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Sacchi B, Humphries Z, Kružlicová J, Bodláková M, Pyne C, Choudhury BI, Gong Y, Bačovský V, Hobza R, Barrett SCH, Wright SI. Phased Assembly of Neo-Sex Chromosomes Reveals Extensive Y Degeneration and Rapid Genome Evolution in Rumex hastatulus. Mol Biol Evol 2024; 41:msae074. [PMID: 38606901 PMCID: PMC11057207 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msae074] [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: 10/06/2023] [Revised: 01/31/2024] [Accepted: 04/05/2024] [Indexed: 04/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Y chromosomes are thought to undergo progressive degeneration due to stepwise loss of recombination and subsequent reduction in selection efficiency. However, the timescales and evolutionary forces driving degeneration remain unclear. To investigate the evolution of sex chromosomes on multiple timescales, we generated a high-quality phased genome assembly of the massive older (<10 MYA) and neo (<200,000 yr) sex chromosomes in the XYY cytotype of the dioecious plant Rumex hastatulus and a hermaphroditic outgroup Rumex salicifolius. Our assemblies, supported by fluorescence in situ hybridization, confirmed that the neo-sex chromosomes were formed by two key events: an X-autosome fusion and a reciprocal translocation between the homologous autosome and the Y chromosome. The enormous sex-linked regions of the X (296 Mb) and two Y chromosomes (503 Mb) both evolved from large repeat-rich genomic regions with low recombination; however, the complete loss of recombination on the Y still led to over 30% gene loss and major rearrangements. In the older sex-linked region, there has been a significant increase in transposable element abundance, even into and near genes. In the neo-sex-linked regions, we observed evidence of extensive rearrangements without gene degeneration and loss. Overall, we inferred significant degeneration during the first 10 million years of Y chromosome evolution but not on very short timescales. Our results indicate that even when sex chromosomes emerge from repetitive regions of already-low recombination, the complete loss of recombination on the Y chromosome still leads to a substantial increase in repetitive element content and gene degeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bianca Sacchi
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Zoë Humphries
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Jana Kružlicová
- Department of Plant Developmental Genetics, Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
- National Centre for Biomolecular Research, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Markéta Bodláková
- Department of Plant Developmental Genetics, Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Cassandre Pyne
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Baharul I Choudhury
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
- Department of Biology, Queen’s University, Kingston, Canada
| | - Yunchen Gong
- Centre for Analysis of Genome Evolution and Function, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Václav Bačovský
- Department of Plant Developmental Genetics, Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Roman Hobza
- Department of Plant Developmental Genetics, Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Spencer C H Barrett
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Stephen I Wright
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
- Centre for Analysis of Genome Evolution and Function, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
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2
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Cowell F. 100 years of Haldane's rule. J Evol Biol 2023; 36:337-346. [PMID: 36357993 PMCID: PMC10098713 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.14112] [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: 07/04/2022] [Revised: 10/05/2022] [Accepted: 10/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Haldane's rule is one of the 'two rules of speciation'. It states that if one sex is 'absent, rare or sterile' in a hybrid population, then that sex will be heterogametic. Since Haldane first made this observation, 100 years have passed and still questions arise over how many independent examples exist and what the underlying causes of Haldane's rule are. This review aims to examine research that has occurred over the last century. It seeks to do so by discussing possible causes of Haldane's rule, as well as gaps in the research of these causes that could be readily addressed today. After 100 years of research, it can be concluded that Haldane's rule is a complicated one, and much current knowledge has been accrued by studying the model organisms of speciation. This has led to the primacy of dominance theory and faster-male theory as explanations for Haldane's rule. However, some of the most interesting findings of the 21st century with regard to Haldane's rule have involved investigating a wider range of taxa emphasizing the need to continue using comparative methods, including ever more taxa as new cases are discovered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Finn Cowell
- School of Biological Sciences, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
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3
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Physiological aspects of sex differences and Haldane's rule in Rumex hastatulus. Sci Rep 2022; 12:11145. [PMID: 35778518 PMCID: PMC9249882 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-15219-1] [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: 10/22/2021] [Accepted: 06/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Haldane's rule (HR, impairment of fertility and/or viability of interracial hybrids) seems to be one of few generalizations in evolutionary biology. The validity of HR has been confirmed in animals, and more recently in some dioecious plants (Silene and Rumex). Dioecious Rumex hastatulus has two races differing in the sex chromosome system: Texas (T) and North Carolina (NC), and T × NC males showed both reduced pollen fertility and rarity-two classical symptoms of Haldane's rule (HR). The reduced fertility of these plants has a simple mechanistic explanation, but the reason for their rarity was not elucidated. Here, we measured selected physiological parameters related to the antioxidant defense system in parental races and reciprocal hybrids of R. hastatulus. We showed that the X-autosome configurations, as well as asymmetries associated with Y chromosomes and cytoplasm, could modulate this system in hybrids. The levels and quantitative patterns of the measured parameters distinguish the T × NC hybrid from the other analyzed forms. Our observations suggest that the rarity of T × NC males is caused postzygotically and most likely related to the higher level of oxidative stress induced by the chromosomal incompatibilities. It is the first report on the physiological aspects of HR in plants.
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Beaudry FEG, Rifkin JL, Peake AL, Kim D, Jarvis-Cross M, Barrett SCH, Wright SI. Effects of the neo-X chromosome on genomic signatures of hybridization in Rumex hastatulus. Mol Ecol 2022; 31:3708-3721. [PMID: 35569016 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16496] [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: 02/14/2022] [Revised: 04/23/2022] [Accepted: 05/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Natural hybrid zones provide opportunities for studies of the evolution of reproductive isolation in wild populations. Although recent investigations have found that the formation of neo-sex chromosomes is associated with reproductive isolation, the mechanisms remain unclear in most cases. Here, we assess the contemporary structure of gene flow in the contact zone between largely allopatric cytotypes of the dioecious plant Rumex hastatulus, a species with evidence of sex chromosome turn-over. Males to the west of the Mississippi river, USA, have an X and a single Y chromosome, whereas populations to the east of the river have undergone a chromosomal rearrangement giving rise to a larger X and two Y chromosomes. Using reduced-representation sequencing, we provide evidence that hybrids form readily and survive multiple backcross generations in the field, demonstrating the potential for ongoing gene flow between the cytotypes. Cline analysis of each chromosome separately captured no signals of difference in cline shape between chromosomes. However, principal component regression revealed a significant increase in the contribution of individual SNPs to inter-cytotype differentiation on the neo-X chromosome, but no correlation with recombination rate. Cline analysis revealed that the only SNPs with significantly steeper clines than the genome average were located on the neo-X. Our data are consistent with a role for neo-sex chromosomes in reproductive isolation between R. hastatulus cytotypes. Our investigation highlights the importance of studying plant hybrid zones for understanding the evolution of sex chromosomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felix E G Beaudry
- The University of Toronto, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Joanna L Rifkin
- The University of Toronto, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Amanda L Peake
- The University of Toronto, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Deanna Kim
- The University of Toronto, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Madeline Jarvis-Cross
- The University of Toronto, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Spencer C H Barrett
- The University of Toronto, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Stephen I Wright
- The University of Toronto, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Toronto, ON, Canada
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Rifkin JL, Beaudry FEG, Humphries Z, Choudhury BI, Barrett SCH, Wright SI. Widespread Recombination Suppression Facilitates Plant Sex Chromosome Evolution. Mol Biol Evol 2021; 38:1018-1030. [PMID: 33095227 PMCID: PMC7947811 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msaa271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Classical models suggest that recombination rates on sex chromosomes evolve in a stepwise manner to localize sexually antagonistic variants in the sex in which they are beneficial, thereby lowering rates of recombination between X and Y chromosomes. However, it is also possible that sex chromosome formation occurs in regions with preexisting recombination suppression. To evaluate these possibilities, we constructed linkage maps and a chromosome-scale genome assembly for the dioecious plant Rumex hastatulus. This species has a polymorphic karyotype with a young neo-sex chromosome, resulting from a Robertsonian fusion between the X chromosome and an autosome, in part of its geographic range. We identified the shared and neo-sex chromosomes using comparative genetic maps of the two cytotypes. We found that sex-linked regions of both the ancestral and the neo-sex chromosomes are embedded in large regions of low recombination. Furthermore, our comparison of the recombination landscape of the neo-sex chromosome to its autosomal homolog indicates that low recombination rates mainly preceded sex linkage. These patterns are not unique to the sex chromosomes; all chromosomes were characterized by massive regions of suppressed recombination spanning most of each chromosome. This represents an extreme case of the periphery-biased recombination seen in other systems with large chromosomes. Across all chromosomes, gene and repetitive sequence density correlated with recombination rate, with patterns of variation differing by repetitive element type. Our findings suggest that ancestrally low rates of recombination may facilitate the formation and subsequent evolution of heteromorphic sex chromosomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna L Rifkin
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Felix E G Beaudry
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Zoë Humphries
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Baharul I Choudhury
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Spencer C H Barrett
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Stephen I Wright
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Centre for Analysis of Genome Evolution and Function, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
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6
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Jesionek W, Bodláková M, Kubát Z, Čegan R, Vyskot B, Vrána J, Šafář J, Puterova J, Hobza R. Fundamentally different repetitive element composition of sex chromosomes in Rumex acetosa. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2021; 127:33-47. [PMID: 32902599 PMCID: PMC7750719 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcaa160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2020] [Accepted: 08/31/2020] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Dioecious species with well-established sex chromosomes are rare in the plant kingdom. Most sex chromosomes increase in size but no comprehensive analysis of the kind of sequences that drive this expansion has been presented. Here we analyse sex chromosome structure in common sorrel (Rumex acetosa), a dioecious plant with XY1Y2 sex determination, and we provide the first chromosome-specific repeatome analysis for a plant species possessing sex chromosomes. METHODS We flow-sorted and separately sequenced sex chromosomes and autosomes in R. acetosa using the two-dimensional fluorescence in situ hybridization in suspension (FISHIS) method and Illumina sequencing. We identified and quantified individual repeats using RepeatExplorer, Tandem Repeat Finder and the Tandem Repeats Analysis Program. We employed fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) to analyse the chromosomal localization of satellites and transposons. KEY RESULTS We identified a number of novel satellites, which have, in a fashion similar to previously known satellites, significantly expanded on the Y chromosome but not as much on the X or on autosomes. Additionally, the size increase of Y chromosomes is caused by non-long terminal repeat (LTR) and LTR retrotransposons, while only the latter contribute to the enlargement of the X chromosome. However, the X chromosome is populated by different LTR retrotransposon lineages than those on Y chromosomes. CONCLUSIONS The X and Y chromosomes have significantly diverged in terms of repeat composition. The lack of recombination probably contributed to the expansion of diverse satellites and microsatellites and faster fixation of newly inserted transposable elements (TEs) on the Y chromosomes. In addition, the X and Y chromosomes, despite similar total counts of TEs, differ significantly in the representation of individual TE lineages, which indicates that transposons proliferate preferentially in either the paternal or the maternal lineage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wojciech Jesionek
- Department of Plant Developmental Genetics, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Biophysics, Královopolská, Brno, Czech Republic
- Department of Experimental Biology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kamenice, Brno, Czech Republic
- For correspondence. E-mail: or
| | - Markéta Bodláková
- Department of Plant Developmental Genetics, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Biophysics, Královopolská, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Zdeněk Kubát
- Department of Plant Developmental Genetics, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Biophysics, Královopolská, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Radim Čegan
- Department of Plant Developmental Genetics, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Biophysics, Královopolská, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Boris Vyskot
- Department of Plant Developmental Genetics, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Biophysics, Královopolská, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Vrána
- Institute of Experimental Botany, Centre of the Region Haná for Biotechnological and Agricultural Research, Šlechtitelů, Olomouc-Holice, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Šafář
- Institute of Experimental Botany, Centre of the Region Haná for Biotechnological and Agricultural Research, Šlechtitelů, Olomouc-Holice, Czech Republic
| | - Janka Puterova
- Department of Plant Developmental Genetics, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Biophysics, Královopolská, Brno, Czech Republic
- Brno University of Technology, Faculty of Information Technology, Centre of Excellence IT4Innovations, Bozetechova, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Roman Hobza
- Department of Plant Developmental Genetics, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Biophysics, Královopolská, Brno, Czech Republic
- For correspondence. E-mail: or
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7
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Beaudry FEG, Barrett SCH, Wright SI. Ancestral and neo-sex chromosomes contribute to population divergence in a dioecious plant. Evolution 2019; 74:256-269. [PMID: 31808547 DOI: 10.1111/evo.13892] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2019] [Revised: 10/16/2019] [Accepted: 11/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Empirical evidence from several animal groups suggests sex chromosomes disproportionately contribute to reproductive isolation. This effect may be enhanced when sex chromosomes are associated with turnover of sex determination systems resulting from structural rearrangements to the chromosomes. We investigated these predictions in the dioecious plant Rumex hastatulus, which is composed of populations of two different sex chromosome cytotypes caused by an X-autosome fusion. Using population genomic analyses, we investigated the demographic history of R. hastatulus and explored the contributions of ancestral and neo-sex chromosomes to population genetic divergence. Our study revealed that the cytotypes represent genetically divergent populations with evidence for historical but not contemporary gene flow between them. In agreement with classical predictions, we found that the ancestral X chromosome was disproportionately divergent compared with the rest of the genome. Excess differentiation was also observed on the Y chromosome, even when we used measures of differentiation that control for differences in effective population size. Our estimates of the timing of the origin of neo-sex chromosomes in R. hastatulus are coincident with cessation of gene flow, suggesting that the chromosomal fusion event that gave rise to the origin of the XYY cytotype may have also contributed to reproductive isolation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felix E G Beaudry
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3B2, Canada
| | - Spencer C H Barrett
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3B2, Canada
| | - Stephen I Wright
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3B2, Canada
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8
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Pickup M, Brandvain Y, Fraïsse C, Yakimowski S, Barton NH, Dixit T, Lexer C, Cereghetti E, Field DL. Mating system variation in hybrid zones: facilitation, barriers and asymmetries to gene flow. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2019; 224:1035-1047. [PMID: 31505037 PMCID: PMC6856794 DOI: 10.1111/nph.16180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2019] [Accepted: 08/19/2019] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Plant mating systems play a key role in structuring genetic variation both within and between species. In hybrid zones, the outcomes and dynamics of hybridization are usually interpreted as the balance between gene flow and selection against hybrids. Yet, mating systems can introduce selective forces that alter these expectations; with diverse outcomes for the level and direction of gene flow depending on variation in outcrossing and whether the mating systems of the species pair are the same or divergent. We present a survey of hybridization in 133 species pairs from 41 plant families and examine how patterns of hybridization vary with mating system. We examine if hybrid zone mode, level of gene flow, asymmetries in gene flow and the frequency of reproductive isolating barriers vary in relation to mating system/s of the species pair. We combine these results with a simulation model and examples from the literature to address two general themes: (1) the two-way interaction between introgression and the evolution of reproductive systems, and (2) how mating system can facilitate or restrict interspecific gene flow. We conclude that examining mating system with hybridization provides unique opportunities to understand divergence and the processes underlying reproductive isolation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melinda Pickup
- Institute of Science and Technology AustriaAm Campus 1Klosterneuburg3400Austria
| | - Yaniv Brandvain
- Department of Plant and Microbial BiologyUniversity of Minnesota1500 Gortner AveSt Paul, MinneapolisMN55108USA
| | - Christelle Fraïsse
- Institute of Science and Technology AustriaAm Campus 1Klosterneuburg3400Austria
| | - Sarah Yakimowski
- Department of BiologyQueen's University116 Barrie StKingstonONK7L 3N6Canada
| | - Nicholas H. Barton
- Institute of Science and Technology AustriaAm Campus 1Klosterneuburg3400Austria
| | - Tanmay Dixit
- Department of ZoologyUniversity of CambridgeDowning StreetCambridgeCB2 3EJUK
| | - Christian Lexer
- Department of Botany and Biodiversity ResearchFaculty of Life SciencesUniversity of ViennaA‐1030ViennaAustria
| | - Eva Cereghetti
- Institute of Science and Technology AustriaAm Campus 1Klosterneuburg3400Austria
| | - David L. Field
- Department of Botany and Biodiversity ResearchFaculty of Life SciencesUniversity of ViennaA‐1030ViennaAustria
- School of ScienceEdith Cowan University270 Joondalup DriveJoondalupWestern Australia6027Australia
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9
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Nick P. Gender studies-a cell biological viewpoint. PROTOPLASMA 2019; 256:1-2. [PMID: 30523415 DOI: 10.1007/s00709-018-01337-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2018] [Accepted: 12/03/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Peter Nick
- Botanical Institute, Karlsruher Institut für Technologie, Karlsruhe, Germany.
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