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Li M, Chen DS, Junker IP, Szorenyi F, Chen GH, Berger AJ, Comeault AA, Matute DR, Ding Y. Ancestral neural circuits potentiate the origin of a female sexual behavior. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.12.05.570174. [PMID: 38106147 PMCID: PMC10723342 DOI: 10.1101/2023.12.05.570174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
Courtship interactions are remarkably diverse in form and complexity among species. How neural circuits evolve to encode new behaviors that are functionally integrated into these dynamic social interactions is unknown. Here we report a recently originated female sexual behavior in the island endemic Drosophila species D. santomea, where females signal receptivity to male courtship songs by spreading their wings, which in turn promotes prolonged songs in courting males. Copulation success depends on this female signal and correlates with males' ability to adjust his singing in such a social feedback loop. Functional comparison of sexual circuitry across species suggests that a pair of descending neurons, which integrates male song stimuli and female internal state to control a conserved female abdominal behavior, drives wing spreading in D. santomea. This co-option occurred through the refinement of a pre-existing, plastic circuit that can be optogenetically activated in an outgroup species. Combined, our results show that the ancestral potential of a socially-tuned key circuit node to engage the wing motor program facilitates the expression of a new female behavior in appropriate sensory and motivational contexts. More broadly, our work provides insights into the evolution of social behaviors, particularly female behaviors, and the underlying neural mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minhao Li
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Dawn S Chen
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Ian P Junker
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Fabianna Szorenyi
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Guan Hao Chen
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Arnold J Berger
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Aaron A Comeault
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Current address: School of Environmental and Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, UK
| | - Daniel R Matute
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Yun Ding
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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Zhang C, Wang Y, Chen H, Huang J. Comparative Mitochondrial Genomes between the Genera Amiota and Phortica (Diptera: Drosophilidae) with Evolutionary Insights into D-Loop Sequence Variability. Genes (Basel) 2023; 14:1240. [PMID: 37372420 DOI: 10.3390/genes14061240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2023] [Revised: 05/29/2023] [Accepted: 06/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
To address the limited number of mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) in the subfamily Steganinae (Diptera: Drosophilidae), we assembled 12 complete mitogenomes for six representative species in the genus Amiota and six representative species in the genus Phortica. We performed a series of comparative and phylogenetic analyses for these 12 Steganinae mitogenomes, paying special attention to the commonalities and differences in the D-loop sequences. Primarily determined by the lengths of the D-loop regions, the sizes of the Amiota and Phortica mitogenomes ranged from 16,143-16,803 bp and 15,933-16,290 bp, respectively. Our results indicated that the sizes of genes and intergenic nucleotides (IGNs), codon usage and amino acid usage, compositional skewness levels, evolutionary rates of protein-coding genes (PCGs), and D-loop sequence variability all showed unambiguous genus-specific characteristics and provided novel insights into the evolutionary implications between and within Amiota and Phortica. Most of the consensus motifs were found downstream of the D-loop regions, and some of them showed distinct genus-specific patterns. In addition, the D-loop sequences were phylogenetically informative as the data sets of PCGs and/or rRNAs, especially within the genus Phortica.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caihong Zhang
- Department of Entomology, South China Agricultural University, 483 Wushan-Lu, Guangzhou 510642, China
| | - Yalian Wang
- Department of Entomology, South China Agricultural University, 483 Wushan-Lu, Guangzhou 510642, China
| | - Hongwei Chen
- Department of Entomology, South China Agricultural University, 483 Wushan-Lu, Guangzhou 510642, China
| | - Jia Huang
- Department of Entomology, South China Agricultural University, 483 Wushan-Lu, Guangzhou 510642, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Insect Developmental Biology and Applied Technology, Institute of Insect Science and Technology, School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China
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Li H, Luo X, Li N, Liu T, Zhang J. Insulin-like peptide 8 (Ilp8) regulates female fecundity in flies. Front Cell Dev Biol 2023; 11:1103923. [PMID: 36743416 PMCID: PMC9890075 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2023.1103923] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2022] [Accepted: 01/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction: Insulin-like peptides (Ilps) play crucial roles in nearly all life stages of insects. Ilp8 is involved in developmental stability, stress resistance and female fecundity in several insect species, but the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. Here we report the functional characterization of Ilp8s in three fly species, including Bactrocera dorsalis, Drosophila mercatorum and Drosophila melanogaster. Methods: Phylogenetic analyses were performed to identify and characterize insect Ilp8s. The amino acid sequences of fly Ilp8s were aligned and the three-dimensional structures of fly Ilp8s were constructed and compared. The tissue specific expression pattern of fly Ilp8s were examined by qRT-PCR. In Bactrocera dorsalis and Drosophila mercatorum, dsRNAs were injected into virgin females to inhibit the expression of Ilp8 and the impacts on female fecundity were examined. In Drosophila melanogaster, the female fecundity of Ilp8 loss-of-function mutant was compared with wild type control flies. The mutant fruit fly strain was also used for sexual behavioral analysis and transcriptomic analysis. Results: Orthologs of Ilp8s are found in major groups of insects except for the lepidopterans and coleopterans, and Ilp8s are found to be well separated from other Ilps in three fly species. The key motif and the predicted three-dimensional structure of fly Ilp8s are well conserved. Ilp8 are specifically expressed in the ovary and are essential for female fecundity in three fly species. Behavior analysis demonstrates that Ilp8 mutation impairs female sexual attractiveness in fruit fly, which results in decreased mating success and is likely the cause of fecundity reduction. Further transcriptomic analysis indicates that Ilp8 might influence metabolism, immune activity, oocyte development as well as hormone homeostasis to collectively regulate female fecundity in the fruit fly. Discussion: Our findings support a universal role of insect Ilp8 in female fecundity, and also provide novel clues for understanding the modes of action of Ilp8.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haomiao Li
- MARA Key Laboratory of Surveillance and Management for Plant Quarantine Pests, College of Plant Protection, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Xi Luo
- MARA Key Laboratory of Surveillance and Management for Plant Quarantine Pests, College of Plant Protection, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Na Li
- MARA Key Laboratory of Surveillance and Management for Plant Quarantine Pests, College of Plant Protection, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Tao Liu
- Chinese Academy of Inspection and Quarantine, Beijing, China
| | - Junzheng Zhang
- MARA Key Laboratory of Surveillance and Management for Plant Quarantine Pests, College of Plant Protection, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China,*Correspondence: Junzheng Zhang,
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Bessa MH, Ré FCD, Moura RDD, Loreto EL, Robe LJ. Comparative mitogenomics of Drosophilidae and the evolution of the Zygothrica genus group (Diptera, Drosophilidae). Genetica 2021; 149:267-281. [PMID: 34609625 DOI: 10.1007/s10709-021-00132-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2021] [Accepted: 09/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The Zygothrica genus group of Drosophilidae encompasses more than 437 species and five genera. Although knowledge regarding its diversity has increased, uncertainties about its monophyly and position within Drosophilidae remain. Genomic approaches have been widely used to address different phylogenetic questions and analyses involving the mitogenome have revealed a cost-efficient tool to these studies. Thus, this work aims to characterize mitogenomes of three species of the Zygothrica genus group (from the Hirtodrosophila, Paraliodrosophila and Zygothrica genera), while comparing them with orthologous sequences from other 23 Drosophilidae species and addressing their phylogenetic position. General content concerning gene order and overlap, nucleotide composition, start and stop codon, codon usage and tRNA structures were compared, and phylogenetic trees were constructed under different datasets. The complete mitogenomes characterized for H. subflavohalterata affinis H002 and P. antennta present the PanCrustacea gene order with 22 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes, two ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes, 13 protein coding genes and an A+T rich region with two T-stretched elements. Some peculiarities such as the almost complete overlap of genes tRNAH/ND4, tRNAF/ND5 and tRNAS2/ND1 are reported for different Drosophilidae species. Non-canonical secondary structures were encountered for tRNAS1 and tRNAY, revealing patterns that apply at different phylogenetic scales. According to the best depiction of the mitogenomes evolutionary history, the three Neotropical species of the Zygothrica genus group encompass a monophyletic lineage sister to Zaprionus, composing with this genus a clade that is sister to the Drosophila subgenus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maiara Hartwig Bessa
- Programa de Pós-Graduação Em Biodiversidade Animal, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria - UFSM, Santa Maria, RS, Brazil
| | - Francine Cenzi de Ré
- Programa de Pós-Graduação Em Biodiversidade Animal, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria - UFSM, Santa Maria, RS, Brazil
| | - Rafael Dias de Moura
- Curso de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria - UFSM, Santa Maria, RS, Brazil
| | - Elgion Lucio Loreto
- Programa de Pós-Graduação Em Biodiversidade Animal, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria - UFSM, Santa Maria, RS, Brazil
| | - Lizandra Jaqueline Robe
- Programa de Pós-Graduação Em Biodiversidade Animal, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria - UFSM, Santa Maria, RS, Brazil.
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Shi YQ, Li J, Li H. The complete mitochondrial genome of Syritta pipiens (Linnaeus, 1758) (Diptera: Syrphidae) and phylogenetic analysis. Mitochondrial DNA B Resour 2021; 6:2475-2477. [PMID: 34368448 PMCID: PMC8317924 DOI: 10.1080/23802359.2021.1957035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
The complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of Syritta pipiens (Linnaeus, 1758) was sequenced with 15,745 bp in length including 37 genes and a non-coding region. The overall nucleotide composition showed a strong AT bias. Most protein-coding genes (PCGs) used ATN as the start codon while ATP6 and ND1 used TTG, and stopped by TAA or TAG but ND5 ended with an incomplete T. Phylogenetic trees were reconstructed based on the 24 complete mitochondrial sequences from Syrphidae using the methods of maximum-likelihood (ML) and Bayesian inference (BI), resulted in S. pipiens clustered into the clade of Eristalinae, which conformed to the traditional classification, but the trees did not support the monophyly of Eristalinae. More molecular data is needed for further study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ya-Qin Shi
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Bio-resources, School of Biological Science & Engineering, Shaanxi University of Technology, Hanzhong, China
| | - Juan Li
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Bio-resources, School of Biological Science & Engineering, Shaanxi University of Technology, Hanzhong, China
| | - Hu Li
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Bio-resources, School of Biological Science & Engineering, Shaanxi University of Technology, Hanzhong, China
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Hu K, Yang Z. Characterization of the mitochondrial genome of Tinda javana (Macquart, 1838) (Diptera: Stratiomyidae: Pachygastrinae). Mitochondrial DNA B Resour 2021; 6:1378-1379. [PMID: 33969185 PMCID: PMC8078917 DOI: 10.1080/23802359.2021.1910081] [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] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
We have assembled and annotated the mitochondrial genome of Tinda javana (Macquart, 1838) (a species of soldier fly) in this study. It is 15,495 bp in length, including 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), two ribosomal RNA genes (rRNAs), 22 transfer RNA genes (tRNAs), and a large non-coding control region (length: 704 bp). The nucleotide composition of whole mitochondrial genome biases toward A and T (75.5%). Most PCGs use ATN as initiation codon, except for cox1 which starts with CGA. All PCGs end with common termination codon TAA/G. Phylogenetic analyses based on the nucleotide sequence data supported the monophyly of Stratiomyidae and the sister relationship between Pachygastrinae and the clade (Nemotelinae + (Hermetiinae + Sarginae)).
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai Hu
- Guizhou Academy of Forestry, Guiyang, PR China
| | - Zaihua Yang
- Guizhou Academy of Forestry, Guiyang, PR China
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