutations in genes involved in oogenesis regulation and may not necessarily be restricted to genes of the "meiosis toolkit." More generally, our study emphasizes that there are many ways to achieve asexuality, and elucidating the possible mechanisms is key to ultimately identify the genes and traits involved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cécile Molinier
- CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier, France
- Department of Algal Development and Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Biology, Tuebingen, Germany
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6
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Morphology and biometry of two Chinese diploid parthenogenetic artemia populations with a special emphasis on the gonopods and frontal knobs of rare males. ZOOL ANZ 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jcz.2023.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/15/2023]
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7
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Nokkala S, Kuznetsova VG, Pietarinen P, Nokkala C. Evolutionary Potential of Parthenogenesis-Bisexual Lineages within Triploid Apomictic Thelytoky in Cacopsylla ledi (Flor, 1861) (Hemiptera, Psylloidea) in Fennoscandia. INSECTS 2022; 13:1140. [PMID: 36555050 PMCID: PMC9781518 DOI: 10.3390/insects13121140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2022] [Revised: 11/29/2022] [Accepted: 12/08/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
A widely accepted hypothesis is that parthenogenesis is an evolutionary dead end since it is selectively advantageous in the short term only but results in lowered diversification rates. Triploid apomictic parthenogenesis might represent an exception, as in favorable environments, triploid females are able to produce rare males and diploid females. The aim of the present study was to analyze the modes of reproduction and their evolutionary implications in the parthenogenetic psyllid Cacopsylla ledi (Flor, 1861) from Fennoscandia. The cytogenetic assessment of ploidy levels and the analysis of the COI haplotype revealed two geographically separated bisexual lineages implying genuine bisexual populations. The southern lineage occurring south of latitude 65° N in Finland showed a COI haplotype different from that of parthenogenetic triploids in the same population but identical to the haplotype of specimens in a genuine bisexual population in the Czech Republic. This allows us to suggest that bisexuals in southern Fennoscandia represent the original bisexual C. ledi. By contrast, in the northern bisexual lineage north of latitude 65° N, rare males and diploid females carried the same haplotype as triploids in the same population, having been produced by the triploids. In the Kola Peninsula, a genuine bisexual population of presumably rare male/diploid female origin was discovered. As this population is geographically isolated from populations of the ancestral bisexual C. ledi, it can develop into a new bisexual species through peripatric speciation during evolution. Our findings demonstrate that apomictic triploid parthenogenesis is not necessarily an evolutionary dead end but is able to lead to the emergence of a new bisexual species of parthenogenetic origin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seppo Nokkala
- Laboratory of Genetics, Department of Biology, University of Turku, FI-20014 Turku, Finland
| | - Valentina G. Kuznetsova
- Department of Karyosystematics, Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Universitetskaya nab. 1, 199034 Saint-Petersburg, Russia
| | - Peppi Pietarinen
- Laboratory of Genetics, Department of Biology, University of Turku, FI-20014 Turku, Finland
| | - Christina Nokkala
- Laboratory of Genetics, Department of Biology, University of Turku, FI-20014 Turku, Finland
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8
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da Cunha NL, Xue H, Wright SI, Barrett SCH. Genetic variation and clonal diversity in floating aquatic plants: Comparative genomic analysis of water hyacinth species in their native range. Mol Ecol 2022; 31:5307-5325. [PMID: 35984729 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2021] [Revised: 07/24/2022] [Accepted: 08/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Many eukaryotic organisms reproduce by sexual and asexual reproduction. Genetic diversity in populations can be strongly dependent on the relative importance of these two reproductive modes. Here, we compare the amounts and patterns of genetic diversity in related water hyacinths that differ in their propensity for clonal propagation - highly clonal Eichhornia crassipes and moderately clonal E. azurea (Pontederiaceae). Our comparisons involved genotype-by-sequencing (GBS) of 137 E. crassipes ramets from 60 locations (193,495 nucleotide sites) and 118 E. azurea ramets from 53 locations (198,343 nucleotide sites) among six hydrological basins in central South America, the native range of both species. We predicted that because of more prolific clonal propagation, E. crassipes would exhibit lower clonal diversity than E. azurea. This prediction was supported by all measures of clonal diversity that we examined. Eichhornia crassipes also had a larger excess of heterozygotes at variant sites, another signature of clonality. However, genome-wide heterozygosity was not significantly different between the species. Eichhornia crassipes had weaker spatial genetic structure and lower levels of differentiation among hydrological basins than E. azurea, probably because of higher clonality and more extensive dispersal of its free-floating life form. Our findings for E. crassipes contrast with earlier studies from the invasive range which have reported very low levels of clonal diversity and extensive geographic areas of genetic uniformity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolay Leme da Cunha
- Grupo de Ecología de la Polinización, INIBIOMA, CONICET-Universidad Nacional del Comahue, San Carlos de Bariloche, Rio Negro, Argentina.,Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia e Conservação, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil
| | - Haoran Xue
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Stephen I Wright
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Spencer C H Barrett
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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9
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Elkrewi M, Khauratovich U, Toups MA, Bett VK, Mrnjavac A, Macon A, Fraisse C, Sax L, Huylmans AK, Hontoria F, Vicoso B. ZW sex-chromosome evolution and contagious parthenogenesis in Artemia brine shrimp. Genetics 2022; 222:iyac123. [PMID: 35977389 PMCID: PMC9526061 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyac123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2022] [Accepted: 07/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Eurasian brine shrimp (genus Artemia) have closely related sexual and asexual lineages of parthenogenetic females, which produce rare males at low frequencies. Although they are known to have ZW chromosomes, these are not well characterized, and it is unclear whether they are shared across the clade. Furthermore, the underlying genetic architecture of the transmission of asexuality, which can occur when rare males mate with closely related sexual females, is not well understood. We produced a chromosome-level assembly for the sexual Eurasian species Artemia sinica and characterized in detail the pair of sex chromosomes of this species. We combined this new assembly with short-read genomic data for the sexual species Artemia sp. Kazakhstan and several asexual lineages of Artemia parthenogenetica, allowing us to perform an in-depth characterization of sex-chromosome evolution across the genus. We identified a small differentiated region of the ZW pair that is shared by all sexual and asexual lineages, supporting the shared ancestry of the sex chromosomes. We also inferred that recombination suppression has spread to larger sections of the chromosome independently in the American and Eurasian lineages. Finally, we took advantage of a rare male, which we backcrossed to sexual females, to explore the genetic basis of asexuality. Our results suggest that parthenogenesis is likely partly controlled by a locus on the Z chromosome, highlighting the interplay between sex determination and asexuality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marwan Elkrewi
- Institute of Science and Technology Austria, Klosterneuburg 3400, Austria
| | - Uladzislava Khauratovich
- Institute of Science and Technology Austria, Klosterneuburg 3400, Austria
- Department of Chromosome Biology, Max Perutz Labs, University of Vienna, Vienna 1030, Austria
| | - Melissa A Toups
- Institute of Science and Technology Austria, Klosterneuburg 3400, Austria
- Faculty of Science and Technology, Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Bournemouth University, Poole BH12 5BB, UK
| | | | - Andrea Mrnjavac
- Institute of Science and Technology Austria, Klosterneuburg 3400, Austria
| | - Ariana Macon
- Institute of Science and Technology Austria, Klosterneuburg 3400, Austria
| | - Christelle Fraisse
- Institute of Science and Technology Austria, Klosterneuburg 3400, Austria
- CNRS, Univ. Lille, UMR 8198—Evo-Eco-Paleo, 59000 Lille, France
| | - Luca Sax
- Institute of Science and Technology Austria, Klosterneuburg 3400, Austria
- Lewis and Clark College, Portland, OR 97219, USA
| | - Ann Kathrin Huylmans
- Institute of Science and Technology Austria, Klosterneuburg 3400, Austria
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg Universität Mainz, Mainz 55122, Germany
| | - Francisco Hontoria
- Instituto de Acuicultura de Torre de la Sal (IATS-CSIC), 12595 Ribera de Cabanes (Castellón), Spain
| | - Beatriz Vicoso
- Institute of Science and Technology Austria, Klosterneuburg 3400, Austria
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10
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McElroy KE, Bankers L, Soper D, Hehman G, Boore JL, Logsdon JM, Neiman M. Patterns of gene expression in ovaries of sexual vs. asexual lineages of a freshwater snail. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.845640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Why sexual reproduction is so common when asexual reproduction should be much more efficient and less costly remains an open question in evolutionary biology. Comparisons between otherwise similar sexual and asexual taxa allow us to characterize the genetic architecture underlying asexuality, which can, in turn, illuminate how this reproductive mode transition occurred and the mechanisms by which it is maintained or disrupted. Here, we used transcriptome sequencing to compare patterns of ovarian gene expression between actively reproducing obligately sexual and obligately asexual females from multiple lineages of Potamopyrgus antipodarum, a freshwater New Zealand snail characterized by frequent separate transitions to asexuality and coexistence of otherwise similar sexual and asexual lineages. We also used these sequence data to evaluate whether population history accounts for variation in patterns of gene expression. We found that source population was a major source of gene expression variation, and likely more influential than reproductive mode. This outcome for these common garden-raised snails is strikingly similar to earlier results from field-collected snails. While we did not identify a likely set of candidate genes from expression profiles that could plausibly explain how transitions to asexuality occurred, we identified around 1,000 genes with evidence of differential expression between sexual and asexual reproductive modes, and 21 genes that appear to exhibit consistent expression differences between sexuals and asexuals across genetic backgrounds. This second smaller set of genes provides a good starting point for further exploration regarding a potential role in the transition to asexual reproduction. These results mark the first effort to characterize the causes of asexuality in P. antipodarum, demonstrate the apparently high heritability of gene expression patterns in this species, and hint that for P. antipodarum, transitions to asexuality might not necessarily be strongly associated with broad changes in gene expression.
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11
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Rode NO, Jabbour-Zahab R, Boyer L, Flaven É, Hontoria F, Stappen GV, Dufresne F, Haag C, Lenormand T. The origin of asexual brine shrimps. Am Nat 2022; 200:E52-E76. [DOI: 10.1086/720268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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12
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Lenormand T, Roze D. Y recombination arrest and degeneration in the absence of sexual dimorphism. Science 2022; 375:663-666. [PMID: 35143289 DOI: 10.1126/science.abj1813] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Current theory proposes that degenerated sex chromosomes-such as the mammalian Y-evolve through three steps: (i) recombination arrest, linking male-beneficial alleles to the Y chromosome; (ii) Y degeneration, resulting from the inefficacy of selection in the absence of recombination; and (iii) dosage compensation, correcting the resulting low expression of X-linked genes in males. We investigate a model of sex chromosome evolution that incorporates the coevolution of cis and trans regulators of gene expression. We show that the early emergence of dosage compensation favors the maintenance of Y-linked inversions by creating sex-antagonistic regulatory effects. This is followed by degeneration of these nonrecombining inversions caused by regulatory divergence between the X and Y chromosomes. In contrast to current theory, the whole process occurs without any selective pressure related to sexual dimorphism.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Denis Roze
- CNRS, IRL 3614, Roscoff, France.,Sorbonne Université, Station Biologique de Roscoff, Roscoff, France
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13
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Simion P, Narayan J, Houtain A, Derzelle A, Baudry L, Nicolas E, Arora R, Cariou M, Cruaud C, Gaudray FR, Gilbert C, Guiglielmoni N, Hespeels B, Kozlowski DKL, Labadie K, Limasset A, Llirós M, Marbouty M, Terwagne M, Virgo J, Cordaux R, Danchin EGJ, Hallet B, Koszul R, Lenormand T, Flot JF, Van Doninck K. Chromosome-level genome assembly reveals homologous chromosomes and recombination in asexual rotifer Adineta vaga. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2021; 7:eabg4216. [PMID: 34613768 PMCID: PMC8494291 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abg4216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Bdelloid rotifers are notorious as a speciose ancient clade comprising only asexual lineages. Thanks to their ability to repair highly fragmented DNA, most bdelloid species also withstand complete desiccation and ionizing radiation. Producing a well-assembled reference genome is a critical step to developing an understanding of the effects of long-term asexuality and DNA breakage on genome evolution. To this end, we present the first high-quality chromosome-level genome assemblies for the bdelloid Adineta vaga, composed of six pairs of homologous (diploid) chromosomes with a footprint of paleotetraploidy. The observed large-scale losses of heterozygosity are signatures of recombination between homologous chromosomes, either during mitotic DNA double-strand break repair or when resolving programmed DNA breaks during a modified meiosis. Dynamic subtelomeric regions harbor more structural diversity (e.g., chromosome rearrangements, transposable elements, and haplotypic divergence). Our results trigger the reappraisal of potential meiotic processes in bdelloid rotifers and help unravel the factors underlying their long-term asexual evolutionary success.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Simion
- Research Unit in Environmental and Evolutionary Biology, Université de Namur, Namur 5000, Belgium
- Corresponding author. (K.V.D.); (J.-F.F.); (P.S.)
| | - Jitendra Narayan
- Research Unit in Environmental and Evolutionary Biology, Université de Namur, Namur 5000, Belgium
| | - Antoine Houtain
- Research Unit in Environmental and Evolutionary Biology, Université de Namur, Namur 5000, Belgium
| | - Alessandro Derzelle
- Research Unit in Environmental and Evolutionary Biology, Université de Namur, Namur 5000, Belgium
| | - Lyam Baudry
- Institut Pasteur, Unité Régulation Spatiale des Génomes, UMR 3525, CNRS, Paris F-75015, France
- Collège Doctoral, Sorbonne Université, F-75005 Paris, France
| | - Emilien Nicolas
- Research Unit in Environmental and Evolutionary Biology, Université de Namur, Namur 5000, Belgium
- Molecular Biology and Evolution, Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels 1050, Belgium
| | - Rohan Arora
- Research Unit in Environmental and Evolutionary Biology, Université de Namur, Namur 5000, Belgium
- Molecular Biology and Evolution, Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels 1050, Belgium
| | - Marie Cariou
- Research Unit in Environmental and Evolutionary Biology, Université de Namur, Namur 5000, Belgium
- CIRI, Centre International de Recherche en Infectiologie, Univ Lyon, Inserm, U1111, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, UMR5308, ENS de Lyon, F-69007 Lyon, France
| | - Corinne Cruaud
- Genoscope, Institut François Jacob, CEA, CNRS, Univ Evry, Université Paris-Saclay, 91057 Evry, France
| | | | - Clément Gilbert
- Évolution, Génomes, Comportement et Écologie, Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, IRD, UMR, 91198 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Nadège Guiglielmoni
- Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels 1050, Belgium
| | - Boris Hespeels
- Research Unit in Environmental and Evolutionary Biology, Université de Namur, Namur 5000, Belgium
| | - Djampa K. L. Kozlowski
- INRAE, Université Côte-d’Azur, CNRS, Institut Sophia Agrobiotech, Sophia Antipolis 06903, France
| | - Karine Labadie
- Genoscope, Institut François Jacob, CEA, CNRS, Univ Evry, Université Paris-Saclay, 91057 Evry, France
| | - Antoine Limasset
- Université de Lille, CNRS, UMR 9189 - CRIStAL, 59655 Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France
| | - Marc Llirós
- Research Unit in Environmental and Evolutionary Biology, Université de Namur, Namur 5000, Belgium
- Institut d’Investigació Biomédica de Girona, Malalties Digestives i Microbiota, 17190 Salt, Spain
| | - Martial Marbouty
- Institut Pasteur, Unité Régulation Spatiale des Génomes, UMR 3525, CNRS, Paris F-75015, France
| | - Matthieu Terwagne
- Research Unit in Environmental and Evolutionary Biology, Université de Namur, Namur 5000, Belgium
| | - Julie Virgo
- Research Unit in Environmental and Evolutionary Biology, Université de Namur, Namur 5000, Belgium
| | - Richard Cordaux
- Ecologie et Biologie des interactions, Université de Poitiers, UMR CNRS 7267, 5 rue Albert Turpain, 86073 Poitiers, France
| | - Etienne G. J. Danchin
- INRAE, Université Côte-d’Azur, CNRS, Institut Sophia Agrobiotech, Sophia Antipolis 06903, France
| | - Bernard Hallet
- LIBST, Université Catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain), Croix du Sud 4/5, Louvain-la-Neuve 1348, Belgium
| | - Romain Koszul
- Institut Pasteur, Unité Régulation Spatiale des Génomes, UMR 3525, CNRS, Paris F-75015, France
| | - Thomas Lenormand
- CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, Univ Paul Valéry Montpellier 3, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Jean-Francois Flot
- Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels 1050, Belgium
- Interuniversity Institute of Bioinformatics in Brussels - (IB), Brussels 1050, Belgium
- Corresponding author. (K.V.D.); (J.-F.F.); (P.S.)
| | - Karine Van Doninck
- Research Unit in Environmental and Evolutionary Biology, Université de Namur, Namur 5000, Belgium
- Molecular Biology and Evolution, Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels 1050, Belgium
- Corresponding author. (K.V.D.); (J.-F.F.); (P.S.)
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14
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Huylmans AK, Macon A, Hontoria F, Vicoso B. Transitions to asexuality and evolution of gene expression in Artemia brine shrimp. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20211720. [PMID: 34547909 PMCID: PMC8456138 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.1720] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2021] [Accepted: 08/31/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
While sexual reproduction is widespread among many taxa, asexual lineages have repeatedly evolved from sexual ancestors. Despite extensive research on the evolution of sex, it is still unclear whether this switch represents a major transition requiring major molecular reorganization, and how convergent the changes involved are. In this study, we investigated the phylogenetic relationship and patterns of gene expression of sexual and asexual lineages of Eurasian Artemia brine shrimp, to assess how gene expression patterns are affected by the transition to asexuality. We find only a few genes that are consistently associated with the evolution of asexuality, suggesting that this shift may not require an extensive overhauling of the meiotic machinery. While genes with sex-biased expression have high rates of expression divergence within Eurasian Artemia, neither female- nor male-biased genes appear to show unusual evolutionary patterns after sexuality is lost, contrary to theoretical expectations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ann Kathrin Huylmans
- Institute of Science and Technology Austria, Am Campus 1, Klosterneuburg 3400, Austria
| | - Ariana Macon
- Institute of Science and Technology Austria, Am Campus 1, Klosterneuburg 3400, Austria
| | - Francisco Hontoria
- Instituto de Acuicultura de Torre de la Sal (IATS-CSIC), 12595 Ribera de Cabanes, Castellón, Spain
| | - Beatriz Vicoso
- Institute of Science and Technology Austria, Am Campus 1, Klosterneuburg 3400, Austria
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15
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Picard MAL, Vicoso B, Bertrand S, Escriva H. Diversity of Modes of Reproduction and Sex Determination Systems in Invertebrates, and the Putative Contribution of Genetic Conflict. Genes (Basel) 2021; 12:1136. [PMID: 34440310 PMCID: PMC8391622 DOI: 10.3390/genes12081136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2021] [Revised: 07/08/2021] [Accepted: 07/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
About eight million animal species are estimated to live on Earth, and all except those belonging to one subphylum are invertebrates. Invertebrates are incredibly diverse in their morphologies, life histories, and in the range of the ecological niches that they occupy. A great variety of modes of reproduction and sex determination systems is also observed among them, and their mosaic-distribution across the phylogeny shows that transitions between them occur frequently and rapidly. Genetic conflict in its various forms is a long-standing theory to explain what drives those evolutionary transitions. Here, we review (1) the different modes of reproduction among invertebrate species, highlighting sexual reproduction as the probable ancestral state; (2) the paradoxical diversity of sex determination systems; (3) the different types of genetic conflicts that could drive the evolution of such different systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marion Anne Lise Picard
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Biologie Intégrative des Organismes Marins (BIOM), Observatoire Océanologique, 66650 Banyuls-sur-Mer, France; (S.B.); (H.E.)
| | - Beatriz Vicoso
- Institute of Science and Technology Austria, Am Campus 1, 3400 Klosterneuburg, Austria;
| | - Stéphanie Bertrand
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Biologie Intégrative des Organismes Marins (BIOM), Observatoire Océanologique, 66650 Banyuls-sur-Mer, France; (S.B.); (H.E.)
| | - Hector Escriva
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Biologie Intégrative des Organismes Marins (BIOM), Observatoire Océanologique, 66650 Banyuls-sur-Mer, France; (S.B.); (H.E.)
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16
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Barley AJ, Reeder TW, Nieto-Montes de Oca A, Cole CJ, Thomson RC. A New Diploid Parthenogenetic Whiptail Lizard from Sonora, Mexico, Is the "Missing Link" in the Evolutionary Transition to Polyploidy. Am Nat 2021; 198:295-309. [PMID: 34260872 DOI: 10.1086/715056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
AbstractTransitions between sexual and unisexual reproductive modes have significant consequences for the evolutionary trajectories of species. These transitions have occurred numerous times in vertebrates and are frequently mediated by hybridization events. Triploid unisexual vertebrates are thought to arise through hybridization between individuals of a diploid unisexual lineage and a sexual species, although additional evidence that confirms this mechanism is needed in numerous groups. North American whiptail lizards (Aspidoscelis) are notable for being one of the largest radiations of unisexual vertebrates, and the most diverse group of Aspidoscelis includes numerous triploid lineages that have no known diploid unisexual ancestors. This pattern of "missing" ancestors may result from the short evolutionary life span of unisexual lineages or the selective advantages of polyploidy, or it could suggest that alternative mechanisms of triploid formation are operating in nature. We leverage genomic, morphological, and karyotypic data to describe a new diploid unisexual whiptail and show that it is likely the unisexual progenitor of an extant triploid lineage, A. opatae. We also resolve patterns of polyploidization within the A. sexlineatus species group and test predictions about the phenotypic outcomes of hybridization.
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