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Roberts KT, Steward RA, Süess P, Lehmann P, Wheat CW. A time course analysis through diapause reveals dynamic temporal patterns of microRNAs associated with endocrine regulation in the butterfly Pieris napi. Mol Ecol 2024:e17348. [PMID: 38597329 DOI: 10.1111/mec.17348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2023] [Revised: 03/13/2024] [Accepted: 03/27/2024] [Indexed: 04/11/2024]
Abstract
Organisms inhabiting highly seasonal environments must cope with a wide range of environmentally induced challenges. Many seasonal challenges require extensive physiological modification to survive. In winter, to survive extreme cold and limited resources, insects commonly enter diapause, which is an endogenously derived dormant state associated with minimized cellular processes and low energetic expenditure. Due to the high degree of complexity involved in diapause, substantial cellular regulation is required, of which our understanding primarily derives from the transcriptome via messenger RNA expression dynamics. Here we aim to advance our understanding of diapause by investigating microRNA (miRNA) expression in diapausing and direct developing pupae of the butterfly Pieris napi. We identified coordinated patterns of miRNA expression throughout diapause in both head and abdomen tissues of pupae, and via miRNA target identification, found several expression patterns to be enriched for relevant diapause-related physiological processes. We also identified two candidate miRNAs, miR-14-5p and miR-2a-3p, that are likely involved in diapause progression through their activity in the ecdysone pathway, a critical regulator of diapause termination. miR-14-5p targets phantom, a gene in the ecdysone synthesis pathway, and is upregulated early in diapause. miR-2a-3p has been found to be expressed in response to ecdysone, and is upregulated during diapause termination. Together, the expression patterns of these two miRNAs match our current understanding of the timing of hormonal regulation of diapause in P. napi and provide interesting candidates to further explore the mechanistic role of microRNAs in diapause regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin T Roberts
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
- Zoological Institute and Museum, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Rachel A Steward
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Philip Süess
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Philipp Lehmann
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
- Zoological Institute and Museum, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
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Steward RA, Pruisscher P, Roberts KT, Wheat CW. Genetic constraints in genes exhibiting splicing plasticity in facultative diapause. Heredity (Edinb) 2024; 132:142-155. [PMID: 38291272 PMCID: PMC10923799 DOI: 10.1038/s41437-024-00669-2] [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: 02/26/2023] [Revised: 12/28/2023] [Accepted: 01/03/2024] [Indexed: 02/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Phenotypic plasticity is produced and maintained by processes regulating the transcriptome. While differential gene expression is among the most important of these processes, relatively little is known about other sources of transcriptional variation. Previous work suggests that alternative splicing plays an extensive and functionally unique role in transcriptional plasticity, though plastically spliced genes may be more constrained than the remainder of expressed genes. In this study, we explore the relationship between expression and splicing plasticity, along with the genetic diversity in those genes, in an ecologically consequential polyphenism: facultative diapause. Using 96 samples spread over two tissues and 10 timepoints, we compare the extent of differential splicing and expression between diapausing and direct developing pupae of the butterfly Pieris napi. Splicing differs strongly between diapausing and direct developing trajectories but alters a smaller and functionally unique set of genes compared to differential expression. We further test the hypothesis that among these expressed loci, plastically spliced genes are likely to experience the strongest purifying selection to maintain seasonally plastic phenotypes. Genes with unique transcriptional changes through diapause consistently had the lowest nucleotide diversity, and this effect was consistently stronger among genes that were differentially spliced compared to those with just differential expression through diapause. Further, the strength of negative selection was higher in the population expressing diapause every generation. Our results suggest that maintenance of the molecular mechanisms involved in diapause progression, including post-transcriptional modifications, are highly conserved and likely to experience genetic constraints, especially in northern populations of P. napi.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel A Steward
- Zoology Department, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.
- Biology Department, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
| | - Peter Pruisscher
- Zoology Department, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
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Roberts KT, Szejner-Sigal A, Lehmann P. Seasonal energetics: are insects constrained by energy during dormancy? J Exp Biol 2023; 226:jeb245782. [PMID: 37921417 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.245782] [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] [Indexed: 11/04/2023]
Abstract
In seasonal environments, many animals, including insects, enter dormancy, where they are limited to a fixed energy budget. The inability to replenish energetic stores during these periods suggests insects should be constrained by pre-dormancy energy stores. Over the last century, the community of researchers working on survival during dormancy has operated under the strong assumption that energy limitation is a key fitness trait driving the evolution of seasonal strategies. That is, energy use has to be minimized during dormancy because insects otherwise run out of energy and die during dormancy, or are left with too little energy to complete development, reproductive maturation or other costly post-dormancy processes such as dispersal or nest building. But if energy is so strongly constrained during dormancy, how can some insects - even within the same species and population - be dormant in very warm environments or show prolonged dormancy for many successive years? In this Commentary, we discuss major assumptions regarding dormancy energetics and outline cases where insects appear to align with our assumptions and where they do not. We then highlight several research directions that could help link organismal energy use with landscape-level changes. Overall, the optimal energetic strategy during dormancy might not be to simply minimize metabolic rate, but instead to maintain a level that matches the demands of the specific life-history strategy. Given the influence of temperature on energy use rates of insects in winter, understanding dormancy energetic strategies is critical in order to determine the potential impacts of climate change on insects in seasonal environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin T Roberts
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Andre Szejner-Sigal
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Philipp Lehmann
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Animal Physiology, Zoological Institute and Museum, University of Greifswald, 17489 Greifswald, Germany
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Chen YH, Jiang T, Yasen A, Fan BY, Zhu J, Wang MX, Shen XJ. RNA N6-methyladenosine of DHAPAT and PAP involves in regulation of diapause of Bombyx mori via the lipid metabolism pathway. BULLETIN OF ENTOMOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2023; 113:665-675. [PMID: 37555240 DOI: 10.1017/s0007485323000330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/10/2023]
Abstract
Environment-induced epigenetics are involved in diapause regulation, but the molecular mechanism that epigenetically couples nutrient metabolism to diapause regulation remains unclear. In this study, we paid special attention to the significant differences in the level of N6-adenosine methylation (m6A) of dihydroxyacetone phosphate acyltransferase (DHAPAT) and phosphatidate phosphatase (PAP) genes in the lipid metabolism pathway of the bivoltine silkworm (Bombyx mori) strain Qiufeng developed from eggs incubated at a normal temperature (QFHT, diapause egg producer) compared to those from eggs incubated at a low temperature (QFLT, non-diapause egg producer). We knocked down DHAPAT in the pupal stage of the QFLT group, resulting in the non-diapause destined eggs becoming diapausing eggs. In the PAP knockdown group, the colour of the non-diapause destined eggs changed from light yellow to pink 3 days after oviposition, but they hatched as normal. Moreover, we validated that YTHDF3 binds to m6A-modified DHAPAT and PAP mRNAs to promote their stability and translation. These results suggest that RNA m6A methylation participates in the diapause regulation of silkworm by changing the expression levels of DHAPAT and PAP and reveal that m6A epigenetic modification can be combined with a lipid metabolism signal pathway to participate in the regulation of insect diapause traits, which provides a clearer image for exploring the physiological basis of insect diapause.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan-Hua Chen
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Sericultural Biology and Biotechnology, College of Biotechnology, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu 212100, China
- Key Laboratory of Silkworm and Mulberry Genetic Improvement, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Sericulture Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu 212100, China
| | - Tao Jiang
- Silkworm Egg Institute of Jiangsu Province, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214000, China
| | - Ayinuer Yasen
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Sericultural Biology and Biotechnology, College of Biotechnology, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu 212100, China
- Key Laboratory of Silkworm and Mulberry Genetic Improvement, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Sericulture Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu 212100, China
| | - Bing-Yan Fan
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Sericultural Biology and Biotechnology, College of Biotechnology, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu 212100, China
- Key Laboratory of Silkworm and Mulberry Genetic Improvement, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Sericulture Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu 212100, China
| | - Juan Zhu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Sericultural Biology and Biotechnology, College of Biotechnology, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu 212100, China
- Key Laboratory of Silkworm and Mulberry Genetic Improvement, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Sericulture Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu 212100, China
| | - Mei-Xian Wang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Sericultural Biology and Biotechnology, College of Biotechnology, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu 212100, China
- Key Laboratory of Silkworm and Mulberry Genetic Improvement, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Sericulture Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu 212100, China
| | - Xing-Jia Shen
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Sericultural Biology and Biotechnology, College of Biotechnology, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu 212100, China
- Key Laboratory of Silkworm and Mulberry Genetic Improvement, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Sericulture Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu 212100, China
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Boman J, Zhu Y, Höök L, Vila R, Talavera G, Backström N. Environmental stress during larval development induces DNA methylation shifts in the migratory painted lady butterfly (Vanessa cardui). Mol Ecol 2023. [PMID: 37088782 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16957] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2023] [Revised: 03/22/2023] [Accepted: 04/12/2023] [Indexed: 04/25/2023]
Abstract
Seasonal environmental fluctuations provide formidable challenges for living organisms, especially small ectotherms such as butterflies. A common strategy to cope with harsh environments is to enter diapause, but some species avoid unsuitable conditions by migrating. Despite a growing understanding of migration in the life cycles of some butterfly species, it remains unknown how individuals register and store environmental cues to determine whether and where to migrate. Here, we explored how competition and host plant availability during larval development affect patterns of DNA methylation in the migratory painted lady (Vanessa cardui) butterfly. We identify a set of potentially functional methylome shifts associated with differences in the environment, indicating that DNA methylation is involved in the response to different conditions during larval development. By analysing the transcriptome for the same samples used for methylation profiling, we also uncovered a non-monotonic relationship between gene body methylation and gene expression. Our results provide a starting point for understanding the interplay between DNA methylation and gene expression in butterflies in general and how differences in environmental conditions during development can trigger unique epigenetic marks that might be important for behavioural decisions in the adult stage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesper Boman
- Evolutionary Biology Program, Department of Ecology and Genetics (IEG), Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Yishu Zhu
- Animal Ecology Program, Department of Ecology and Genetics (IEG), Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Lars Höök
- Evolutionary Biology Program, Department of Ecology and Genetics (IEG), Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Roger Vila
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-Univ. Pompeu Fabra), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Gerard Talavera
- Institut Botànic de Barcelona (IBB), CSIC-Ajuntament de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Niclas Backström
- Evolutionary Biology Program, Department of Ecology and Genetics (IEG), Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
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