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Brown AL, Meiborg AB, Franz-Wachtel M, Macek B, Gordon S, Rog O, Weadick CJ, Werner MS. Characterization of the Pristionchus pacificus "epigenetic toolkit" reveals the evolutionary loss of the histone methyltransferase complex PRC2. Genetics 2024; 227:iyae041. [PMID: 38513719 PMCID: PMC11075575 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyae041] [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: 12/04/2023] [Revised: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 03/05/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Comparative approaches have revealed both divergent and convergent paths to achieving shared developmental outcomes. Thus, only through assembling multiple case studies can we understand biological principles. Yet, despite appreciating the conservation-or lack thereof-of developmental networks, the conservation of epigenetic mechanisms regulating these networks is poorly understood. The nematode Pristionchus pacificus has emerged as a model system of plasticity and epigenetic regulation as it exhibits a bacterivorous or omnivorous morph depending on its environment. Here, we determined the "epigenetic toolkit" available to P. pacificus as a resource for future functional work on plasticity, and as a comparison with Caenorhabditis elegans to investigate the conservation of epigenetic mechanisms. Broadly, we observed a similar cast of genes with putative epigenetic function between C. elegans and P. pacificus. However, we also found striking differences. Most notably, the histone methyltransferase complex PRC2 appears to be missing in P. pacificus. We described the deletion/pseudogenization of the PRC2 genes mes-2 and mes-6 and concluded that both were lost in the last common ancestor of P. pacificus and a related species P. arcanus. Interestingly, we observed the enzymatic product of PRC2 (H3K27me3) by mass spectrometry and immunofluorescence, suggesting that a currently unknown methyltransferase has been co-opted for heterochromatin silencing. Altogether, we have provided an inventory of epigenetic genes in P. pacificus to compare with C. elegans. This inventory will enable reverse-genetic experiments related to plasticity and has revealed the first loss of PRC2 in a multicellular organism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Audrey L Brown
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - Adriaan B Meiborg
- Developmental Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), 69117 Heidelberg, Germany
- Faculty of Biosciences, Collaboration for joint PhD degree between EMBL and Heidelberg University, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | | | - Boris Macek
- Proteome Center Tübingen, University of Tübingen, 72074 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Spencer Gordon
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - Ofer Rog
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | | | - Michael S Werner
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
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Parisot N, Vargas-Chávez C, Goubert C, Baa-Puyoulet P, Balmand S, Beranger L, Blanc C, Bonnamour A, Boulesteix M, Burlet N, Calevro F, Callaerts P, Chancy T, Charles H, Colella S, Da Silva Barbosa A, Dell'Aglio E, Di Genova A, Febvay G, Gabaldón T, Galvão Ferrarini M, Gerber A, Gillet B, Hubley R, Hughes S, Jacquin-Joly E, Maire J, Marcet-Houben M, Masson F, Meslin C, Montagné N, Moya A, Ribeiro de Vasconcelos AT, Richard G, Rosen J, Sagot MF, Smit AFA, Storer JM, Vincent-Monegat C, Vallier A, Vigneron A, Zaidman-Rémy A, Zamoum W, Vieira C, Rebollo R, Latorre A, Heddi A. The transposable element-rich genome of the cereal pest Sitophilus oryzae. BMC Biol 2021; 19:241. [PMID: 34749730 PMCID: PMC8576890 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-021-01158-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2021] [Accepted: 09/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The rice weevil Sitophilus oryzae is one of the most important agricultural pests, causing extensive damage to cereal in fields and to stored grains. S. oryzae has an intracellular symbiotic relationship (endosymbiosis) with the Gram-negative bacterium Sodalis pierantonius and is a valuable model to decipher host-symbiont molecular interactions. RESULTS We sequenced the Sitophilus oryzae genome using a combination of short and long reads to produce the best assembly for a Curculionidae species to date. We show that S. oryzae has undergone successive bursts of transposable element (TE) amplification, representing 72% of the genome. In addition, we show that many TE families are transcriptionally active, and changes in their expression are associated with insect endosymbiotic state. S. oryzae has undergone a high gene expansion rate, when compared to other beetles. Reconstruction of host-symbiont metabolic networks revealed that, despite its recent association with cereal weevils (30 kyear), S. pierantonius relies on the host for several amino acids and nucleotides to survive and to produce vitamins and essential amino acids required for insect development and cuticle biosynthesis. CONCLUSIONS Here we present the genome of an agricultural pest beetle, which may act as a foundation for pest control. In addition, S. oryzae may be a useful model for endosymbiosis, and studying TE evolution and regulation, along with the impact of TEs on eukaryotic genomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Parisot
- Univ Lyon, INSA Lyon, INRAE, BF2I, UMR 203, 69621 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Carlos Vargas-Chávez
- Univ Lyon, INSA Lyon, INRAE, BF2I, UMR 203, 69621 Villeurbanne, France
- Institute for Integrative Systems Biology (I2SySBio), Universitat de València and Spanish Research Council (CSIC), València, Spain
- Present Address: Institute of Evolutionary Biology (IBE), CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Clément Goubert
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, UMR5558, Université Lyon 1, Université Lyon, Villeurbanne, France
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, 526 Campus Rd, Ithaca, New York, 14853, USA
- Present Address: Human Genetics, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | | | - Séverine Balmand
- Univ Lyon, INSA Lyon, INRAE, BF2I, UMR 203, 69621 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Louis Beranger
- Univ Lyon, INSA Lyon, INRAE, BF2I, UMR 203, 69621 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Caroline Blanc
- Univ Lyon, INSA Lyon, INRAE, BF2I, UMR 203, 69621 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Aymeric Bonnamour
- Univ Lyon, INSA Lyon, INRAE, BF2I, UMR 203, 69621 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Matthieu Boulesteix
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, UMR5558, Université Lyon 1, Université Lyon, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Nelly Burlet
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, UMR5558, Université Lyon 1, Université Lyon, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Federica Calevro
- Univ Lyon, INSA Lyon, INRAE, BF2I, UMR 203, 69621 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Patrick Callaerts
- Department of Human Genetics, Laboratory of Behavioral and Developmental Genetics, KU Leuven, University of Leuven, B-3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Théo Chancy
- Univ Lyon, INSA Lyon, INRAE, BF2I, UMR 203, 69621 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Hubert Charles
- Univ Lyon, INSA Lyon, INRAE, BF2I, UMR 203, 69621 Villeurbanne, France
- ERABLE European Team, INRIA, Rhône-Alpes, France
| | - Stefano Colella
- Univ Lyon, INSA Lyon, INRAE, BF2I, UMR 203, 69621 Villeurbanne, France
- Present Address: LSTM, Laboratoire des Symbioses Tropicales et Méditerranéennes, IRD, CIRAD, INRAE, SupAgro, Univ Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - André Da Silva Barbosa
- INRAE, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, IRD, UPEC, Université de Paris, Institute of Ecology and Environmental Sciences of Paris, Versailles, France
| | - Elisa Dell'Aglio
- Univ Lyon, INSA Lyon, INRAE, BF2I, UMR 203, 69621 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Alex Di Genova
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, UMR5558, Université Lyon 1, Université Lyon, Villeurbanne, France
- ERABLE European Team, INRIA, Rhône-Alpes, France
- Instituto de Ciencias de la Ingeniería, Universidad de O'Higgins, Rancagua, Chile
| | - Gérard Febvay
- Univ Lyon, INSA Lyon, INRAE, BF2I, UMR 203, 69621 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Toni Gabaldón
- Life Sciences, Barcelona Supercomputing Centre (BSC-CNS), Barcelona, Spain
- Mechanisms of Disease, Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB), Barcelona, Spain
- Institut Catalan de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - Alexandra Gerber
- Laboratório de Bioinformática, Laboratório Nacional de Computação Científica, Petrópolis, Brazil
| | - Benjamin Gillet
- Institut de Génomique Fonctionnelle de Lyon (IGFL), Université de Lyon, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, CNRS UMR 5242, Lyon, France
| | | | - Sandrine Hughes
- Institut de Génomique Fonctionnelle de Lyon (IGFL), Université de Lyon, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, CNRS UMR 5242, Lyon, France
| | - Emmanuelle Jacquin-Joly
- INRAE, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, IRD, UPEC, Université de Paris, Institute of Ecology and Environmental Sciences of Paris, Versailles, France
| | - Justin Maire
- Univ Lyon, INSA Lyon, INRAE, BF2I, UMR 203, 69621 Villeurbanne, France
- Present Address: School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia
| | | | - Florent Masson
- Univ Lyon, INSA Lyon, INRAE, BF2I, UMR 203, 69621 Villeurbanne, France
- Present Address: Global Health Institute, School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Camille Meslin
- INRAE, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, IRD, UPEC, Université de Paris, Institute of Ecology and Environmental Sciences of Paris, Versailles, France
| | - Nicolas Montagné
- INRAE, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, IRD, UPEC, Université de Paris, Institute of Ecology and Environmental Sciences of Paris, Versailles, France
| | - Andrés Moya
- Institute for Integrative Systems Biology (I2SySBio), Universitat de València and Spanish Research Council (CSIC), València, Spain
- Foundation for the Promotion of Sanitary and Biomedical Research of Valencian Community (FISABIO), València, Spain
| | | | - Gautier Richard
- IGEPP, INRAE, Institut Agro, Université de Rennes, Domaine de la Motte, 35653, Le Rheu, France
| | - Jeb Rosen
- Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Marie-France Sagot
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, UMR5558, Université Lyon 1, Université Lyon, Villeurbanne, France
- ERABLE European Team, INRIA, Rhône-Alpes, France
| | | | | | | | - Agnès Vallier
- Univ Lyon, INSA Lyon, INRAE, BF2I, UMR 203, 69621 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Aurélien Vigneron
- Univ Lyon, INSA Lyon, INRAE, BF2I, UMR 203, 69621 Villeurbanne, France
- Present Address: Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Institute for Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University, 55128, Mainz, Germany
| | - Anna Zaidman-Rémy
- Univ Lyon, INSA Lyon, INRAE, BF2I, UMR 203, 69621 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Waël Zamoum
- Univ Lyon, INSA Lyon, INRAE, BF2I, UMR 203, 69621 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Cristina Vieira
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, UMR5558, Université Lyon 1, Université Lyon, Villeurbanne, France.
- ERABLE European Team, INRIA, Rhône-Alpes, France.
| | - Rita Rebollo
- Univ Lyon, INSA Lyon, INRAE, BF2I, UMR 203, 69621 Villeurbanne, France.
| | - Amparo Latorre
- Institute for Integrative Systems Biology (I2SySBio), Universitat de València and Spanish Research Council (CSIC), València, Spain.
- Foundation for the Promotion of Sanitary and Biomedical Research of Valencian Community (FISABIO), València, Spain.
| | - Abdelaziz Heddi
- Univ Lyon, INSA Lyon, INRAE, BF2I, UMR 203, 69621 Villeurbanne, France.
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Nunes C, Koyama T, Sucena É. Co-option of immune effectors by the hormonal signalling system triggering metamorphosis in Drosophila melanogaster. PLoS Genet 2021; 17:e1009916. [PMID: 34843450 PMCID: PMC8659296 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1009916] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2021] [Revised: 12/09/2021] [Accepted: 10/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Insect metamorphosis is triggered by the production, secretion and degradation of 20-hydroxyecdysone (ecdysone). In addition to its role in developmental regulation, increasing evidence suggests that ecdysone is involved in innate immunity processes, such as phagocytosis and the induction of antimicrobial peptide (AMP) production. AMP regulation includes systemic responses as well as local responses at surface epithelia that contact with the external environment. At pupariation, Drosophila melanogaster increases dramatically the expression of three AMP genes, drosomycin (drs), drosomycin-like 2 (drsl2) and drosomycin-like 5 (drsl5). We show that the systemic action of drs at pupariation is dependent on ecdysone signalling in the fat body and operates via the ecdysone downstream target, Broad. In parallel, ecdysone also regulates local responses, specifically through the activation of drsl2 expression in the gut. Finally, we confirm the relevance of this ecdysone dependent AMP expression for the control of bacterial load by showing that flies lacking drs expression in the fat body have higher bacterial persistence over metamorphosis. In contrast, local responses may be redundant with the systemic effect of drs since reduction of ecdysone signalling or of drsl2 expression has no measurable negative effect on bacterial load control in the pupa. Together, our data emphasize the importance of the association between ecdysone signalling and immunity using in vivo studies and establish a new role for ecdysone at pupariation, which impacts developmental success by regulating the immune system in a stage-dependent manner. We speculate that this co-option of immune effectors by the hormonal system may constitute an anticipatory mechanism to control bacterial numbers in the pupa, at the core of metamorphosis evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catarina Nunes
- Evolution and Development Laboratory, Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Takashi Koyama
- Section for Cell and Neurobiology, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Élio Sucena
- Evolution and Development Laboratory, Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Oeiras, Portugal
- Departamento de Biologia Animal, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
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4
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Mackay-Smith A, Dornon MK, Lucier R, Okimoto A, Mendonca de Sousa F, Rodriguero M, Confalonieri V, Lanteri AA, Sequeira AS. Host-specific gene expression as a tool for introduction success in Naupactus parthenogenetic weevils. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0248202. [PMID: 34329290 PMCID: PMC8323892 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0248202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2021] [Accepted: 07/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Food resource access can mediate establishment success in invasive species, and generalist herbivorous insects are thought to rely on mechanisms of transcriptional plasticity to respond to dietary variation. While asexually reproducing invasives typically have low genetic variation, the twofold reproductive capacity of asexual organisms is a marked advantage for colonization. We studied host-related transcriptional acclimation in parthenogenetic, invasive, and polyphagous weevils: Naupactus cervinus and N. leucoloma. We analyzed patterns of gene expression in three gene categories that can mediate weevil-host plant interactions through identification of suitable host plants, short-term acclimation to host plant defenses, and long-term adaptation to host plant defenses and their pathogens. This approach employed comparative transcriptomic methods to investigate differentially expressed host detection, detoxification, immune defense genes, and pathway-level gene set enrichment. Our results show that weevil gene expression responses can be host plant-specific, and that elements of that response can be maintained in the offspring. Some host plant groups, such as legumes, appear to be more taxing as they elicit a complex gene expression response which is both strong in intensity and specific in identity. However, the weevil response to taxing host plants shares many differentially expressed genes with other stressful situations, such as host plant cultivation conditions and transition to novel host, suggesting that there is an evolutionarily favorable shared gene expression regime for responding to different types of stressful situations. Modulating gene expression in the absence of other avenues for phenotypic adaptation may be an important mechanism of successful colonization for these introduced insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ava Mackay-Smith
- Department of Biological Sciences, Wellesley College, Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Mary Kate Dornon
- Department of Biological Sciences, Wellesley College, Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Rosalind Lucier
- Department of Biological Sciences, Wellesley College, Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Anna Okimoto
- Department of Biological Sciences, Wellesley College, Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Flavia Mendonca de Sousa
- Department of Biological Sciences, Wellesley College, Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Marcela Rodriguero
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Viviana Confalonieri
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Analia A. Lanteri
- Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, Universidad de La Plata, La Plata, Argentina
| | - Andrea S. Sequeira
- Department of Biological Sciences, Wellesley College, Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States of America
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5
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Nakao H. Early embryonic development of Bombyx. Dev Genes Evol 2021; 231:95-107. [PMID: 34296338 DOI: 10.1007/s00427-021-00679-8] [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: 12/03/2020] [Accepted: 07/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Decades have passed since the early molecular embryogenesis of Drosophila melanogaster was outlined. During this period, the molecular mechanisms underlying early embryonic development in other insects, particularly the flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum, have been described in more detail. The information clearly demonstrated that Drosophila embryogenesis is not representative of other insects and has highly distinctive characteristics. At the same time, this new data has been gradually clarifying ancestral operating mechanisms. The silk moth, Bombyx mori, is a lepidopteran insect and, as a representative of the order, has many unique characteristics found in early embryonic development that have not been identified in other insect groups. Herein, some of these characteristics are introduced and discussed in the context of recent information obtained from other insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hajime Nakao
- Insect Genome Research and Engineering Unit, Division of Applied Genetics, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), 1-2 Oowashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8634, Japan.
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6
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Gutiérrez-Ramos X, Vázquez M, Dorantes-Acosta AE, Díaz-Fleischer F, Peralta-Alvarez CA, Nuñez-Martínez HN, Arzate-Mejía RG, Recillas-Targa F, Arteaga-Vázquez MA, Zurita M. Novel tephritid-specific features revealed from cytological and transcriptomic analysis of Anastrepha ludens embryonic development. INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2020; 122:103412. [PMID: 32417415 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2020.103412] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2020] [Revised: 05/12/2020] [Accepted: 05/12/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Anastrepha ludens is a major pest of fruits including citrus and mangoes in Mexico and Central America with major economic and social impacts. Despite its importance, our knowledge on its embryonic development is scarce. Here, we report the first cytological study of embryonic development in A. ludens and provide a transcriptional landscape during key embryonic stages. We established 17 stages of A. ludens embryogenesis that closely resemble the morphological events observed in Drosophila. In addition to the extended duration of embryonic development, we observed notable differences including yolk extrusion at both poles of the embryo, distinct nuclear division waves in the syncytial blastoderm and a heterochronic change during the involution of the head. Characterization of the transcriptional dynamics during syncytial blastoderm, cellular blastoderm and gastrulation, showed that approximately 9000 different transcripts are present at each stage. Even though we identified most of the transcripts with a role during embryonic development present in Drosophila, including sex determination genes, a number of transcripts were absent not only in A. ludens but in other tephritids such as Ceratitis capitata and Bactrocera dorsalis. Intriguingly, some A. ludens embryo transcripts encode proteins present in other organisms but not in other flies. Furthermore, we developed an RNA in situ hybridization protocol that allowed us to obtain the expression patterns of genes whose functions are important in establishing the embryonic body pattern. Our results revealed novel tephritid-specific features during A. ludens embryonic development and open new avenues for strategies aiming to control this important pest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ximena Gutiérrez-Ramos
- Departamento de Genética Del Desarrollo y Fisiología Molecular, Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico; Group of Epigenetics and Developmental Biology, INBIOTECA, Instituto de Biotecnología y Ecología Aplicada, Universidad Veracruzana, Mexico
| | - Martha Vázquez
- Departamento de Genética Del Desarrollo y Fisiología Molecular, Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico
| | - Ana E Dorantes-Acosta
- Group of Epigenetics and Developmental Biology, INBIOTECA, Instituto de Biotecnología y Ecología Aplicada, Universidad Veracruzana, Mexico
| | - Francisco Díaz-Fleischer
- Group of Epigenetics and Developmental Biology, INBIOTECA, Instituto de Biotecnología y Ecología Aplicada, Universidad Veracruzana, Mexico
| | - Carlos A Peralta-Alvarez
- Departamento de Genética Molecular, Instituto de Fisiología Celular, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico
| | - Hober N Nuñez-Martínez
- Departamento de Genética Molecular, Instituto de Fisiología Celular, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico
| | - Rodrigo G Arzate-Mejía
- Departamento de Genética Molecular, Instituto de Fisiología Celular, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico
| | - Félix Recillas-Targa
- Departamento de Genética Molecular, Instituto de Fisiología Celular, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico
| | - Mario A Arteaga-Vázquez
- Group of Epigenetics and Developmental Biology, INBIOTECA, Instituto de Biotecnología y Ecología Aplicada, Universidad Veracruzana, Mexico.
| | - Mario Zurita
- Departamento de Genética Del Desarrollo y Fisiología Molecular, Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico.
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7
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Van der Mude A. Structure encoding in DNA. J Theor Biol 2020; 492:110205. [PMID: 32070719 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2020.110205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2019] [Revised: 12/29/2019] [Accepted: 02/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
It is proposed that transposons and related long non-coding RNA define the fine structure of body parts. Although morphogens have long been known to direct the formation of many gross structures in early embryonic development, they do not have the necessary precision to define a structure down to the individual cellular level. Using the distinction between procedural and declarative knowledge in information processing as an analogy, it is hypothesized that DNA encodes fine structure in a manner that is different from the genetic code for proteins. The hypothesis states that repeated or near-repeated sequences that are in transposons and non-coding RNA define body part structures. As the cells in a body part go through the epigenetic process of differentiation, the action of methylation serves to inactivate all but the relevant structure definitions and some associated cell type genes. The transposons left active will then physically modify the DNA sequence in the heterochromatin to establish the local context in the three-dimensional body part structure. This brings the encoded definition of the cell type to the histone. The histone code for that cell type starts the regulatory cascade that turns on the genes associated with that particular type of cell, transforming it from a multipotent cell to a fully differentiated cell. This mechanism creates structures in the musculoskeletal system, the organs of the body, the major parts of the brain, and other systems.
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8
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Spirov AV, Myasnikova EM. Evolutionary Stability of Gene Regulatory Networks That Define the Temporal Identity of Neuroblasts. Mol Biol 2019. [DOI: 10.1134/s0026893319020158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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9
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Datta RR, Ling J, Kurland J, Ren X, Xu Z, Yucel G, Moore J, Shokri L, Baker I, Bishop T, Struffi P, Levina R, Bulyk ML, Johnston RJ, Small S. A feed-forward relay integrates the regulatory activities of Bicoid and Orthodenticle via sequential binding to suboptimal sites. Genes Dev 2018; 32:723-736. [PMID: 29764918 PMCID: PMC6004077 DOI: 10.1101/gad.311985.118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2018] [Accepted: 04/17/2018] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Datta et al. define three major classes of enhancers that are differentially sensitive to binding and transcriptional activation by Bicoid (Bcd) and Orthodenticle (Otd). The specific activities of enhancers in each class are mediated by DNA motif variants preferentially bound by Bcd or Otd and the presence or absence of sites for cofactors that interact with these proteins. The K50 (lysine at amino acid position 50) homeodomain (HD) protein Orthodenticle (Otd) is critical for anterior patterning and brain and eye development in most metazoans. In Drosophila melanogaster, another K50HD protein, Bicoid (Bcd), has evolved to replace Otd's ancestral function in embryo patterning. Bcd is distributed as a long-range maternal gradient and activates transcription of a large number of target genes, including otd. Otd and Bcd bind similar DNA sequences in vitro, but how their transcriptional activities are integrated to pattern anterior regions of the embryo is unknown. Here we define three major classes of enhancers that are differentially sensitive to binding and transcriptional activation by Bcd and Otd. Class 1 enhancers are initially activated by Bcd, and activation is transferred to Otd via a feed-forward relay (FFR) that involves sequential binding of the two proteins to the same DNA motif. Class 2 enhancers are activated by Bcd and maintained by an Otd-independent mechanism. Class 3 enhancers are never bound by Bcd, but Otd binds and activates them in a second wave of zygotic transcription. The specific activities of enhancers in each class are mediated by DNA motif variants preferentially bound by Bcd or Otd and the presence or absence of sites for cofactors that interact with these proteins. Our results define specific patterning roles for Bcd and Otd and provide mechanisms for coordinating the precise timing of gene expression patterns during embryonic development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rhea R Datta
- Center for Developmental Genetics, Department of Biology, New York University, New York, New York 10003, USA
| | - Jia Ling
- Center for Developmental Genetics, Department of Biology, New York University, New York, New York 10003, USA
| | - Jesse Kurland
- Division of Genetics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.,Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
| | - Xiaotong Ren
- Center for Developmental Genetics, Department of Biology, New York University, New York, New York 10003, USA
| | - Zhe Xu
- Center for Developmental Genetics, Department of Biology, New York University, New York, New York 10003, USA
| | - Gozde Yucel
- Center for Developmental Genetics, Department of Biology, New York University, New York, New York 10003, USA
| | - Jackie Moore
- Center for Developmental Genetics, Department of Biology, New York University, New York, New York 10003, USA
| | - Leila Shokri
- Division of Genetics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.,Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
| | - Isabel Baker
- Center for Developmental Genetics, Department of Biology, New York University, New York, New York 10003, USA
| | - Timothy Bishop
- Center for Developmental Genetics, Department of Biology, New York University, New York, New York 10003, USA
| | - Paolo Struffi
- Center for Developmental Genetics, Department of Biology, New York University, New York, New York 10003, USA
| | - Rimma Levina
- Center for Developmental Genetics, Department of Biology, New York University, New York, New York 10003, USA
| | - Martha L Bulyk
- Division of Genetics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.,Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
| | - Robert J Johnston
- Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USA
| | - Stephen Small
- Center for Developmental Genetics, Department of Biology, New York University, New York, New York 10003, USA
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10
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Lai YT, Deem KD, Borràs-Castells F, Sambrani N, Rudolf H, Suryamohan K, El-Sherif E, Halfon MS, McKay DJ, Tomoyasu Y. Enhancer identification and activity evaluation in the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum. Development 2018. [PMID: 29540499 DOI: 10.1242/dev.160663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Evolution of cis-regulatory elements (such as enhancers) plays an important role in the production of diverse morphology. However, a mechanistic understanding is often limited by the absence of methods for studying enhancers in species other than established model systems. Here, we sought to establish methods to identify and test enhancer activity in the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum To identify possible enhancer regions, we first obtained genome-wide chromatin profiles from various tissues and stages of Tribolium using FAIRE (formaldehyde-assisted isolation of regulatory elements)-sequencing. Comparison of these profiles revealed a distinct set of open chromatin regions in each tissue and at each stage. In addition, comparison of the FAIRE data with sets of computationally predicted (i.e. supervised cis-regulatory module-predicted) enhancers revealed a very high overlap between the two datasets. Second, using nubbin in the wing and hunchback in the embryo as case studies, we established the first universal reporter assay system that works in various contexts in Tribolium, and in a cross-species context. Together, these advances will facilitate investigation of cis-evolution and morphological diversity in Tribolium and other insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi-Ting Lai
- Department of Biology, Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056, USA
| | - Kevin D Deem
- Department of Biology, Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056, USA
| | | | - Nagraj Sambrani
- Department of Biology, Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056, USA
| | - Heike Rudolf
- Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen 91058, Germany
| | - Kushal Suryamohan
- Department of Biochemistry, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14214, USA
| | - Ezzat El-Sherif
- Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen 91058, Germany
| | - Marc S Halfon
- Department of Biochemistry, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14214, USA
| | - Daniel J McKay
- Department of Biology, Department of Genetics, Integrative Program for Biological and Genome Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
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11
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A damped oscillator imposes temporal order on posterior gap gene expression in Drosophila. PLoS Biol 2018; 16:e2003174. [PMID: 29451884 PMCID: PMC5832388 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.2003174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2017] [Revised: 03/01/2018] [Accepted: 01/31/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Insects determine their body segments in two different ways. Short-germband insects, such as the flour beetle Tribolium castaneum, use a molecular clock to establish segments sequentially. In contrast, long-germband insects, such as the vinegar fly Drosophila melanogaster, determine all segments simultaneously through a hierarchical cascade of gene regulation. Gap genes constitute the first layer of the Drosophila segmentation gene hierarchy, downstream of maternal gradients such as that of Caudal (Cad). We use data-driven mathematical modelling and phase space analysis to show that shifting gap domains in the posterior half of the Drosophila embryo are an emergent property of a robust damped oscillator mechanism, suggesting that the regulatory dynamics underlying long- and short-germband segmentation are much more similar than previously thought. In Tribolium, Cad has been proposed to modulate the frequency of the segmentation oscillator. Surprisingly, our simulations and experiments show that the shift rate of posterior gap domains is independent of maternal Cad levels in Drosophila. Our results suggest a novel evolutionary scenario for the short- to long-germband transition and help explain why this transition occurred convergently multiple times during the radiation of the holometabolan insects. Different insect species exhibit one of two distinct modes of determining their body segments (known as segmentation) during development: they either use a molecular oscillator to position segments sequentially, or they generate segments simultaneously through a hierarchical gene-regulatory cascade. The sequential mode is ancestral, while the simultaneous mode has been derived from it independently several times during evolution. In this paper, we present evidence suggesting that simultaneous segmentation also involves an oscillator in the posterior end of the embryo of the vinegar fly, Drosophila melanogaster. This surprising result indicates that both modes of segment determination are much more similar than previously thought. Such similarity provides an important step towards our understanding of the frequent evolutionary transitions observed between sequential and simultaneous segmentation.
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12
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Stahi R, Chipman AD. Blastoderm segmentation in Oncopeltus fasciatus and the evolution of insect segmentation mechanisms. Proc Biol Sci 2017; 283:rspb.2016.1745. [PMID: 27708151 PMCID: PMC5069518 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2016.1745] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2016] [Accepted: 09/07/2016] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Segments are formed simultaneously in the blastoderm of the fly Drosophila melanogaster through a hierarchical cascade of interacting transcription factors. Conversely, in many insects and in all non-insect arthropods most segments are formed sequentially from the posterior. We have looked at segmentation in the milkweed bug Oncopeltus fasciatus. Posterior segments are formed sequentially, through what is probably the ancestral arthropod mechanism. Formation of anterior segments bears many similarities to the Drosophila segmentation mode. These segments appear nearly simultaneously in the blastoderm, via a segmentation cascade that involves orthologues of Drosophila gap genes working through a functionally similar mechanism. We suggest that simultaneous blastoderm segmentation evolved at or close to the origin of holometabolous insects, and formed the basis for the evolution of the segmentation mode seen in Drosophila. We discuss the changes in segmentation mechanisms throughout insect evolution, and suggest that the appearance of simultaneous segmentation as a novel feature of holometabolous insects may have contributed to the phenomenal success of this group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reut Stahi
- The Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Edmond J. Safra Campus, Givat Ram 91904, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Ariel D Chipman
- The Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Edmond J. Safra Campus, Givat Ram 91904, Jerusalem, Israel
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13
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Simon S, Sagasser S, Saccenti E, Brugler MR, Schranz ME, Hadrys H, Amato G, DeSalle R. Comparative transcriptomics reveal developmental turning points during embryogenesis of a hemimetabolous insect, the damselfly Ischnura elegans. Sci Rep 2017; 7:13547. [PMID: 29051502 PMCID: PMC5648782 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-13176-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2017] [Accepted: 09/21/2017] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Identifying transcriptional changes during embryogenesis is of crucial importance for unravelling evolutionary, molecular and cellular mechanisms that underpin patterning and morphogenesis. However, comparative studies focusing on early/embryonic stages during insect development are limited to a few taxa. Drosophila melanogaster is the paradigm for insect development, whereas comparative transcriptomic studies of embryonic stages of hemimetabolous insects are completely lacking. We reconstructed the first comparative transcriptome covering the daily embryonic developmental progression of the blue-tailed damselfly Ischnura elegans (Odonata), an ancient hemimetabolous representative. We identified a "core" set of 6,794 transcripts - shared by all embryonic stages - which are mainly involved in anatomical structure development and cellular nitrogen compound metabolic processes. We further used weighted gene co-expression network analysis to identify transcriptional changes during Odonata embryogenesis. Based on these analyses distinct clusters of transcriptional active sequences could be revealed, indicating that embryos at different development stages have their own transcriptomic profile according to the developmental events and leading to sequential reprogramming of metabolic and developmental genes. Interestingly, a major change in transcriptionally active sequences is correlated with katatrepsis (revolution) during mid-embryogenesis, a 180° rotation of the embryo within the egg and specific to hemimetabolous insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabrina Simon
- Biosystematics Group, Wageningen University & Research, Droevendaalsesteeg 1, 6708 PB, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
- Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West and 79th St., New York, NY, 10024, USA.
| | - Sven Sagasser
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Karolinska Institutet, 17177, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Edoardo Saccenti
- Laboratory of Systems and Synthetic Biology, Wageningen University & Research, Stippeng 4, 6708 WE, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Mercer R Brugler
- Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West and 79th St., New York, NY, 10024, USA
- Biological Sciences Department, NYC College of Technology, City University of New York, 300 Jay Street, Brooklyn, New York, 11201, USA
| | - M Eric Schranz
- Biosystematics Group, Wageningen University & Research, Droevendaalsesteeg 1, 6708 PB, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Heike Hadrys
- Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West and 79th St., New York, NY, 10024, USA
- ITZ, Ecology&Evolution, University of Veterinary Medicine Hanover, Buenteweg 17d, D-30559, Hannover, Germany
- Yale University, Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, 165 Prospect Street, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
| | - George Amato
- Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West and 79th St., New York, NY, 10024, USA
| | - Rob DeSalle
- Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West and 79th St., New York, NY, 10024, USA
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14
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Tufcea DE, François P. Critical Timing without a Timer for Embryonic Development. Biophys J 2016; 109:1724-34. [PMID: 26488664 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2015.08.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2015] [Revised: 07/12/2015] [Accepted: 08/10/2015] [Indexed: 10/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Timing of embryonic development is precisely controlled, but the mechanisms underlying biological timers are still unclear. Here, a validated model for timing under control of Sonic Hedgehog is revisited and generalized to an arbitrary number of genes. The developmental dynamics where a temporal sequence of gene expression recapitulates a steady-state spatial pattern can be realized through a simple network close to criticality, controlled by the duration of exposure to a morphogen. Criticality simultaneously accounts for many observed biological properties, such as timing, multistability, and canalization of genetic expression. This process can be parsimoniously generalized in many dimensions with a minimum number of genes, all repressing each other with asymmetrical strengths, which also explains sequential activation of different fates. Separation of timescales allows for a simple analytical interpretation. Finally, it is shown that even in the presence of noise, coupling between cells preserves criticality and robust patterning. The model offers a simple theoretical framework for the study of emergent developmental timers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel E Tufcea
- Ernest Rutherford Physics Building, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Paul François
- Ernest Rutherford Physics Building, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
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15
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Ninova M, Ronshaugen M, Griffiths-Jones S. MicroRNA evolution, expression, and function during short germband development in Tribolium castaneum. Genome Res 2015; 26:85-96. [PMID: 26518483 PMCID: PMC4691753 DOI: 10.1101/gr.193367.115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2015] [Accepted: 10/20/2015] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
MicroRNAs are well-established players in the development of multicellular animals. Most of our understanding of microRNA function in arthropod development comes from studies in Drosophila. Despite their advantages as model systems, the long germband embryogenesis of fruit flies is an evolutionary derived state restricted to several holometabolous insect lineages. MicroRNA evolution and expression across development in animals exhibiting the ancestral and more widespread short germband mode of embryogenesis has not been characterized. We sequenced small RNA libraries of oocytes and successive intervals covering the embryonic development of the short germband model organism, Tribolium castaneum. We analyzed the evolution and temporal expression of the microRNA complement and sequenced libraries of total RNA to investigate the relationships with microRNA target expression. We show microRNA maternal loading and sequence-specific 3′ end nontemplate oligoadenylation of maternally deposited microRNAs that is conserved between Tribolium and Drosophila. We further uncover large clusters encoding multiple paralogs from several Tribolium-specific microRNA families expressed during a narrow interval of time immediately after the activation of zygotic transcription. These novel microRNAs, together with several early expressed conserved microRNAs, target a significant number of maternally deposited transcripts. Comparison with Drosophila shows that microRNA-mediated maternal transcript targeting is a conserved process in insects, but the number and sequences of microRNAs involved have diverged. The expression of fast-evolving and species-specific microRNAs in the early blastoderm of T. castaneum is consistent with previous findings in Drosophila and shows that the unique permissiveness for microRNA innovation at this stage is a conserved phenomenon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Ninova
- Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PT, United Kingdom
| | - Matthew Ronshaugen
- Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PT, United Kingdom
| | - Sam Griffiths-Jones
- Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PT, United Kingdom
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16
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Haug JT, Labandeira CC, Santiago-Blay JA, Haug C, Brown S. Life habits, hox genes, and affinities of a 311 million-year-old holometabolan larva. BMC Evol Biol 2015; 15:208. [PMID: 26416251 PMCID: PMC4587847 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-015-0428-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2015] [Accepted: 07/03/2015] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Holometabolous insects are the most diverse, speciose and ubiquitous group of multicellular organisms in terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems. The enormous evolutionary and ecological success of Holometabola has been attributed to their unique postembryonic life phases in which nonreproductive and wingless larvae differ significantly in morphology and life habits from their reproductive and mostly winged adults, separated by a resting stage, the pupa. Little is known of the evolutionary developmental mechanisms that produced the holometabolous larval condition and their Paleozoic origin based on fossils and phylogeny. Results We provide a detailed anatomic description of a 311 million-year-old specimen, the oldest known holometabolous larva, from the Mazon Creek deposits of Illinois, U.S.A. The head is ovoidal, downwardly oriented, broadly attached to the anterior thorax, and bears possible simple eyes and antennae with insertions encircled by molting sutures; other sutures are present but often indistinct. Mouthparts are generalized, consisting of five recognizable segments: a clypeo-labral complex, mandibles, possible hypopharynx, a maxilla bearing indistinct palp-like appendages, and labium. Distinctive mandibles are robust, triangular, and dicondylic. The thorax is delineated into three, nonoverlapping regions of distinctive surface texture, each with legs of seven elements, the terminal-most bearing paired claws. The abdomen has ten segments deployed in register with overlapping tergites; the penultimate segment bears a paired, cercus-like structure. The anterior eight segments bear clawless leglets more diminutive than the thoracic legs in length and cross-sectional diameter, and inserted more ventrolaterally than ventrally on the abdominal sidewall. Conclusions Srokalarva berthei occurred in an evolutionary developmental context likely responsible for the early macroevolutionary success of holometabolous insects. Srokalarva berthei bore head and prothoracic structures, leglet series on successive abdominal segments – in addition to comparable features on a second taxon eight million-years-younger – that indicates Hox-gene regulation of segmental and appendage patterning among earliest Holometabola. Srokalarva berthei body features suggest a caterpillar-like body plan and head structures indicating herbivory consistent with known, contemporaneous insect feeding damage on seed plants. Taxonomic resolution places Srokalarva berthei as an extinct lineage, apparently possessing features closer to neuropteroid than other holometabolous lineages. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12862-015-0428-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joachim T Haug
- Ludwig Maximilians University Munich, Biocenter - Department of Biology II and GeoBio-Center, Großhaderner Str. 2, Planegg-Martinsried, 82152, Germany
| | - Conrad C Labandeira
- Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC, 20013, USA. .,Department of Entomology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA. .,College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University, Beijing, 100048, China.
| | - Jorge A Santiago-Blay
- Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC, 20013, USA.,Department of Crop and Agroenvironmental Sciences, University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez, PR, 00681, USA
| | - Carolin Haug
- Ludwig Maximilians University Munich, Biocenter - Department of Biology II and GeoBio-Center, Großhaderner Str. 2, Planegg-Martinsried, 82152, Germany
| | - Susan Brown
- Division of Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, 66502, USA
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17
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Blackiston DJ, Shomrat T, Levin M. The stability of memories during brain remodeling: A perspective. Commun Integr Biol 2015; 8:e1073424. [PMID: 27066165 PMCID: PMC4802789 DOI: 10.1080/19420889.2015.1073424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2015] [Accepted: 07/13/2015] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
One of the most important features of the nervous system is memory: the ability to represent and store experiences, in a manner that alters behavior and cognition at future times when the original stimulus is no longer present. However, the brain is not always an anatomically stable structure: many animal species regenerate all or part of the brain after severe injury, or remodel their CNS toward a new configuration as part of their life cycle. This raises a fascinating question: what are the dynamics of memories during brain regeneration? Can stable memories remain intact when cellular turnover and spatial rearrangement modify the biological hardware within which experiences are stored? What can we learn from model species that exhibit both, regeneration and memory, with respect to robustness and stability requirements for long-term memories encoded in living tissues? In this Perspective, we discuss relevant data in regenerating planaria, metamorphosing insects, and hibernating ground squirrels. While much remains to be done to understand this remarkable process, molecular-level insight will have important implications for cognitive science, regenerative medicine of the brain, and the development of non-traditional computational media in synthetic bioengineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Douglas J Blackiston
- Center for Regenerative and Developmental Biology and Department of Biology; Tufts University ; Medford, MA USA
| | - Tal Shomrat
- Department of Neurobiology; Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Edmond J. Safra Campus; Jerusalem, Israel; School of Marine Sciences, Ruppin Academic Center; Michmoret, Israel
| | - Michael Levin
- Center for Regenerative and Developmental Biology and Department of Biology; Tufts University ; Medford, MA USA
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18
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Kazemian M, Suryamohan K, Chen JY, Zhang Y, Samee MAH, Halfon MS, Sinha S. Evidence for deep regulatory similarities in early developmental programs across highly diverged insects. Genome Biol Evol 2015; 6:2301-20. [PMID: 25173756 PMCID: PMC4217690 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evu184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Many genes familiar from Drosophila development, such as the so-called gap, pair-rule, and segment polarity genes, play important roles in the development of other insects and in many cases appear to be deployed in a similar fashion, despite the fact that Drosophila-like "long germband" development is highly derived and confined to a subset of insect families. Whether or not these similarities extend to the regulatory level is unknown. Identification of regulatory regions beyond the well-studied Drosophila has been challenging as even within the Diptera (flies, including mosquitoes) regulatory sequences have diverged past the point of recognition by standard alignment methods. Here, we demonstrate that methods we previously developed for computational cis-regulatory module (CRM) discovery in Drosophila can be used effectively in highly diverged (250-350 Myr) insect species including Anopheles gambiae, Tribolium castaneum, Apis mellifera, and Nasonia vitripennis. In Drosophila, we have successfully used small sets of known CRMs as "training data" to guide the search for other CRMs with related function. We show here that although species-specific CRM training data do not exist, training sets from Drosophila can facilitate CRM discovery in diverged insects. We validate in vivo over a dozen new CRMs, roughly doubling the number of known CRMs in the four non-Drosophila species. Given the growing wealth of Drosophila CRM annotation, these results suggest that extensive regulatory sequence annotation will be possible in newly sequenced insects without recourse to costly and labor-intensive genome-scale experiments. We develop a new method, Regulus, which computes a probabilistic score of similarity based on binding site composition (despite the absence of nucleotide-level sequence alignment), and demonstrate similarity between functionally related CRMs from orthologous loci. Our work represents an important step toward being able to trace the evolutionary history of gene regulatory networks and defining the mechanisms underlying insect evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Majid Kazemian
- Department of Computer Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Laboratory of Molecular Immunology, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Kushal Suryamohan
- Department of Biochemistry, University at Buffalo-State University of New York NY State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences, Buffalo, New York
| | - Jia-Yu Chen
- Department of Computer Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
| | - Yinan Zhang
- Department of Computer Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
| | | | - Marc S Halfon
- Department of Biochemistry, University at Buffalo-State University of New York NY State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences, Buffalo, New York Department of Biological Sciences, University at Buffalo-State University of New York Molecular and Cellular Biology Department and Program in Cancer Genetics, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, New York
| | - Saurabh Sinha
- Department of Computer Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Institute of Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
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19
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Salvemini M, Arunkumar KP, Nagaraju J, Sanges R, Petrella V, Tomar A, Zhang H, Zheng W, Saccone G. De novo assembly and transcriptome analysis of the Mediterranean fruit fly Ceratitis capitata early embryos. PLoS One 2014; 9:e114191. [PMID: 25474564 PMCID: PMC4256415 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0114191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2014] [Accepted: 11/05/2014] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The agricultural pest Ceratitis capitata, also known as the Mediterranean fruit fly or Medfly, belongs to the Tephritidae family, which includes a large number of other damaging pest species. The Medfly has been the first non-drosophilid fly species which has been genetically transformed paving the way for designing genetic-based pest control strategies. Furthermore, it is an experimentally tractable model, in which transient and transgene-mediated RNAi have been successfully used. We applied Illumina sequencing to total RNA preparations of 8–10 hours old embryos of C. capitata, This developmental window corresponds to the blastoderm cellularization stage. In summary, we assembled 42,614 transcripts which cluster in 26,319 unique transcripts of which 11,045 correspond to protein coding genes; we identified several hundreds of long ncRNAs; we found an enrichment of transcripts encoding RNA binding proteins among the highly expressed transcripts, such as CcTRA-2, known to be necessary to establish and, most likely, to maintain female sex of C. capitata. Our study is the first de novo assembly performed for Ceratitis capitata based on Illumina NGS technology during embryogenesis and it adds novel data to the previously published C. capitata EST databases. We expect that it will be useful for a variety of applications such as gene cloning and phylogenetic analyses, as well as to advance genetic research and biotechnological applications in the Medfly and other related Tephritidae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Salvemini
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | | | | | - Remo Sanges
- Stazione Zoologica "Anton Dohrn", Naples, Italy
| | - Valeria Petrella
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Archana Tomar
- Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics, Hyderabad, India
| | - Hongyu Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology and Institute of Urban and Horticultural Pests, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, People's Republic of China
| | - Weiwei Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology and Institute of Urban and Horticultural Pests, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, People's Republic of China
| | - Giuseppe Saccone
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
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20
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Sucena É, Vanderberghe K, Zhurov V, Grbić M. Reversion of developmental mode in insects: evolution from long germband to short germband in the polyembrionic wasp Macrocentrus cingulum Brischke. Evol Dev 2014; 16:233-46. [PMID: 24981069 DOI: 10.1111/ede.12086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Germband size in insects has played a central role in our understanding of insect patterning mechanisms and their evolution. The polarity of evolutionary change in insect patterning has been viewed so far as the unidirectional shift from the ancestral short germband patterning of basal hemimetabolous insects to the long germband patterning observed in most modern Holometabola. However, some orders of holometabolic insects display both short and long germband development, though the absence of a clear phylogenetic context does not permit definite conclusions on the polarity of change. Derived hymenoptera, that is, bees and wasps, represent a classical textbook example of long germband development. Yet, in some wasps putative short germband development has been described correlating with lifestyle changes, namely with evolution of endoparasitism and polyembryony. To address the potential reversion from long to short germband, we focused on the family Braconidae, which displays ancestral long germband development, and examined the derived polyembryonic braconid Macrocentrus cingulum. Using SEM analysis of M. cingulum embryogenesis coupled with analyses of embryonic patterning markers, we show that this wasp evolved short germband embryogenesis secondarily, in a way that is reminiscent of embryogenesis in the beetle Tribolium castaneum. This work shows that the evolution of germband size in insects is a reversible process that may correlate with other life-history traits and suggests broader implications on the mechanisms and evolvability of insect development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Élio Sucena
- Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Apartado 14, 2781-901, Oeiras, Portugal; Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Ciências, Departamento de Biologia Animal, edifício C2, Campo Grande, 1749-016, Lisboa, Portugal
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21
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Strobl F, Stelzer EHK. Non-invasive long-term fluorescence live imaging of Tribolium castaneum embryos. Development 2014; 141:2331-8. [PMID: 24803590 DOI: 10.1242/dev.108795] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Insect development has contributed significantly to our understanding of metazoan development. However, most information has been obtained by analyzing a single species, the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. Embryonic development of the red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum differs fundamentally from that of Drosophila in aspects such as short-germ development, embryonic leg development, extensive extra-embryonic membrane formation and non-involuted head development. Although Tribolium has become the second most important insect model organism, previous live imaging attempts have addressed only specific questions and no long-term live imaging data of Tribolium embryogenesis have been available. By combining light sheet-based fluorescence microscopy with a novel mounting method, we achieved complete, continuous and non-invasive fluorescence live imaging of Tribolium embryogenesis at high spatiotemporal resolution. The embryos survived the 2-day or longer imaging process, developed into adults and produced fertile progeny. Our data document all morphogenetic processes from the rearrangement of the uniform blastoderm to the onset of regular muscular movement in the same embryo and in four orientations, contributing significantly to the understanding of Tribolium development. Furthermore, we created a comprehensive chronological table of Tribolium embryogenesis, integrating most previous work and providing a reference for future studies. Based on our observations, we provide evidence that serosa window closure and serosa opening, although deferred by more than 1 day, are linked. All our long-term imaging datasets are available as a resource for the community. Tribolium is only the second insect species, after Drosophila, for which non-invasive long-term fluorescence live imaging has been achieved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frederic Strobl
- Physical Biology/Physikalische Biologie (IZN, FB 15), Buchmann Institute for Molecular Life Sciences (BMLS), Cluster of Excellence Frankfurt - Macromolecular Complexes (CEF - MC), Goethe University - Frankfurt am Main (Campus Riedberg), Max-von-Laue-Straße 15, Frankfurt am Main D-60348, Germany
| | - Ernst H K Stelzer
- Physical Biology/Physikalische Biologie (IZN, FB 15), Buchmann Institute for Molecular Life Sciences (BMLS), Cluster of Excellence Frankfurt - Macromolecular Complexes (CEF - MC), Goethe University - Frankfurt am Main (Campus Riedberg), Max-von-Laue-Straße 15, Frankfurt am Main D-60348, Germany
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22
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Hogvall M, Schönauer A, Budd GE, McGregor AP, Posnien N, Janssen R. Analysis of the Wnt gene repertoire in an onychophoran provides new insights into the evolution of segmentation. EvoDevo 2014; 5:14. [PMID: 24708787 PMCID: PMC4021614 DOI: 10.1186/2041-9139-5-14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2014] [Accepted: 03/11/2014] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The Onychophora are a probable sister group to Arthropoda, one of the most intensively studied animal phyla from a developmental perspective. Pioneering work on the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster and subsequent investigation of other arthropods has revealed important roles for Wnt genes during many developmental processes in these animals. RESULTS We screened the embryonic transcriptome of the onychophoran Euperipatoides kanangrensis and found that at least 11 Wnt genes are expressed during embryogenesis. These genes represent 11 of the 13 known subfamilies of Wnt genes. CONCLUSIONS Many onychophoran Wnt genes are expressed in segment polarity gene-like patterns, suggesting a general role for these ligands during segment regionalization, as has been described in arthropods. During early stages of development, Wnt2, Wnt4, and Wnt5 are expressed in broad multiple segment-wide domains that are reminiscent of arthropod gap and Hox gene expression patterns, which suggests an early instructive role for Wnt genes during E. kanangrensis segmentation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Ralf Janssen
- Department of Earth Sciences, Palaeobiology, Uppsala University, Villavägen 16, Uppsala, 75236, Sweden.
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23
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Ninova M, Ronshaugen M, Griffiths-Jones S. Fast-evolving microRNAs are highly expressed in the early embryo of Drosophila virilis. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2014; 20:360-72. [PMID: 24448446 PMCID: PMC3923130 DOI: 10.1261/rna.041657.113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2013] [Accepted: 12/02/2013] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
MicroRNAs are short non-protein-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional level and are essential for the embryonic development of multicellular animals. Comparative genome-scale analyses have revealed that metazoan evolution is accompanied by the continuous acquisition of novel microRNA genes. This suggests that novel microRNAs may promote innovation and diversity in development. We determined the evolutionary origins of extant Drosophila microRNAs and estimated the sequence divergence between the 130 orthologous microRNAs in Drosophila melanogaster and Drosophila virilis, separated by 63 million years of evolution. We then generated small RNA sequencing data sets covering D. virilis development and explored the relationship between microRNA conservation and expression in a developmental context. We find that late embryonic, larval, and adult stages are dominated by conserved microRNAs. This pattern, however, does not hold for the early embryo, where rapidly evolving microRNAs are uniquely present at high levels in both species. The group of fast-evolving microRNAs that are highly expressed in the early embryo belong to two Drosophilid lineage-specific clusters: mir-310 ∼ 313 and mir-309 ∼ 6. These clusters have particularly complex evolutionary histories of duplication, gain, and loss. Our analyses suggest that the early embryo is a more permissive environment for microRNA changes and innovations. Fast-evolving microRNAs, therefore, have the opportunity to become preferentially integrated in early developmental processes, and may impact the evolution of development. The relationship between microRNA conservation and expression throughout the development of Drosophila differs from that previously observed for protein-coding genes.
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Weisbrod A, Cohen M, Chipman AD. Evolution of the insect terminal patterning system--insights from the milkweed bug, Oncopeltus fasciatus. Dev Biol 2013; 380:125-31. [PMID: 23665175 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2013.04.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2012] [Revised: 03/27/2013] [Accepted: 04/23/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
The anterior and posterior ends of the insect embryo are patterned through the terminal patterning system, which is best known from the fruitfly Drosophila melanogaster. In Drosophila, the RTK receptor Torso and its presumed co-activator Torso-like initiate a signaling cascade, which activates two terminal gap genes, tailless and huckebein. These in turn interact with various patterning genes to define terminal structures. Work on other insect species has shown that this system is poorly conserved, and not all of its components have been found in all cases studied. We place the variability of the system within a broader phylogenetic framework. We describe the expression and knock-down phenotypes of the homologues of terminal patterning genes in the hemimetabolous Oncopeltus fasciatus. We have examined the interactions among these genes and between them and other patterning genes. We demonstrate that all of these genes have different roles in Oncopeltus relative to Drosophila; torso-like is expressed in follicle cells during oogenesis and is involved in the invagination of the blastoderm to form the germ band, and possibly also in defining the growth zone; tailless is regulated by orthodenticle and has a role only in anterior determination; huckebein is expressed only in the middle of the blastoderm; finally, torso was not found in Oncopeltus and its role in terminal patterning seems novel within holometabolous insects. We then use our data, together with published data on other insects, to reconstruct the evolution of the terminal patterning gene network in insects. We suggest that the Drosophila terminal patterning network evolved recently in the lineage leading to the Diptera, and represents an example of evolutionary "tinkering", where pre-existing pathways are co-opted for a new function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anat Weisbrod
- The Deparment of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 91904 Jerusalem, Israel
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25
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Ten Tusscher KHWJ. Mechanisms and constraints shaping the evolution of body plan segmentation. THE EUROPEAN PHYSICAL JOURNAL. E, SOFT MATTER 2013; 36:54. [PMID: 23708840 DOI: 10.1140/epje/i2013-13054-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2012] [Accepted: 05/07/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Segmentation of the major body axis into repeating units is arguably one of the major inventions in the evolution of animal body plan pattering. It is found in current day vertebrates, annelids and arthropods. Most segmented animals seem to use a clock-and-wavefront type mechanism in which oscillations emanating from a posterior growth zone become transformed into an anterior posterior sequence of segments. In contrast, few animals such as Drosophila use a complex gene regulatory hierarchy to simultaneously subdivide their entire body axis into segments. Here I discuss how in silico models simulating the evolution of developmental patterning can be used to investigate the forces and constraints that helped shape these two developmental modes. I perform an analysis of a series of previous simulation studies, exploiting the similarities and differences in their outcomes in relation to model characteristics to elucidate the circumstances and constraints likely to have been important for the evolution of sequential and simultaneous segmentation modes. The analysis suggests that constraints arising from the involved growth process and spatial patterning signal--posterior elongation producing a propagating wavefront versus a tissue wide morphogen gradient--and the evolutionary history--ancestral versus derived segmentation mode--strongly shaped both segmentation mechanisms. Furthermore, this implies that these patterning types are to be expected rather than random evolutionary outcomes and supports the likelihood of multiple parallel evolutionary origins.
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Affiliation(s)
- K H W J Ten Tusscher
- Theoretical Biology and Bioinformactics Group, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584, CH Utrecht, The Netherlands.
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26
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François P, Siggia ED. Phenotypic models of evolution and development: geometry as destiny. Curr Opin Genet Dev 2012; 22:627-33. [PMID: 23026724 DOI: 10.1016/j.gde.2012.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2012] [Revised: 08/10/2012] [Accepted: 09/09/2012] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Quantitative models of development that consider all relevant genes typically are difficult to fit to embryonic data alone and have many redundant parameters. Computational evolution supplies models of phenotype with relatively few variables and parameters that allows the patterning dynamics to be reduced to a geometrical picture for how the state of a cell moves. The clock and wavefront model, that defines the phenotype of somitogenesis, can be represented as a sequence of two discrete dynamical transitions (bifurcations). The expression-time to space map for Hox genes and the posterior dominance rule are phenotypes that naturally follow from computational evolution without considering the genetics of Hox regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul François
- McGill University, 3600 rue University, H3A2T8, Montreal, QC, Canada.
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27
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The evolution of early animal embryos: conservation or divergence? Trends Ecol Evol 2012; 27:385-93. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2012.03.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 97] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2011] [Revised: 03/14/2012] [Accepted: 03/20/2012] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
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28
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Andrioli LP. Toward new Drosophila paradigms. Genesis 2012; 50:585-98. [DOI: 10.1002/dvg.22019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2011] [Revised: 02/07/2012] [Accepted: 02/08/2012] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
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Saenko SV, Marialva MS, Beldade P. Involvement of the conserved Hox gene Antennapedia in the development and evolution of a novel trait. EvoDevo 2011; 2:9. [PMID: 21504568 PMCID: PMC3108338 DOI: 10.1186/2041-9139-2-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2011] [Accepted: 04/19/2011] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hox proteins specify segment identity during embryogenesis and have typical associated expression patterns. Changes in embryonic expression and activity of Hox genes were crucial in the evolution of animal body plans, but their role in the post-embryonic development of lineage-specific traits remains largely unexplored. Here, we focus on the insect Hox genes Ultrabithorax (Ubx) and Antennapedia (Antp), and implicate the latter in the formation and diversification of novel, butterfly-specific wing patterns. RESULTS First, we describe a conserved pattern of Ubx expression and a novel pattern of Antp expression in wing discs of Bicyclus anynana butterflies. The discrete, reiterated domains of Antp contrast with the typical expression of Hox genes in single continuous regions in arthropod embryos. Second, we show that this pattern is associated with the establishment of the organizing centres of eyespots. Antp upregulation is the earliest event in organizer development described to date, and in contrast to all genes implicated in eyespot formation, is exclusive to those centres. Third, our comparative analysis of gene expression across nymphalids reveals unexpected differences in organizer determination. CONCLUSIONS We show that the Antp's recruitment for the formation of novel traits in butterfly wing discs involved the evolution of new expression domains, and is restricted to a particular lineage. This study contributes novel insights into the evolution of Antp expression, as well as into the genetic mechanisms underlying morphological diversification. Our results also underscore how a wider representation of morphological and phylogenetic diversity is essential in evolutionary developmental biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suzanne V Saenko
- Institute of Biology, Leiden University, Sylviusweg 72, 2333 BE Leiden, The Netherlands.
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30
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Peel AD, Averof M. Early asymmetries in maternal transcript distribution associated with a cortical microtubule network and a polar body in the beetle Tribolium castaneum. Dev Dyn 2011; 239:2875-87. [PMID: 20857499 DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.22423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
The localization of maternal mRNAs during oogenesis plays a central role in axial specification in some insects. Here we describe a polar body-associated asymmetry in maternal transcript distribution in pre-blastoderm eggs of the beetle Tribolium castaneum. Since the position of the polar body marks the future dorsal side of the embryo, we have investigated whether this asymmetry in mRNA distribution plays a role in dorsal-ventral axis specification. Whilst our results suggest polar body-associated transcripts do not play a significant role in specifying the DV axis, at least during early embryogenesis, we do find that the polar body is closely associated with a cortical microtubule network (CMN), which may play a role in the localization of transcripts during oogenesis. Transcripts of the gene T.c.pangolin co-localize with the CMN at the time of their anterior localization during oogenesis and their anterior localization is disrupted by the microtubule-depolymerizing agent colcemid.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew D Peel
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas, Crete, Greece.
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31
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Abstract
Gap genes are involved in segment determination during the early development of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster as well as in other insects. This review attempts to synthesize the current knowledge of the gap gene network through a comprehensive survey of the experimental literature. I focus on genetic and molecular evidence, which provides us with an almost-complete picture of the regulatory interactions responsible for trunk gap gene expression. I discuss the regulatory mechanisms involved, and highlight the remaining ambiguities and gaps in the evidence. This is followed by a brief discussion of molecular regulatory mechanisms for transcriptional regulation, as well as precision and size-regulation provided by the system. Finally, I discuss evidence on the evolution of gap gene expression from species other than Drosophila. My survey concludes that studies of the gap gene system continue to reveal interesting and important new insights into the role of gene regulatory networks in development and evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johannes Jaeger
- Centre de Regulació Genòmica, Universtitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain.
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32
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Saenko SV, Brakefield PM, Beldade P. Single locus affects embryonic segment polarity and multiple aspects of an adult evolutionary novelty. BMC Biol 2010; 8:111. [PMID: 20796293 PMCID: PMC2940778 DOI: 10.1186/1741-7007-8-111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2010] [Accepted: 08/26/2010] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The characterization of the molecular changes that underlie the origin and diversification of morphological novelties is a key challenge in evolutionary developmental biology. The evolution of such traits is thought to rely largely on co-option of a toolkit of conserved developmental genes that typically perform multiple functions. Mutations that affect both a universal developmental process and the formation of a novelty might shed light onto the genetics of traits not represented in model systems. Here we describe three pleiotropic mutations with large effects on a novel trait, butterfly eyespots, and on a conserved stage of embryogenesis, segment polarity. Results We show that three mutations affecting eyespot size and/or colour composition in Bicyclus anynana butterflies occurred in the same locus, and that two of them are embryonic recessive lethal. Using surgical manipulations and analysis of gene expression patterns in developing wings, we demonstrate that the effects on eyespot morphology are due to changes in the epidermal response component of eyespot induction. Our analysis of morphology and of gene expression in mutant embryos shows that they have a typical segment polarity phenotype, consistent with the mutant locus encoding a negative regulator of Wingless signalling. Conclusions This study characterizes the segregation and developmental effects of alleles at a single locus that controls the morphology of a lineage-specific trait (butterfly eyespots) and a conserved process (embryonic segment polarity and, specifically, the regulation of Wingless signalling). Because no gene with such function was found in the orthologous, highly syntenic genomic regions of two other lepidopterans, we hypothesize that our locus is a yet undescribed, possibly lineage-specific, negative regulator of the conserved Wnt/Wg pathway. Moreover, the fact that this locus interferes with multiple aspects of eyespot morphology and maps to a genomic region containing key wing pattern loci in different other butterfly species suggests it might correspond to a 'hotspot' locus in the diversification of this novel trait.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suzanne V Saenko
- Institute of Biology, Leiden University, Sylviusweg 72, 2333 BE Leiden, The Netherlands
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García-Solache M, Jaeger J, Akam M. A systematic analysis of the gap gene system in the moth midge Clogmia albipunctata. Dev Biol 2010; 344:306-18. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2010.04.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2009] [Revised: 04/19/2010] [Accepted: 04/21/2010] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
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François P, Siggia ED. Predicting embryonic patterning using mutual entropy fitness and in silico evolution. Development 2010; 137:2385-95. [PMID: 20570938 DOI: 10.1242/dev.048033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
During vertebrate embryogenesis, the expression of Hox genes that define anterior-posterior identity follows general rules: temporal colinearity and posterior prevalence. A mathematical measure for the quality or fitness of the embryonic pattern produced by a gene regulatory network is derived. Using this measure and in silico evolution we derive gene interaction networks for anterior-posterior (AP) patterning under two developmental paradigms. For patterning during growth (paradigm I), which is appropriate for vertebrates and short germ-band insects, the algorithm creates gene expression patterns reminiscent of Hox gene expression. The networks operate through a timer gene, the level of which measures developmental progression (a candidate is the widely conserved posterior morphogen Caudal). The timer gene provides a simple mechanism to coordinate patterning with growth rate. The timer, when expressed as a static spatial gradient, functions as a classical morphogen (paradigm II), providing a natural way to derive the AP patterning, as seen in long germ-band insects that express their Hox genes simultaneously, from the ancestral short germ-band system. Although the biochemistry of Hox regulation in higher vertebrates is complex, the actual spatiotemporal expression phenotype is not, and simple activation and repression by Hill functions suffices in our model. In silico evolution provides a quantitative demonstration that continuous positive selection can generate complex phenotypes from simple components by incremental evolution, as Darwin proposed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul François
- Center for studies in Physics and Biology, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, 10065 New York, NY, USA
| | - Eric D. Siggia
- Center for studies in Physics and Biology, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, 10065 New York, NY, USA
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Evolution of insect development: to the hemimetabolous paradigm. Curr Opin Genet Dev 2010; 20:355-61. [PMID: 20462751 DOI: 10.1016/j.gde.2010.04.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2010] [Revised: 04/09/2010] [Accepted: 04/13/2010] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Mechanisms of insect development have been extensively studied in Drosophila melanogaster, a holometabolous insect. However, recent studies on other insects have gradually revealed that there exist new developmental paradigms. In this review, we focus on the new hemimetabolous paradigm. We highlight how hemimetabolous short-germ or intermediate-germ embryos establish the anterior/posterior (A/P) pattern and the importance of dynamic cell movement during germband formation. In hemimetabolous insects, orthodenticle, encoding a homeodomain-containing transcription factor, and wingless/Wnt signaling could play crucial roles in the A/P pattern formation. We also discuss recent evidence suggesting that insect developmental modes may have evolved by heterochronic shifts, while retaining certain universal metazoan features.
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Telford MJ, Littlewood DTJ. The evolution of the animals: introduction to a Linnean tercentenary celebration. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2008; 363:1421-4. [PMID: 18192193 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2007.2231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Celebrating 300 years since the birth of Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778), a meeting was held in June 2007 to review recent progress made in understanding the origins and evolutionary radiation of the animals. The year 2008 celebrates the 250th anniversary of the publication of the 10th edition of Linnaeus' Systema Naturae, generally considered to be the starting point of zoological nomenclature. With subsequent advances in comparative taxonomic and systematic studies, Darwin's discovery of evolution by natural selection, the birth of phylogenetic systematics, and the wider interest in biodiversity, it is salutary to consider that many of the major advances in our understanding of animal evolution have been made in recent years. Phylogenetic systematics, drawing from evidence provided by genotype, phenotype and an understanding of the link between them through comparative embryological and evolutionary developmental studies, has provided a wide consensus of the major branching patterns of the tree of life. More importantly, the integrated approaches discussed in the 16 contributions to this volume highlight the identity and nature of problematic taxa, the missing data, errors in existing analytical procedures and the promise of a wealth of additional characters from genomes that need to be accumulated and assessed in providing a definitive Systema Naturae.
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