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Cerca J. Understanding natural selection and similarity: Convergent, parallel and repeated evolution. Mol Ecol 2023; 32:5451-5462. [PMID: 37724599 DOI: 10.1111/mec.17132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2023] [Revised: 08/26/2023] [Accepted: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 09/21/2023]
Abstract
Parallel and convergent evolution offer some of the most compelling evidence for the significance of natural selection in evolution, as the emergence of similar adaptive solutions is unlikely to occur by random chance alone. However, these terms are often employed inconsistently, leading to misinterpretation and confusion, and recently proposed definitions have unintentionally diminished the emphasis on the evolution of similar adaptive solutions. Here, I examine various conceptual frameworks and definitions related to parallel and convergent evolution and propose a consolidated framework that enhances our comprehension of these evolutionary patterns. The primary aim of this framework is to harmonize the concepts of parallel and convergent evolution together with natural selection and the idea of similarity. Both concepts involve the evolution of similar adaptive solutions as a result of environmental challenges. The distinction lies in ancestral phenotypes. Parallel evolution takes place when the ancestral phenotypes (before selection) of the lineages are similar. Convergent evolution happens when the lineages have distinct ancestral phenotypes (before selection). Because an ancestral-based distinction will inevitably lead to cases where uncertainty in the distinction may arise, the framework includes a general term, repeated evolution, which can be used as a term applying to the evolution of similar phenotypes and genotypes as well as similar responses to environmental pressures. Based on the argument that genetic similarity may frequently arise without selection, the framework posits that the similarity of genetic sequences is not of great interest unless linked to the actions of natural selection or to the origins (mutation, standing genetic variation, gene flow) and locations of the similar sequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- José Cerca
- CEES - Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
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2
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Méndez-González ID, Williams TM, Rebeiz M. Changes in locus wide repression underlie the evolution of Drosophila abdominal pigmentation. PLoS Genet 2023; 19:e1010722. [PMID: 37134121 PMCID: PMC10184908 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1010722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2022] [Revised: 05/15/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 05/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Changes in gene regulation represent an important path to generate developmental differences affecting anatomical traits. Interspecific divergence in gene expression often results from changes in transcription-stimulating enhancer elements. While gene repression is crucial for precise spatiotemporal expression patterns, the relative contribution of repressive transcriptional silencers to regulatory evolution remains to be addressed. Here, we show that the Drosophila pigmentation gene ebony has mainly evolved through changes in the spatial domains of silencers patterning its abdominal expression. By precisely editing the endogenous ebony locus of D. melanogaster, we demonstrate the requirement of two redundant abdominal enhancers and three silencers that repress the redundant enhancers in a patterned manner. We observe a role for changes in these silencers in every case of ebony evolution observed to date. Our findings suggest that negative regulation by silencers likely has an under-appreciated role in gene regulatory evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iván D Méndez-González
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Thomas M Williams
- Department of Biology, University of Dayton, Dayton, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Mark Rebeiz
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
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3
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Human and African ape myosin heavy chain content and the evolution of hominin skeletal muscle. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2023; 281:111415. [PMID: 36931425 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2023.111415] [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] [Revised: 03/13/2023] [Accepted: 03/13/2023] [Indexed: 03/17/2023]
Abstract
Humans are unique among terrestrial mammals in our manner of walking and running, reflecting 7 to 8 Ma of musculoskeletal evolution since diverging with the genus Pan. One component of this is a shift in our skeletal muscle biology towards a predominance of myosin heavy chain (MyHC) I isoforms (i.e. slow fibers) across our pelvis and lower limbs, which distinguishes us from chimpanzees. Here, new MyHC data from 35 pelvis and hind limb muscles of a Western gorilla (Gorilla gorilla) are presented. These data are combined with a similar chimpanzee dataset to assess the MyHC I content of humans in comparison to African apes (chimpanzees and gorillas) and other terrestrial mammals. The responsiveness of human skeletal muscle to behavioral interventions is also compared to the human-African ape differential. Humans are distinct from African apes and among a small group of terrestrial mammals whose pelvis and hind/lower limb muscle is slow fiber dominant, on average. Behavioral interventions, including immobilization, bed rest, spaceflight and exercise, can induce modest decreases and increases in human MyHC I content (i.e. -9.3% to 2.3%, n = 2033 subjects), but these shifts are much smaller than the mean human-African ape differential (i.e. 31%). Taken together, these results indicate muscle fiber content is likely an evolvable trait under selection in the hominin lineage. As such, we highlight potential targets of selection in the genome (e.g. regions that regulate MyHC content) that may play an important role in hominin skeletal muscle evolution.
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4
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Hughes JT, Williams ME, Rebeiz M, Williams TM. Widespread cis- and trans-regulatory evolution underlies the origin, diversification, and loss of a sexually dimorphic fruit fly pigmentation trait. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY. PART B, MOLECULAR AND DEVELOPMENTAL EVOLUTION 2023; 340:143-161. [PMID: 34254440 DOI: 10.1002/jez.b.23068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2021] [Revised: 06/15/2021] [Accepted: 06/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Changes in gene expression are a prominent feature of morphological evolution. These changes occur to hierarchical gene regulatory networks (GRNs) of transcription factor genes that regulate the expression of trait-building differentiation genes. While changes in the expression of differentiation genes are essential to phenotypic evolution, they can be caused by mutations within cis-regulatory elements (CREs) that drive their expression (cis-evolution) or within genes for CRE-interacting transcription factors (trans-evolution). Locating these mutations remains a challenge, especially when experiments are limited to one species that possesses the ancestral or derived phenotype. We investigated CREs that control the expression of the differentiation genes tan and yellow, the expression of which evolved during the gain, modification, and loss of dimorphic pigmentation among Sophophora fruit flies. We show these CREs to be necessary components of a pigmentation GRN, as deletion from Drosophila melanogaster (derived dimorphic phenotype) resulted in lost expression and lost male-specific pigmentation. We evaluated the ability of orthologous CRE sequences to drive reporter gene expression in species with modified (Drosophila auraria), secondarily lost (Drosophila ananassae), and ancestrally absent (Drosophila willistoni) pigmentation. We show that the transgene host frequently determines CRE activity, implicating trans-evolution as a significant factor for this trait's diversity. We validated the gain of dimorphic Bab transcription factor expression as a trans-change contributing to the dimorphic trait. Our findings suggest an amenability to change for the landscape of trans-regulators and begs for an explanation as to why this is so common compared to the evolution of differentiation gene CREs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesse T Hughes
- Department of Biology, University of Dayton, Dayton, Ohio, USA
| | | | - Mark Rebeiz
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Thomas M Williams
- Department of Biology, University of Dayton, Dayton, Ohio, USA.,The Integrative Science and Engineering Center, University of Dayton, Dayton, Ohio, USA
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5
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An enhancer of Agouti contributes to parallel evolution of cryptically colored beach mice. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2202862119. [PMID: 35776547 PMCID: PMC9271204 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2202862119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Identifying the genetic basis of repeatedly evolved traits provides a way to reconstruct their evolutionary history and ultimately investigate the predictability of evolution. Here, we focus on the oldfield mouse (Peromyscus polionotus), which occurs in the southeastern United States, where it exhibits considerable color variation. Dorsal coats range from dark brown in mainland mice to near white in mice inhabiting sandy beaches; this light pelage has evolved independently on Florida's Gulf and Atlantic coasts as camouflage from predators. To facilitate genomic analyses, we first generated a chromosome-level genome assembly of Peromyscus polionotus subgriseus. Next, in a uniquely variable mainland population (Peromyscus polionotus albifrons), we scored 23 pigment traits and performed targeted resequencing in 168 mice. We find that pigment variation is strongly associated with an ∼2-kb region ∼5 kb upstream of the Agouti signaling protein coding region. Using a reporter-gene assay, we demonstrate that this regulatory region contains an enhancer that drives expression in the dermis of mouse embryos during the establishment of pigment prepatterns. Moreover, extended tracts of homozygosity in this Agouti region indicate that the light allele experienced recent and strong positive selection. Notably, this same light allele appears fixed in both Gulf and Atlantic coast beach mice, despite these populations being separated by >1,000 km. Together, our results suggest that this identified Agouti enhancer allele has been maintained in mainland populations as standing genetic variation and from there, has spread to and been selected in two independent beach mouse lineages, thereby facilitating their rapid and parallel evolution.
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Mas A, Lagadeuc Y, Vandenkoornhuyse P. Reflections on the Predictability of Evolution: Toward a Conceptual Framework. iScience 2020; 23:101736. [PMID: 33225244 PMCID: PMC7666346 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2020.101736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Evolution is generally considered to be unpredictable because genetic variations are known to occur randomly. However, remarkable patterns of repeated convergent evolution are observed, for instance, loss of pigments by organisms living in caves. Analogous phenotypes appear in similar environments, sometimes in response to similar constraints. Alongside randomness, a certain evolutionary determinism also exists, for instance, the selection of particular phenotypes subjected to particular environmental constraints in the “evolutionary funnel.” We pursue the idea that eco-evolutionary specialization is in some way determinist. The conceptual framework of phenotypic changes entailing specialization presented in this essay explains how evolution can be predicted. We also discuss how the predictability of evolution could be tested using the case of metabolic specialization through gene losses. We also put forward that microorganisms could be key models to test and possibly make headway evolutionary predictions and knowledge about evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alix Mas
- Université de Rennes 1, CNRS, UMR6553 ECOBIO, Campus Beaulieu, Avenue Leclerc, Rennes Cedex 35042, France
| | - Yvan Lagadeuc
- Université de Rennes 1, CNRS, UMR6553 ECOBIO, Campus Beaulieu, Avenue Leclerc, Rennes Cedex 35042, France
| | - Philippe Vandenkoornhuyse
- Université de Rennes 1, CNRS, UMR6553 ECOBIO, Campus Beaulieu, Avenue Leclerc, Rennes Cedex 35042, France
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Friedman DA, Johnson BR, Linksvayer TA. Distributed physiology and the molecular basis of social life in eusocial insects. Horm Behav 2020; 122:104757. [PMID: 32305342 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2020.104757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2019] [Revised: 03/30/2020] [Accepted: 04/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The traditional focus of physiological and functional genomic research is on molecular processes that play out within a single multicellular organism. In the colonial (eusocial) insects such as ants, bees, and termites, molecular and behavioral responses of interacting nestmates are tightly linked, and key physiological processes are regulated at the scale of the colony. Such colony-level physiological processes regulate nestmate physiology in a distributed fashion, through various social communication mechanisms. As a result of physiological decentralization over evolutionary time, organismal mechanisms, for example related to pheromone detection, hormone signaling, and neural signaling pathways, are deployed in novel contexts to influence nestmate and colony traits. Here we explore how functional genomic, physiological, and behavioral studies can benefit from considering the traits of eusocial insects in this light. We highlight functional genomic work exploring how nestmate-level and colony-level traits arise and are influenced by interactions among physiologically-specialized nestmates of various developmental stages. We also consider similarities and differences between nestmate-level (organismal) and colony-level (superorganismal) physiological processes, and make specific hypotheses regarding the physiology of eusocial taxa. Integrating theoretical models of distributed systems with empirical functional genomics approaches will be useful in addressing fundamental questions related to the evolution of eusociality and collective behavior in natural systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- D A Friedman
- University of California, Davis, Department of Entomology, Davis, CA 95616, United States of America.
| | - B R Johnson
- University of California, Davis, Department of Entomology, Davis, CA 95616, United States of America
| | - T A Linksvayer
- University of Pennsylvania, Department of Biology, Pennsylvania, PA 19104, United States of America
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8
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Signor SA. When structure meets function. eLife 2019; 8:51746. [PMID: 31612861 PMCID: PMC6794084 DOI: 10.7554/elife.51746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2019] [Accepted: 09/24/2019] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
A new study upturns the long-held belief that the yellow gene determines sex-specific behaviors in fruit flies by acting in the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah A Signor
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo, United States
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9
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Liu Y, Ramos-Womack M, Han C, Reilly P, Brackett KL, Rogers W, Williams TM, Andolfatto P, Stern DL, Rebeiz M. Changes throughout a Genetic Network Mask the Contribution of Hox Gene Evolution. Curr Biol 2019; 29:2157-2166.e6. [PMID: 31257142 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.05.074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2019] [Revised: 05/10/2019] [Accepted: 05/31/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Hox genes pattern the anterior-posterior axis of animals and are posited to drive animal body plan evolution, yet their precise role in evolution has been difficult to determine. Here, we identified evolutionary modifications in the Hox gene Abd-B that dramatically altered its expression along the body plan of Drosophila santomea. Abd-B is required for pigmentation in Drosophila yakuba, the sister species of D. santomea, and changes to Abd-B expression would be predicted to make large contributions to the loss of body pigmentation in D. santomea. However, manipulating Abd-B expression in current-day D. santomea does not affect pigmentation. We attribute this epistatic interaction to four other genes within the D. santomea pigmentation network, three of which have evolved expression patterns that do not respond to Abd-B. Our results demonstrate how body plans may evolve through small evolutionary steps distributed throughout Hox-regulated networks. Polygenicity and epistasis may hinder efforts to identify genes and mechanisms underlying macroevolutionary traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Liu
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | - Margarita Ramos-Womack
- Department of Ecology Evolution and Behavior, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Clair Han
- Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Patrick Reilly
- Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | | | - William Rogers
- Department of Biology, University of Dayton, 300 College Park, Dayton, OH 45469, USA
| | - Thomas M Williams
- Department of Biology, University of Dayton, 300 College Park, Dayton, OH 45469, USA
| | - Peter Andolfatto
- Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, Sherman Fairchild Center for Life Sciences, 1212 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - David L Stern
- Janelia Research Campus of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 19700 Helix Drive, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA.
| | - Mark Rebeiz
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA.
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10
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Kopp A, Barmina O, Prigent SR. Phylogenetic position of the Drosophila fima and dentissima lineages, and the status of the D. melanogaster species group. Mol Phylogenet Evol 2019; 139:106543. [PMID: 31247309 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2019.106543] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2019] [Revised: 06/21/2019] [Accepted: 06/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
The subgenus Sophophora of Drosophila, which includes D. melanogaster, is an important model for the study of molecular evolution, comparative genomics, and evolutionary developmental biology. Numerous phylogenetic studies have examined species relationships in the well-known melanogaster, obscura, willistoni, and saltans species groups, as well as the relationships among these clades. In contrast, other species groups of Sophophora have been relatively neglected and have not been subjected to molecular phylogenetic analysis. Here, we focus on the endemic African Drosophila fima and dentissima lineages. We find that both these clades fall within the broadly defined melanogaster species group, but are otherwise distantly related to each other. The new phylogeny supports pervasive divergent and convergent evolution of male-specific grasping structures (sex combs). We discuss the implications of these results for defining the boundaries of the melanogaster species group, and weigh the relative merits of "splitting" and "lumping" approaches to the taxonomy of this key model system.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Kopp
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California Davis, United States.
| | - O Barmina
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California Davis, United States
| | - S R Prigent
- Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), UMR7205, CNRS-MNHN-UPMC-EPHE, PSL University, 45 rue Buffon, 75005 Paris, France
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11
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Tian L, Rahman SR, Ezray BD, Franzini L, Strange JP, Lhomme P, Hines HM. A homeotic shift late in development drives mimetic color variation in a bumble bee. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:11857-11865. [PMID: 31043564 PMCID: PMC6575597 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1900365116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Natural phenotypic radiations, with their high diversity and convergence, are well-suited for informing how genomic changes translate to natural phenotypic variation. New genomic tools enable discovery in such traditionally nonmodel systems. Here, we characterize the genomic basis of color pattern variation in bumble bees (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Bombus), a group that has undergone extensive convergence of setal color patterns as a result of Müllerian mimicry. In western North America, multiple species converge on local mimicry patterns through parallel shifts of midabdominal segments from red to black. Using genome-wide association, we establish that a cis-regulatory locus between the abdominal fate-determining Hox genes, abd-A and Abd-B, controls the red-black color switch in a western species, Bombus melanopygus Gene expression analysis reveals distinct shifts in Abd-B aligned with the duration of setal pigmentation at the pupal-adult transition. This results in atypical anterior Abd-B expression, a late developmental homeotic shift. Changing expression of Hox genes can have widespread effects, given their important role across segmental phenotypes; however, the late timing reduces this pleiotropy, making Hox genes suitable targets. Analysis of this locus across mimics and relatives reveals that other species follow independent genetic routes to obtain the same phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Tian
- Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802
| | | | - Briana D Ezray
- Department of Entomology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802
| | - Luca Franzini
- Department of Entomology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802
| | - James P Strange
- United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service Pollinating Insects Research Unit, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322
| | - Patrick Lhomme
- Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802
- Biodiversity and Crop Improvement Program, International Center of Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas, 10112 Rabat, Morocco
| | - Heather M Hines
- Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802;
- Department of Entomology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802
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12
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Al Sayad S, Yassin A. Quantifying the extent of morphological homoplasy: A phylogenetic analysis of 490 characters in Drosophila. Evol Lett 2019; 3:286-298. [PMID: 31171984 PMCID: PMC6546384 DOI: 10.1002/evl3.115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2018] [Revised: 03/28/2019] [Accepted: 04/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Homoplasy is a fundamental phenomenon in evolutionary biology but an appraisal of its extent at the morphological level is still lacking. Here, we analyzed the evolution of 490 morphological characters conceptualized among 56 drosophilid species. We found that two thirds of morphological changes were homoplastic and that the level of homoplasy depended on the stage of development and the type of the organ, with the adult terminalia being the least homoplastic. In spite of its predominance at the character change level, homoplasy accounts for only ∼13% of between species similarities in pairwise comparisons. These results provide empirical insights on the limits of morphological changes and the frequency of recurrent evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sinan Al Sayad
- Institut Systématique Evolution Biodiversité (ISYEB)Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, MNHN, Sorbonne Université, EPHE57 rue Cuvier, CP 50,75005ParisFrance
| | - Amir Yassin
- Institut Systématique Evolution Biodiversité (ISYEB)Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, MNHN, Sorbonne Université, EPHE57 rue Cuvier, CP 50,75005ParisFrance
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13
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Comparative transcriptomics of 3 high-altitude passerine birds and their low-altitude relatives. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:11851-11856. [PMID: 31127049 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1819657116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
High-altitude environments present strong stresses for living organisms, which have driven striking phenotypic and genetic adaptations. While previous studies have revealed multiple genetic adaptations in high-altitude species, how evolutionary history (i.e., phylogenetic background) contributes to similarity in genetic adaptations to high-altitude environments is largely unknown, in particular in a group of birds. We explored this in 3 high-altitude passerine birds from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and their low-altitude relatives in lowland eastern China. We generated transcriptomic data for 5 tissues across these species and compared sequence changes and expression shifts between high- and low-altitude pairs. Sequence comparison revealed that similarity in all 3 high-altitude species was high for genes under positive selection (218 genes) but low in amino acid substitutions (only 4 genes sharing identical amino acid substitutions). Expression profiles for all genes identified a tissue-specific expression pattern (i.e., all species clustered by tissue). By contrast, an altitude-related pattern was observed in genes differentially expressed between all 3 species pairs and genes associated with altitude, suggesting that the high-altitude environment may drive similar expression shifts in the 3 high-altitude species. Gene expression level, gene connectivity, and the interactions of these 2 factors with altitude were correlated with evolutionary rates. Our results provide evidence for how gene sequence changes and expression shifts work in a concerted way in a group of high-altitude birds, leading to similar evolution routes in response to high-altitude environmental stresses.
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14
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Ali S, Signor SA, Kozlov K, Nuzhdin SV. Novel approach to quantitative spatial gene expression uncovers genetic stochasticity in the developing Drosophila eye. Evol Dev 2019; 21:157-171. [PMID: 30756455 DOI: 10.1111/ede.12283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Robustness in development allows for the accumulation of genetically based variation in expression. However, this variation is usually examined in response to large perturbations, and examination of this variation has been limited to being spatial, or quantitative, but because of technical restrictions not both. Here we bridge these gaps by investigating replicated quantitative spatial gene expression using rigorous statistical models, in different genotypes, sexes, and species (Drosophila melanogaster and D. simulans). Using this type of quantitative approach with molecular developmental data allows for comparison among conditions, such as different genetic backgrounds. We apply this approach to the morphogenetic furrow, a wave of differentiation that patterns the developing eye disc. Within the morphogenetic furrow, we focus on four genes, hairy, atonal, hedgehog, and Delta. Hybridization chain reaction quantitatively measures spatial gene expression, co-staining for all four genes simultaneously. We find considerable variation in the spatial expression pattern of these genes in the eye between species, genotypes, and sexes. We also find that there has been evolution of the regulatory relationship between these genes, and that their spatial interrelationships have evolved between species. This variation has no phenotypic effect, and could be buffered by network thresholds or compensation from other genes. Both of these mechanisms could potentially be contributing to long term developmental systems drift.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sammi Ali
- Molecular and Computational Biology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
| | - Sarah A Signor
- Molecular and Computational Biology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
| | - Konstantin Kozlov
- Department of Applied Mathematics, St. Petersburg State Polytechnic University, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Sergey V Nuzhdin
- Molecular and Computational Biology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California.,Department of Applied Mathematics, St. Petersburg State Polytechnic University, St. Petersburg, Russia
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15
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Hao Y, Qu Y, Song G, Lei F. Genomic Insights into the Adaptive Convergent Evolution. Curr Genomics 2019; 20:81-89. [PMID: 31555059 PMCID: PMC6728901 DOI: 10.2174/1389202920666190313162702] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2018] [Revised: 01/10/2019] [Accepted: 03/07/2019] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Adaptive convergent evolution, which refers to the same or similar phenotypes produced by species from independent lineages under similar selective pressures, has been widely examined for a long time. Accumulating studies on the adaptive convergent evolution have been reported from many different perspectives (cellular, anatomical, morphological, physiological, biochemical, and behavioral). Recent advances in the genomic technologies have demonstrated that adaptive convergence can arise from specific genetic mechanisms in different hierarchies, ranging from the same nucleotide or amino acid substitutions to the biological functions or pathways. Among these genetic mechanisms, the same amino acid changes in protein-coding genes play an important role in adaptive phenotypic convergence. Methods for detecting adaptive convergence at the protein sequence level have been constantly debated and developed. Here, we review recent progress on using genomic approaches to evaluate the genetic mechanisms of adaptive convergent evolution, summarize the research methods for identifying adaptive amino acid convergence, and discuss the future perspectives for researching adaptive convergent evolu-tion.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Fumin Lei
- Address correspondence to this author at the Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box: 100101, Beijing, China; Fax: +86-10-64807159; E-mail:
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16
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Signor SA, Nuzhdin SV. The Evolution of Gene Expression in cis and trans. Trends Genet 2018; 34:532-544. [PMID: 29680748 PMCID: PMC6094946 DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2018.03.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 153] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2017] [Revised: 03/06/2018] [Accepted: 03/27/2018] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
There is abundant variation in gene expression between individuals, populations, and species. The evolution of gene regulation and expression within and between species is thought to frequently contribute to adaptation. Yet considerable evidence suggests that the primary evolutionary force acting on variation in gene expression is stabilizing selection. We review here the results of recent studies characterizing the evolution of gene expression occurring in cis (via linked polymorphisms) or in trans (through diffusible products of other genes) and their contribution to adaptation and response to the environment. We review the evidence for buffering of variation in gene expression at the level of both transcription and translation, and the possible mechanisms for this buffering. Lastly, we summarize unresolved questions about the evolution of gene regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah A Signor
- Molecular and Computational Biology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA.
| | - Sergey V Nuzhdin
- Molecular and Computational Biology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
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Genetic Basis of Body Color and Spotting Pattern in Redheaded Pine Sawfly Larvae ( Neodiprion lecontei). Genetics 2018; 209:291-305. [PMID: 29496749 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.118.300793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2017] [Accepted: 02/22/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Pigmentation has emerged as a premier model for understanding the genetic basis of phenotypic evolution, and a growing catalog of color loci is starting to reveal biases in the mutations, genes, and genetic architectures underlying color variation in the wild. However, existing studies have sampled a limited subset of taxa, color traits, and developmental stages. To expand the existing sample of color loci, we performed QTL mapping analyses on two types of larval pigmentation traits that vary among populations of the redheaded pine sawfly (Neodiprion lecontei): carotenoid-based yellow body color and melanin-based spotting pattern. For both traits, our QTL models explained a substantial proportion of phenotypic variation and suggested a genetic architecture that is neither monogenic nor highly polygenic. Additionally, we used our linkage map to anchor the current N. lecontei genome assembly. With these data, we identified promising candidate genes underlying (1) a loss of yellow pigmentation in populations in the mid-Atlantic/northeastern United States [C locus-associated membrane protein homologous to a mammalian HDL receptor-2 gene (Cameo2) and lipid transfer particle apolipoproteins II and I gene (apoLTP-II/I)], and (2) a pronounced reduction in black spotting in Great Lakes populations [members of the yellow gene family, tyrosine hydroxylase gene (pale), and dopamine N-acetyltransferase gene (Dat)]. Several of these genes also contribute to color variation in other wild and domesticated taxa. Overall, our findings are consistent with the hypothesis that predictable genes of large effect contribute to color evolution in nature.
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18
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Pan JW, Li Q, Barish S, Okuwa S, Zhao S, Soeder C, Kanke M, Jones CD, Volkan PC. Patterns of transcriptional parallelism and variation in the developing olfactory system of Drosophila species. Sci Rep 2017; 7:8804. [PMID: 28821769 PMCID: PMC5562767 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-08563-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2017] [Accepted: 07/13/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Organisms have evolved strikingly parallel phenotypes in response to similar selection pressures suggesting that there may be shared constraints limiting the possible evolutionary trajectories. For example, the behavioral adaptation of specialist Drosophila species to specific host plants can exhibit parallel changes in their adult olfactory neuroanatomy. We investigated the genetic basis of these parallel changes by comparing gene expression during the development of the olfactory system of two specialist Drosophila species to that of four other generalist species. Our results suggest that the parallelism observed in the adult olfactory neuroanatomy of ecological specialists extends more broadly to their developmental antennal expression profiles, and to the transcription factor combinations specifying olfactory receptor neuron (ORN) fates. Additionally, comparing general patterns of variation for the antennal transcriptional profiles in the adult and developing olfactory system of the six species suggest the possibility that specific, non-random components of the developmental programs underlying the Drosophila olfactory system harbor a disproportionate amount of interspecies variation. Further examination of these developmental components may be able to inform a deeper understanding of how traits evolve.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia Wern Pan
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Qingyun Li
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Scott Barish
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Sumie Okuwa
- Pratt School of Engineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Songhui Zhao
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Charles Soeder
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Matthew Kanke
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Corbin D Jones
- Department of Biology and Integrative Program for Biological & Genome Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
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19
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Perspectives on Gene Regulatory Network Evolution. Trends Genet 2017; 33:436-447. [PMID: 28528721 DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2017.04.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2017] [Revised: 04/24/2017] [Accepted: 04/25/2017] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Animal development proceeds through the activity of genes and their cis-regulatory modules (CRMs) working together in sets of gene regulatory networks (GRNs). The emergence of species-specific traits and novel structures results from evolutionary changes in GRNs. Recent work in a wide variety of animal models, and particularly in insects, has started to reveal the modes and mechanisms of GRN evolution. I discuss here various aspects of GRN evolution and argue that developmental system drift (DSD), in which conserved phenotype is nevertheless a result of changed genetic interactions, should regularly be viewed from the perspective of GRN evolution. Advances in methods to discover related CRMs in diverse insect species, a critical requirement for detailed GRN characterization, are also described.
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Rebeiz M, Williams TM. Using Drosophila pigmentation traits to study the mechanisms of cis-regulatory evolution. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2017; 19:1-7. [PMID: 28521937 PMCID: PMC5439306 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2016.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2016] [Revised: 09/29/2016] [Accepted: 10/04/2016] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
One primary agenda of the developmental evolution field is to elucidate molecular mechanisms governing differences in animal form. While mounting evidence has established an important role for mutations in transcription controlling cis-regulatory elements (CREs), the underlying mechanisms that translate these alterations into differences in gene expression are poorly understood. Emerging studies focused on pigmentation differences among closely related Drosophila species have provided many examples of phenotypically relevant CRE changes, and have begun to illuminate how this process works at the level of regulatory sequence function and transcription factor binding. We review recent work in this field and highlight the conceptual and technical challenges that currently await experimental attention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark Rebeiz
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA.
| | - Thomas M Williams
- Department of Biology, University of Dayton, 300 College Park, Dayton, OH 45469, USA.
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21
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Evolutionary Genetics: Reuse, Recycle, Converge. Curr Biol 2016; 26:R838-R840. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2016.07.075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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22
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Yassin A, Delaney EK, Reddiex AJ, Seher TD, Bastide H, Appleton NC, Lack JB, David JR, Chenoweth SF, Pool JE, Kopp A. The pdm3 Locus Is a Hotspot for Recurrent Evolution of Female-Limited Color Dimorphism in Drosophila. Curr Biol 2016; 26:2412-2422. [PMID: 27546577 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2016.07.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2016] [Revised: 06/24/2016] [Accepted: 07/08/2016] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Sex-limited polymorphisms are an intriguing form of sexual dimorphism that offer unique opportunities to reconstruct the evolutionary changes that decouple male and female traits encoded by a shared genome. We investigated the genetic basis of a Mendelian female-limited color dimorphism (FLCD) that segregates in natural populations of more than 20 species of the Drosophila montium subgroup. In these species, females have alternative abdominal color morphs, light and dark, whereas males have only one color morph in each species. A comprehensive molecular phylogeny of the montium subgroup supports multiple origins of FLCD. Despite this, we mapped FLCD to the same locus in four distantly related species-the transcription factor POU domain motif 3 (pdm3), which acts as a repressor of abdominal pigmentation in D. melanogaster. In D. serrata, FLCD maps to a structural variant in the first intron of pdm3; however, this variant is not found in the three other species-D. kikkawai, D. leontia, and D. burlai-and sequence analysis strongly suggests the pdm3 alleles responsible for FLCD originated independently at least three times. We propose that cis-regulatory changes in pdm3 form sexually dimorphic and monomorphic alleles that segregate within species and are preserved, at least in one species, by structural variation. Surprisingly, pdm3 has not been implicated in the evolution of sex-specific pigmentation outside the montium subgroup, suggesting that the genetic paths to sexual dimorphism may be constrained within a clade but variable across clades.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amir Yassin
- Laboratory of Genetics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 425-G Henry Mall, Madison, WI 53705, USA
| | - Emily K Delaney
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California, Davis, 1 Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Adam J Reddiex
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane 4072, Australia
| | - Thaddeus D Seher
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California, Davis, 1 Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA; Department of Quantitative and Systems Biology, University of California, Merced, 5200 North Lake Road, Merced, CA 95343, USA
| | - Héloïse Bastide
- Laboratory of Genetics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 425-G Henry Mall, Madison, WI 53705, USA
| | - Nicholas C Appleton
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane 4072, Australia
| | - Justin B Lack
- Laboratory of Genetics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 425-G Henry Mall, Madison, WI 53705, USA
| | - Jean R David
- Laboratoire Evolution, Génomes, Comportement, Ecologie (EGCE), CNRS, IRD, Université Paris Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, 91198 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Stephen F Chenoweth
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane 4072, Australia
| | - John E Pool
- Laboratory of Genetics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 425-G Henry Mall, Madison, WI 53705, USA.
| | - Artyom Kopp
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California, Davis, 1 Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
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