1
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Wang D, Abbott J, Brenninger FA, Klein K, Nava-Bolaños A, Yong L, Richter XYL. Female alternative reproductive tactics: diversity and drivers. Trends Ecol Evol 2024:S0169-5347(24)00140-X. [PMID: 38955568 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2024.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2024] [Revised: 06/04/2024] [Accepted: 06/06/2024] [Indexed: 07/04/2024]
Abstract
It is often argued that anisogamy causes alternative reproductive tactics (ARTs) to be more common in males than females. We challenge this view by pointing out logical flaws in the argument. We then review recent work on the diversity of female ARTs, listing several understudied types such as solitary versus communal breeding and facultative parthenogenesis. We highlight an important difference between male and female ARTs that caused female ARTs to be overlooked: male ARTs tend to focus on successful fertilization, whereas female ARTs occur at many stages of reproduction and often form complex networks of decision points. We propose to study correlated female ARTs as a whole to better understand their drivers and eco-evolutionary dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daiping Wang
- Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1 Beichen West Road, Chaoyang, 100101 Beijing, China; University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049 Beijing, China
| | - Jessica Abbott
- Department of Biology, Lund University, 22362 Lund, Sweden
| | - Franziska A Brenninger
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Kora Klein
- Faculty of Biology, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, 55122 Mainz, Germany
| | - Angela Nava-Bolaños
- Unidad Multidisciplinaria de Docencia e Investigación, Facultad de Ciencias, Campus Juriquilla, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Boulevard Juriquilla, Jurica La Mesa, Juriquilla, 76230 Querétaro, México
| | - Lengxob Yong
- Marine Resources Research Institute, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Charleston, SC 29412, USA
| | - Xiang-Yi Li Richter
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Baltzerstrasse 6, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland.
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2
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Hörandl E. Apomixis and the paradox of sex in plants. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2024; 134:1-18. [PMID: 38497809 PMCID: PMC11161571 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcae044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2023] [Accepted: 03/15/2024] [Indexed: 03/19/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The predominance of sex in eukaryotes, despite the high costs of meiosis and mating, remains an evolutionary enigma. Many theories have been proposed, none of them being conclusive on its own, and they are, in part, not well applicable to land plants. Sexual reproduction is obligate in embryophytes for the great majority of species. SCOPE This review compares the main forms of sexual and asexual reproduction in ferns and angiosperms, based on the generation cycling of sporophyte and gametophyte (leaving vegetative propagation aside). The benefits of sexual reproduction for maintenance of genomic integrity in comparison to asexuality are discussed in the light of developmental, evolutionary, genetic and phylogenetic studies. CONCLUSIONS Asexual reproduction represents modifications of the sexual pathway, with various forms of facultative sexuality. For sexual land plants, meiosis provides direct DNA repair mechanisms for oxidative damage in reproductive tissues. The ploidy alternations of meiosis-syngamy cycles and prolonged multicellular stages in the haploid phase in the gametophytes provide a high efficiency of purifying selection against recessive deleterious mutations. Asexual lineages might buffer effects of such mutations via polyploidy and can purge the mutational load via facultative sexuality. The role of organelle-nuclear genome compatibility for maintenance of genome integrity is not well understood. In plants in general, the costs of mating are low because of predominant hermaphroditism. Phylogenetic patterns in the archaeplastid clade suggest that high frequencies of sexuality in land plants are concomitant with a stepwise increase of intrinsic and extrinsic stress factors. Furthermore, expansion of genome size in land plants would increase the potential mutational load. Sexual reproduction appears to be essential for keeping long-term genomic integrity, and only rare combinations of extrinsic and intrinsic factors allow for shifts to asexuality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elvira Hörandl
- Department of Systematics, Biodiversity and Evolution of Plants (with herbarium), University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
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3
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Kostyuchenko RP, Smirnova NP. Vasa, Piwi, and Pl10 Expression during Sexual Maturation and Asexual Reproduction in the Annelid Pristina longiseta. J Dev Biol 2023; 11:34. [PMID: 37606490 PMCID: PMC10443295 DOI: 10.3390/jdb11030034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2023] [Revised: 07/27/2023] [Accepted: 08/03/2023] [Indexed: 08/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Naidids are tiny, transparent freshwater oligochaetes, which are well known for their ability to propagate asexually. Despite the fact that sexually mature individuals and cocoons with embryos are sometimes found in nature, in long-period laboratory cultures, worms reproduce agametically only. In this paper, we showed, for the first time, the expression of Vasa, Piwi, and Pl10 homologs in mature Pristina longiseta worms with well-developed reproductive system structures and germ cells. Although the animals have been propagated asexually by paratomic fission for over 20 years in our lab, some individuals become sexualized under standard conditions for our laboratory culture and demonstrate various stages of maturation. The fully matured animals developed a complete set of sexual apparatus including spermatheca, atrium, seminal vesicles, and ovisac. They also had a clitellum and were able to form cocoons. The cues for the initiation of sexual maturation are still unknown for P. longiseta; nevertheless, our data suggest that the laboratory strain of P. longiseta maintains the ability to become fully sexually mature and to establish germline products even after a long period of agametic reproduction. On the other hand, many of the sexualized worms formed a fission zone and continued to reproduce asexually. Thus, in this species, the processes of asexual reproduction and sexual maturation do not preclude each other, and Vasa, Piwi, and Pl10 homologs are expressed in both somatic and germline tissue including the posterior growth zone, fission zone, nervous system, germline cells, and gametes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roman P. Kostyuchenko
- Department of Embryology, St. Petersburg State University, Universitetskaya nab. 7-9, 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia;
| | - Natalia P. Smirnova
- Department of Embryology, St. Petersburg State University, Universitetskaya nab. 7-9, 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia;
- Unit for Cell Signaling, Department of Immunology and Transfusion Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, 0317 Oslo, Norway
- Hybrid Technology Hub-Centre for Organ on a Chip-Technology, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, 0317 Oslo, Norway
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4
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Rybnikov SR, Frenkel Z, Hübner S, Weissman DB, Korol AB. Modeling the evolution of recombination plasticity: A prospective review. Bioessays 2023; 45:e2200237. [PMID: 37246937 DOI: 10.1002/bies.202200237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2022] [Revised: 05/17/2023] [Accepted: 05/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
Meiotic recombination is one of the main sources of genetic variation, a fundamental factor in the evolutionary adaptation of sexual eukaryotes. Yet, the role of variation in recombination rate and other recombination features remains underexplored. In this review, we focus on the sensitivity of recombination rates to different extrinsic and intrinsic factors. We briefly present the empirical evidence for recombination plasticity in response to environmental perturbations and/or poor genetic background and discuss theoretical models developed to explain how such plasticity could have evolved and how it can affect important population characteristics. We highlight a gap between the evidence, which comes mostly from experiments with diploids, and theory, which typically assumes haploid selection. Finally, we formulate open questions whose solving would help to outline conditions favoring recombination plasticity. This will contribute to answering the long-standing question of why sexual recombination exists despite its costs, since plastic recombination may be evolutionary advantageous even in selection regimes rejecting any non-zero constant recombination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sviatoslav R Rybnikov
- Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
- Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Biology, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Zeev Frenkel
- Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Sariel Hübner
- Galilee Research Institute (MIGAL), Tel-Hai College, Kiryat Shmona, Israel
| | | | - Abraham B Korol
- Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
- Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Biology, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
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5
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Al-Shaer L, Leach W, Baban N, Yagodich M, Gibson MC, Layden MJ. Environmental and molecular regulation of asexual reproduction in the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2023; 10:230152. [PMID: 37325595 PMCID: PMC10264993 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.230152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2023] [Accepted: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Cnidarians exhibit incredible reproductive diversity, with most capable of sexual and asexual reproduction. Here, we investigate factors that influence asexual reproduction in the burrowing sea anemone Nematostella vectensis, which can propagate asexually by transverse fission of the body column. By altering culture conditions, we demonstrate that the presence of a burrowing substrate strongly promotes transverse fission. In addition, we show that animal size does not affect fission rates, and that the plane of fission is fixed along the oral-aboral axis of the polyp. Homeobox transcription factors and components of the TGFβ, Notch, and FGF signalling pathways are differentially expressed in polyps undergoing physal pinching suggesting they are important regulators of transverse fission. Gene ontology analyses further suggest that during transverse fission the cell cycle is suppressed, and that cell adhesion and patterning mechanisms are downregulated to promote separation of the body column. Finally, we demonstrate that the rate of asexual reproduction is sensitive to population density. Collectively, these experiments provide a foundation for mechanistic studies of asexual reproduction in Nematostella, with implications for understanding the reproductive and regenerative biology of other cnidarian species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Layla Al-Shaer
- Department of Biological Sciences, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA, USA
| | - Whitney Leach
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO, USA
| | - Noor Baban
- Department of Biological Sciences, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA, USA
| | - Mia Yagodich
- Department of Biological Sciences, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA, USA
| | | | - Michael J. Layden
- Department of Biological Sciences, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA, USA
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6
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da Silva VS, Machado CR. Sex in protists: A new perspective on the reproduction mechanisms of trypanosomatids. Genet Mol Biol 2022; 45:e20220065. [PMID: 36218381 PMCID: PMC9552303 DOI: 10.1590/1678-4685-gmb-2022-0065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 08/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
Abstract
The Protist kingdom individuals are the most ancestral representatives of
eukaryotes. They have inhabited Earth since ancient times and are currently
found in the most diverse environments presenting a great heterogeneity of life
forms. The unicellular and multicellular algae, photosynthetic and heterotrophic
organisms, as well as free-living and pathogenic protozoa represents the protist
group. The evolution of sex is directly associated with the origin of eukaryotes
being protists the earliest protagonists of sexual reproduction on earth. In
eukaryotes, the recombination through genetic exchange is a ubiquitous mechanism
that can be stimulated by DNA damage. Scientific evidences support the
hypothesis that reactive oxygen species (ROS) induced DNA damage can promote
sexual recombination in eukaryotes which might have been a decisive factor for
the origin of sex. The fact that some recombination enzymes also participate in
meiotic sex in modern eukaryotes reinforces the idea that sexual reproduction
emerged as consequence of specific mechanisms to cope with mutations and
alterations in genetic material. In this review we will discuss about origin of
sex and different strategies of evolve sexual reproduction in some protists such
that cause human diseases like malaria, toxoplasmosis, sleeping sickness, Chagas
disease, and leishmaniasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Verônica Santana da Silva
- Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Departamento de Genética,
Ecologia e Evolução, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Carlos Renato Machado
- Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Departamento de Bioquímica e
Imunologia, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
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7
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Ferreira TR, Sacks DL. Experimental Hybridization in Leishmania: Tools for the Study of Genetic Exchange. Pathogens 2022; 11:pathogens11050580. [PMID: 35631101 PMCID: PMC9144296 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11050580] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2022] [Revised: 05/11/2022] [Accepted: 05/13/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite major advances over the last decade in our understanding of Leishmania reproductive strategies, the sexual cycle in Leishmania has defied direct observation and remains poorly investigated due to experimental constraints. Here, we summarize the findings and conclusions drawn from genetic analysis of experimental hybrids generated in sand flies and highlight the recent advances in generating hybrids in vitro. The ability to hybridize between culture forms of different species and strains of Leishmania should invite more intensive investigation of the mechanisms underlying genetic exchange and provide a rich source of recombinant parasites for future genetic analyses.
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8
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Toker IA, Lev I, Mor Y, Gurevich Y, Fisher D, Houri-Zeevi L, Antonova O, Doron H, Anava S, Gingold H, Hadany L, Shaham S, Rechavi O. Transgenerational inheritance of sexual attractiveness via small RNAs enhances evolvability in C. elegans. Dev Cell 2022; 57:298-309.e9. [PMID: 35134343 PMCID: PMC8826646 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2022.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2021] [Revised: 09/12/2021] [Accepted: 01/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
It is unknown whether transient transgenerational epigenetic responses to environmental challenges affect the process of evolution, which typically unfolds over many generations. Here, we show that in C. elegans, inherited small RNAs control genetic variation by regulating the crucial decision of whether to self-fertilize or outcross. We found that under stressful temperatures, younger hermaphrodites secrete a male-attracting pheromone. Attractiveness transmits transgenerationally to unstressed progeny via heritable small RNAs and the Argonaute Heritable RNAi Deficient-1 (HRDE-1). We identified an endogenous small interfering RNA pathway, enriched in endo-siRNAs that target sperm genes, that transgenerationally regulates sexual attraction, male prevalence, and outcrossing rates. Multigenerational mating competition experiments and mathematical simulations revealed that over generations, animals that inherit attractiveness mate more and their alleles spread in the population. We propose that the sperm serves as a "stress-sensor" that, via small RNA inheritance, promotes outcrossing in challenging environments when increasing genetic variation is advantageous.
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Affiliation(s)
- Itai Antoine Toker
- Department of Neurobiology, Faculty of Life Sciences & Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
| | - Itamar Lev
- Department of Neurobiology, Faculty of Life Sciences & Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
| | - Yael Mor
- Department of Neurobiology, Faculty of Life Sciences & Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
| | - Yael Gurevich
- School of Plant Sciences and Food Security, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Doron Fisher
- Department of Neurobiology, Faculty of Life Sciences & Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Leah Houri-Zeevi
- Department of Neurobiology, Faculty of Life Sciences & Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Olga Antonova
- Department of Neurobiology, Faculty of Life Sciences & Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Hila Doron
- Department of Neurobiology, Faculty of Life Sciences & Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Sarit Anava
- Department of Neurobiology, Faculty of Life Sciences & Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Hila Gingold
- Department of Neurobiology, Faculty of Life Sciences & Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Lilach Hadany
- School of Plant Sciences and Food Security, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Shai Shaham
- Laboratory of Developmental Genetics, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Oded Rechavi
- Department of Neurobiology, Faculty of Life Sciences & Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
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9
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Schreier J, Ketting RF. How stress can affect your sex appeal. Dev Cell 2022; 57:291-292. [PMID: 35134340 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2022.01.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
In this issue of Developmental Cell, Toker et al. show that in C. elegans, stress-induced sperm defects lead to epigenetically heritable increased sexual attractiveness and increased mating between hermaphrodites and males. This effect is proposed to aid in evolutionary adaptation to stressful conditions by increasing genetic variation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Schreier
- Biology of Non-coding RNA group, Institute of Molecular Biology, Ackermannweg 4, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - René F Ketting
- Biology of Non-coding RNA group, Institute of Molecular Biology, Ackermannweg 4, 55128 Mainz, Germany.
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10
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Louradour I, Ferreira TR, Duge E, Karunaweera N, Paun A, Sacks D. Stress conditions promote Leishmania hybridization in vitro marked by expression of the ancestral gamete fusogen HAP2 as revealed by single-cell RNA-seq. eLife 2022; 11:73488. [PMID: 34994687 PMCID: PMC8794473 DOI: 10.7554/elife.73488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2021] [Accepted: 01/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Leishmania are protozoan parasites transmitted by the bite of sand fly vectors producing a wide spectrum of diseases in their mammalian hosts. These diverse clinical outcomes are directly associated with parasite strain and species diversity. Although Leishmania reproduction is mainly clonal, a cryptic sexual cycle capable of producing hybrid genotypes has been inferred from population genetic studies and directly demonstrated by laboratory crosses. Experimentally, mating competence has been largely confined to promastigotes developing in the sand fly midgut. The ability to hybridize culture promastigotes in vitro has been limited so far to low-efficiency crosses between two Leishmania tropica strains, L747 and MA37, that mate with high efficiency in flies. Here, we show that exposure of promastigote cultures to DNA damage stress produces a remarkably enhanced efficiency of in vitro hybridization of the L. tropica strains and extends to other species, including Leishmania donovani, Leishmania infantum, and Leishmania braziliensis, a capacity to generate intra- and interspecific hybrids. Whole-genome sequencing and total DNA content analyses indicate that the hybrids are in each case full genome, mostly tetraploid hybrids. Single-cell RNA sequencing of the L747 and MA37 parental lines highlights the transcriptome heterogeneity of culture promastigotes and reveals discrete clusters that emerge post-irradiation in which genes potentially involved in genetic exchange are expressed, including the ancestral gamete fusogen HAP2. By generating reporter constructs for HAP2, we could select for promastigotes that could either hybridize or not in vitro. Overall, this work reveals that there are specific populations involved in Leishmania hybridization associated with a discernible transcriptomic signature, and that stress facilitated in vitro hybridization can be a transformative approach to generate large numbers of hybrid genotypes between diverse species and strains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabelle Louradour
- Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Bethesda, United States
| | - Tiago Rodrigues Ferreira
- Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Bethesda, United States
| | - Emma Duge
- Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Bethesda, United States
| | - Nadira Karunaweera
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Colombo, Sri Lanka
| | - Andrea Paun
- Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Bethesda, United States
| | - David Sacks
- Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Bethesda, United States
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11
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Thind AS, Vitali V, Guarracino MR, Catania F. What's Genetic Variation Got to Do with It? Starvation-Induced Self-Fertilization Enhances Survival in Paramecium. Genome Biol Evol 2021; 12:626-638. [PMID: 32163147 PMCID: PMC7239694 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evaa052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The pervasiveness of sex despite its well-known costs is a long-standing puzzle in evolutionary biology. Current explanations for the success of sex in nature largely rely on the adaptive significance of the new or rare genotypes that sex may generate. Less explored is the possibility that sex-underlying molecular mechanisms can enhance fitness and convey benefits to the individuals that bear the immediate costs of sex. Here, we show that the molecular environment associated with self-fertilization can increase stress resistance in the ciliate Paramecium tetraurelia. This advantage is independent of new genetic variation, coupled with a reduced nutritional input, and offers fresh insights into the mechanistic origin of sex. In addition to providing evidence that the molecular underpinnings of sexual reproduction and the stress response are linked in P. tetraurelia, these findings supply an integrative explanation for the persistence of self-fertilization in this ciliate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amarinder Singh Thind
- Institute for High Performance Computing and Networking (ICAR), National Research Council (CNR), Naples, Italy
| | - Valerio Vitali
- Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, Department of Biology, University of Münster, Germany
| | - Mario Rosario Guarracino
- Institute for High Performance Computing and Networking (ICAR), National Research Council (CNR), Naples, Italy
| | - Francesco Catania
- Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, Department of Biology, University of Münster, Germany
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12
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Peixoto JF, dos Santos DG, Ribeiro L, de Oliveira VSC, Nunes-da-Fonseca R, Nepomuceno-Silva JL. Establishment of suitable reference genes for studying relative gene expression during the transition from trophozoites to cyst-like stages and first evidences of stress-induced expression of meiotic genes in Trichomonas vaginalis. Parasitology 2021; 148:934-946. [PMID: 33827719 PMCID: PMC11010144 DOI: 10.1017/s0031182021000585] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2020] [Revised: 03/26/2021] [Accepted: 03/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Trichomonas vaginalis is a parasite of the human urogenital tract and the causative agent of trichomoniasis, a sexually transmitted disease of worldwide importance. This parasite is usually found as a motile flagellated trophozoite. However, when subjected to stressful microenvironmental conditions, T. vaginalis trophozoites can differentiate into peculiar cyst-like stages, which exhibit notable physiological resistance to unfavourable conditions. Although well documented in morphological and proteomic terms, patterns of gene expression changes involved in the cellular differentiation into cyst-like stages are mostly unknown. The real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) is recognized as a sensitive and accurate method for quantification of gene expression, providing fluorescence-based data that are proportional to the amount of a target RNA. However, the reliability of relative expression studies depends on the validation of suitable reference genes, which RNAs exhibit a minimum of variation between tested conditions. Here, we attempt to determine suitable reference genes to be used as controls of invariant expression during cold-induced in vitro differentiation of T. vaginalis trophozoites into cyst-like forms. Furthermore, we reveal that the mRNA from the meiotic recombinase Dmc1 is upregulated during this process, indicating that cryptic sexual events may take place in cyst-like stages of T. vaginalis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliana Figueiredo Peixoto
- Laboratório Integrado de Bioquímica Hatisaburo Masuda (LIBHM), Instituto de Biodiversidade e Sustentabilidade (NUPEM/UFRJ), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Macaé/RJ, Brazil
| | - Daniele Graças dos Santos
- Laboratório Integrado de Bioquímica Hatisaburo Masuda (LIBHM), Instituto de Biodiversidade e Sustentabilidade (NUPEM/UFRJ), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Macaé/RJ, Brazil
| | - Lupis Ribeiro
- Laboratório Integrado de Ciências Morfofuncionais (LICM), Instituto de Biodiversidade e Sustentabilidade (NUPEM/UFRJ), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Macaé/RJ, Brazil
| | - Vitor Silva Cândido de Oliveira
- Laboratório Integrado de Bioquímica Hatisaburo Masuda (LIBHM), Instituto de Biodiversidade e Sustentabilidade (NUPEM/UFRJ), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Macaé/RJ, Brazil
| | - Rodrigo Nunes-da-Fonseca
- Laboratório Integrado de Ciências Morfofuncionais (LICM), Instituto de Biodiversidade e Sustentabilidade (NUPEM/UFRJ), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Macaé/RJ, Brazil
| | - José Luciano Nepomuceno-Silva
- Laboratório Integrado de Bioquímica Hatisaburo Masuda (LIBHM), Instituto de Biodiversidade e Sustentabilidade (NUPEM/UFRJ), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Macaé/RJ, Brazil
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13
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Peniston JH, Barfield M, Holt RD, Orive ME. Environmental fluctuations dampen the effects of clonal reproduction on evolutionary rescue. J Evol Biol 2021; 34:710-722. [PMID: 33682225 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13778] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2020] [Revised: 01/19/2021] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Evolutionary rescue occurs when genetic change allows a population to persist in response to an environmental change that would otherwise have led to extinction. Most studies of evolutionary rescue assume that species have either fully clonal or fully sexual reproduction; however, many species have partially clonal reproductive strategies in which they reproduce both clonally and sexually. Furthermore, the few evolutionary rescue studies that have evaluated partially clonal reproduction did not consider fluctuations in the environment, which are nearly ubiquitous in nature. Here, we use individual-based simulations to investigate how environmental fluctuations (either uncorrelated or positively autocorrelated) influence the effect of clonality on evolutionary rescue. We show that, for moderate magnitudes of environmental fluctuations, as was found in the absence of fluctuations, increasing the degree of clonality increases the probability of population persistence in response to an abrupt environmental change, but decreases persistence in response to a continuous, directional environmental change. However, with large magnitudes of fluctuations, both the benefits of clonality following a step change and the detrimental effects of clonality following a continuous, directional change are generally reduced; in fact, in the latter scenario, increasing clonality can even become beneficial if environmental fluctuations are autocorrelated. We also show that increased generational overlap dampens the effects of environmental fluctuations. Overall, we demonstrate that understanding the evolutionary rescue of partially clonal organisms requires not only knowledge of the species life history and the type of environmental change, but also an understanding of the magnitude and autocorrelation of environmental fluctuations.
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Affiliation(s)
- James H Peniston
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Michael Barfield
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Robert D Holt
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Maria E Orive
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA
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14
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Altenburger A, Blossom HE, Garcia-Cuetos L, Jakobsen HH, Carstensen J, Lundholm N, Hansen PJ, Moestrup Ø, Haraguchi L. Dimorphism in cryptophytes-The case of Teleaulax amphioxeia/ Plagioselmis prolonga and its ecological implications. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2020; 6:6/37/eabb1611. [PMID: 32917704 PMCID: PMC7486100 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abb1611] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2020] [Accepted: 07/29/2020] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Growing evidence suggests that sexual reproduction might be common in unicellular organisms, but observations are sparse. Limited knowledge of sexual reproduction constrains understanding of protist ecology. Although Teleaulax amphioxeia and Plagioselmis prolonga are common marine cryptophytes worldwide, and are also important plastid donors for some kleptoplastic ciliates and dinoflagellates, the ecology and development of these protists are poorly known. We demonstrate that P. prolonga is the haploid form of the diploid T. amphioxeia and describe the seasonal dynamics of these two life stages. The diploid T. amphioxeia dominates during periods of high dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) and low irradiance, temperature, and grazing (winter and early spring), whereas the haploid P. prolonga becomes more abundant during the summer, when DIN is low and irradiance, temperature, and grazing are high. Dimorphic sexual life cycles might explain the success of this species by fostering high genetic diversity and enabling endurance in adverse conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Altenburger
- The Arctic University Museum of Norway, UiT-The Arctic University of Norway, 9006 Tromsø, Norway.
| | - H E Blossom
- Aquatic Ecology Unit, Department of Biology, Lund University, Sölvegatan 37, 22362 Lund, Sweden
| | - L Garcia-Cuetos
- Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Gothersgade 130, 1123 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - H H Jakobsen
- Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
| | - J Carstensen
- Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
| | - N Lundholm
- Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Gothersgade 130, 1123 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - P J Hansen
- Marine Biological Section, University of Copenhagen, Strandpromenaden 5, 3000 Helsingør, Denmark
| | - Ø Moestrup
- Marine Biological Section, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 4, 2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark
| | - L Haraguchi
- Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark.
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Scheben A, Hojsgaard D. Can We Use Gene-Editing to Induce Apomixis in Sexual Plants? Genes (Basel) 2020; 11:E781. [PMID: 32664641 PMCID: PMC7397034 DOI: 10.3390/genes11070781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2020] [Revised: 07/08/2020] [Accepted: 07/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Apomixis, the asexual formation of seeds, is a potentially valuable agricultural trait. Inducing apomixis in sexual crop plants would, for example, allow breeders to fix heterosis in hybrid seeds and rapidly generate doubled haploid crop lines. Molecular models explain the emergence of functional apomixis, i.e., apomeiosis + parthenogenesis + endosperm development, as resulting from a combination of genetic or epigenetic changes that coordinate altered molecular and developmental steps to form clonal seeds. Apomixis-like features and synthetic clonal seeds have been induced with limited success in the sexual plants rice and maize by using gene editing to mutate genes related to meiosis and fertility or via egg-cell specific expression of embryogenesis genes. Inducing functional apomixis and increasing the penetrance of apomictic seed production will be important for commercial deployment of the trait. Optimizing the induction of apomixis with gene editing strategies that use known targets as well as identifying alternative targets will be possible by better understanding natural genetic variation in apomictic species. With the growing availability of genomic data and precise gene editing tools, we are making substantial progress towards engineering apomictic crops.
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Affiliation(s)
- Armin Scheben
- Simons Center for Quantitative Biology, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724, USA;
| | - Diego Hojsgaard
- Department of Systematics, Biodiversity and Evolution of Plants, Albrecht-von-Haller Institute for Plant Sciences, University of Goettingen, Untere Karspuele 2, 37073 Goettingen, Germany
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Lewin-Epstein O, Hadany L. Host-microbiome coevolution can promote cooperation in a rock-paper-scissors dynamics. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20192754. [PMID: 32075531 PMCID: PMC7031668 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.2754] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Cooperation is a fundamental behaviour observed in all forms of life. The evolution of cooperation has been widely studied, but almost all theories focused on the cooperating individual and its genes. We suggest a different approach, taking into account the microbes carried by the interacting individuals. Accumulating evidence reveals that microbes can affect their host's well-being and behaviour, yet hosts can evolve mechanisms to resist the manipulations of their microbes. We thus propose that coevolution of microbes with their hosts may favour microbes that induce their host to cooperate. Using computational modelling, we show that microbe-induced cooperation can evolve and be maintained in a wide range of conditions, including when facing hosts' resistance to the microbial effect. We find that host-microbe coevolution leads the population to a rock-paper-scissors dynamics that enables maintenance of cooperation in a polymorphic state. Our results suggest a mechanism for the evolution and maintenance of cooperation that may be relevant to a wide variety of organisms, including cases that are difficult to explain by current theories. This study provides a new perspective on the coevolution of hosts and their microbiome, emphasizing the potential role of microbes in shaping their host's behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ohad Lewin-Epstein
- Department of Molecular Biology and Ecology of Plants, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel
| | - Lilach Hadany
- Department of Molecular Biology and Ecology of Plants, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel
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17
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Rybnikov S, Frenkel Z, Korol AB. The evolutionary advantage of fitness-dependent recombination in diploids: A deterministic mutation-selection balance model. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:2074-2084. [PMID: 32128139 PMCID: PMC7042682 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2019] [Revised: 12/26/2019] [Accepted: 01/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Recombination's omnipresence in nature is one of the most intriguing problems in evolutionary biology. The question of why recombination exhibits certain general features is no less interesting than that of why it exists at all. One such feature is recombination's fitness dependence (FD). The so far developed population genetics models have focused on the evolution of FD recombination mainly in haploids, although the empirical evidence for this phenomenon comes mostly from diploids. Using numerical analysis of modifier models for infinite panmictic populations, we show here that FD recombination can be evolutionarily advantageous in diploids subjected to purifying selection. We ascribe this advantage to the differential rate of disruption of lower- versus higher-fitness genotypes, which can be manifested in selected systems with at least three loci. We also show that if the modifier is linked to such selected system, it can additionally benefit from modifying this linkage in a fitness-dependent manner. The revealed evolutionary advantage of FD recombination appeared robust to crossover interference within the selected system, either positive or negative. Remarkably, FD recombination was often favored in situations where any constant nonzero recombination was evolutionarily disfavored, implying a relaxation of the rather strict constraints on major parameters (e.g., selection intensity and epistasis) required for the evolutionary advantage of nonzero recombination formulated by classical models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sviatoslav Rybnikov
- Institute of EvolutionUniversity of HaifaHaifaIsrael
- Department of Evolutionary and Environmental BiologyUniversity of HaifaHaifaIsrael
| | - Zeev Frenkel
- Department of Mathematics and Computational ScienceAriel UniversityArielIsrael
| | - Abraham B. Korol
- Institute of EvolutionUniversity of HaifaHaifaIsrael
- Department of Evolutionary and Environmental BiologyUniversity of HaifaHaifaIsrael
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Ulum FB, Costa Castro C, Hörandl E. Ploidy-Dependent Effects of Light Stress on the Mode of Reproduction in the Ranunculus auricomus Complex (Ranunculaceae). FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2020; 11:104. [PMID: 32153611 PMCID: PMC7044147 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2020.00104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2019] [Accepted: 01/23/2020] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Polyploidy in angiosperms is an influential factor to trigger apomixis, the reproduction of asexual seeds. Apomixis is usually facultative, which means that both sexual and apomictic seeds can be formed by the same plant. Environmental abiotic stress, e.g. light stress, can change the frequency of apomixis. Previous work suggested effects of stress treatments on meiosis and megasporogenesis. We hypothesized that polyploidy would alter the stress response and hence reproductive phenotypes of different cytotypes. The main aims of this research were to explore with prolonged photoperiods, whether polyploidy alters proportions of sexual ovule and sexual seed formation under light stress conditions. We used three facultative apomictic, pseudogamous cytotypes of the Ranunculus auricomus complex (diploid, tetraploid, and hexaploid). Stress treatments were applied by extended light periods (16.5 h) and control (10 h) in climate growth chambers. Proportions of apomeiotic vs. meiotic development in the ovule were evaluated with clearing methods, and mode of seed formation was examined by single seed flow cytometric seed screening (ssFCSS). We further studied pollen stainability to understand effects of pollen quality on seed formation. Results revealed that under extended photoperiod, all cytotypes produced significantly more sexual ovules than in the control, with strongest effects on diploids. The stress treatment affected neither the frequency of seed set nor the proportion of sexual seeds nor pollen quality. Successful seed formation appears to be dependent on balanced maternal: paternal genome contributions. Diploid cytotypes had mostly sexual seed formation, while polyploid cytotypes formed predominantly apomictic seeds. Pollen quality was in hexaploids better than in diploids and tetraploids. These findings confirm our hypothesis that megasporogenesis is triggered by light stress treatments. Comparisons of cytotypes support the hypothesis that ovule development in polyploid plants is less sensitive to prolonged photoperiods and responds to a lesser extent with sexual ovule formation. Polyploids may better buffer environmental stress, which releases the potential for aposporous ovule development from somatic cells, and may facilitate the establishment of apomictic seed formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fuad Bahrul Ulum
- Department of Systematics, Biodiversity and Evolution of Plants, Albrecht-von-Haller Institute for Plant Sciences, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
- Biology Department, Faculty of Mathematics and Sciences, Jember University, Jember, Indonesia
| | - Camila Costa Castro
- Department of Systematics, Biodiversity and Evolution of Plants, Albrecht-von-Haller Institute for Plant Sciences, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Elvira Hörandl
- Department of Systematics, Biodiversity and Evolution of Plants, Albrecht-von-Haller Institute for Plant Sciences, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
- *Correspondence: Elvira Hörandl,
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Kokko H. When Synchrony Makes the Best of Both Worlds Even Better: How Well Do We Really Understand Facultative Sex? Am Nat 2019; 195:380-392. [PMID: 32017623 DOI: 10.1086/706812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Biological diversity abounds in potential study topics. Studies of model systems have their advantages, but reliance on a few well-understood cases may create false impressions of what biological phenomena are the norm. Here I focus on facultative sex, which is often hailed as offering the best of both worlds, in that rare sex offers benefits almost equal to obligate sex and avoids paying most of the demographic costs. How well do we understand when and why this form of sexual reproduction is expected to prevail? I show several gaps in the theoretical literature and, by contrasting asynchronous with synchronous sex, highlight the need to link sex theories to the theoretical underpinnings of bet hedging, on the one hand, and to mate limitation considerations, on the other. Condition-dependent sex and links between sex with dispersal or dormancy appear understudied. While simplifications are justifiable as a simple assumption structure enhances analytical tractability, much remains to be done to incorporate key features of real sex to the main theoretical edifice.
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20
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Gerber N, Kokko H. Abandoning the ship using sex, dispersal or dormancy: multiple escape routes from challenging conditions. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2019; 373:rstb.2017.0424. [PMID: 30150222 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2017.0424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/05/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Natural populations often experience environments that vary across space and over time, leading to spatio-temporal variation of the fitness of a genotype. If local conditions are poor, organisms can disperse in space (physical movement) or time (dormancy, diapause). Facultatively sexual organisms can switch between asexual and sexual reproduction, and thus have a third option available to deal with maladaptedness: they can engage in sexual reproduction in unfavourable conditions (an 'abandon-ship' response). Sexual reproduction in facultatively sexual organisms is often coupled with dispersal and/or dormancy, while bet-hedging theory at first sight predicts sex, dispersal and dormancy to covary negatively, as they represent different escape mechanisms that could substitute for each other. Here we briefly review the observed links between sex, dormancy and dispersal, and model the expected covariation patterns of dispersal, dormancy and the reproductive mode in the context of local adaptation to spatio-temporally fluctuating environments. The correlations between sex, dormancy and dispersal evolve differently within species versus across species. Various risk-spreading strategies are not completely interchangeable, as each has dynamic consequences that can feed back into the profitability of others. Our results shed light on the discrepancy between previous theoretical predictions on covarying risk-spreading traits and help explain why sex often associates with other means of escaping unfavourable situations.This article is part of the theme issue 'Linking local adaptation with the evolution of sex differences'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nina Gerber
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland .,Department of Biological and Environmental Science, Centre of Excellence in Biological Interactions, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylän yliopisto, Finland
| | - Hanna Kokko
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
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21
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Connallon T, Débarre F, Li XY. Linking local adaptation with the evolution of sex differences. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2019; 373:rstb.2017.0414. [PMID: 30150215 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2017.0414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/28/2018] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Many conspicuous forms of evolutionary diversity occur within species. Two prominent examples include evolutionary divergence between populations differentially adapted to their local environments (local adaptation), and divergence between females and males in response to sex differences in selection (sexual dimorphism sensu lato). These two forms of diversity have inspired vibrant research programmes, yet these fields have largely developed in isolation from one another. Nevertheless, conceptual parallels between these research traditions are striking. Opportunities for local adaptation strike a balance between local selection, which promotes divergence, and gene flow-via dispersal and interbreeding between populations-which constrains it. Sex differences are similarly constrained by fundamental features of inheritance that mimic gene flow. Offspring of each sex inherit genes from same-sex and opposite-sex parents, leading to gene flow between each differentially selected half of the population, and raising the question of how sex differences arise and are maintained. This special issue synthesizes and extends emerging research at the interface between the research traditions of local adaptation and sex differences. Each field can promote understanding of the other, and interactions between local adaptation and sex differences can generate new empirical predictions about the evolutionary consequences of selection that varies across space, time, and between the sexes.This article is part of the theme issue 'Linking local adaptation with the evolution of sex differences'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tim Connallon
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Florence Débarre
- CNRS, UMR 7241 Centre Interdisciplinaire de Recherche en Biologie (CIRB), Collège de France, Paris, France
| | - Xiang-Yi Li
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland
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22
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Ram Y, Hadany L. Evolution of Stress-Induced Mutagenesis in the Presence of Horizontal Gene Transfer. Am Nat 2019; 194:73-89. [PMID: 31251650 DOI: 10.1086/703457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Stress-induced mutagenesis has been observed in multiple species of bacteria and yeast. It has been suggested that in asexual populations, a mutator allele that increases the mutation rate during stress can sweep to fixation with the beneficial mutations it generates. However, even asexual microbes can undergo horizontal gene transfer and rare recombination, which typically interfere with the spread of mutator alleles. Here we examine the effect of horizontal gene transfer on the evolutionary advantage of stress-induced mutator alleles. Our results demonstrate that stress-induced mutator alleles are favored by selection even in the presence of horizontal gene transfer and more so when the mutator alleles also increase the rate of horizontal gene transfer. We suggest that when regulated by stress, mutation and horizontal gene transfer can be complementary rather than competing adaptive strategies and that stress-induced mutagenesis has important implications for evolutionary biology, ecology, and epidemiology, even in the presence of horizontal gene transfer and rare recombination.
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23
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Chuard PJC, Johnson MD, Guichard F. Ocean acidification causes mortality in the medusa stage of the cubozoan Carybdea xaymacana. Sci Rep 2019; 9:5622. [PMID: 30948764 PMCID: PMC6449339 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-42121-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2019] [Accepted: 03/25/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Ocean pH is decreasing due to anthropogenic activities, and the consequences of this acidification on marine fauna and ecosystems are the subject of an increasing number of studies. Yet, the impact of ocean acidification (OA) on several abundant and ecologically important taxa, such as medusozoans, is poorly documented. To date there have been no studies on the effect of post-2050 OA projections on the medusa stage of jellyfish. As medusae represent the reproductive stage of cnidarians, negative impacts on adult jellyfish could severely impact the long-term survival of this group. Using a laboratory experiment, we investigated the effect of 2300 OA projections (i.e. pH of 7.5) on the mortality rate of the medusa-stage of the cubozoan species Carybdea xaymacana, compared to ambient seawater pH conditions (i.e. pH of 8.1). After a 12-h exposure to OA, C. xaymacana medusae suffered higher mortality rates compared to ambient conditions. This study represents the first evidence of the potential lethal effects of post-2050 OA projections on jellyfish. The higher metabolic rates of cubozoans compared to other cnidarians might make box jellyfish more vulnerable to OA. A decrease in the density of cnidarians could lead to harmful ecological events, such as algal blooms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pierre J C Chuard
- Department of Biological Sciences, Bishop's University, Sherbrooke, QC, J1M 1Z7, Canada.
| | | | - Frédéric Guichard
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, H3A 1B1, Canada
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24
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Generation of variation and a modified mean fitness principle: Necessity is the mother of genetic invention. Theor Popul Biol 2018; 123:1-8. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tpb.2018.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2018] [Revised: 02/15/2018] [Accepted: 02/16/2018] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
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25
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Cross-Contamination Explains "Inter and Intraspecific Horizontal Genetic Transfers" between Asexual Bdelloid Rotifers. Curr Biol 2018; 28:2436-2444.e14. [PMID: 30017483 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2018.05.070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2017] [Revised: 12/07/2017] [Accepted: 05/23/2018] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
A few metazoan lineages are thought to have persisted for millions of years without sexual reproduction. If so, they would offer important clues to the evolutionary paradox of sex itself [1, 2]. Most "ancient asexuals" are subject to ongoing doubt because extant populations continue to invest in males [3-9]. However, males are famously unknown in bdelloid rotifers, a class of microscopic invertebrates comprising hundreds of species [10-12]. Bdelloid genomes have acquired an unusually high proportion of genes from non-metazoans via horizontal transfer [13-17]. This well-substantiated finding has invited speculation [13] that homologous horizontal transfer between bdelloid individuals also may occur, perhaps even "replacing" sex [14]. In 2016, Current Biology published an article claiming to supply evidence for this idea. Debortoli et al. [18] sampled rotifers from natural populations and sequenced one mitochondrial and four nuclear loci. Species assignments were incongruent among loci for several samples, which was interpreted as evidence of "interspecific horizontal genetic transfers." Here, we use sequencing chromatograms supplied by the authors to demonstrate that samples treated as individuals actually contained two or more highly divergent mitochondrial and ribosomal sequences, revealing cross-contamination with DNA from multiple animals of different species. Other chromatograms indicate contamination with DNA from conspecific animals, explaining genetic and genomic evidence for "intraspecific horizontal exchanges" reported in the same study. Given the clear evidence of contamination, the data and findings of Debortoli et al. [18] provide no reliable support for their conclusions that DNA is transferred horizontally between or within bdelloid species.
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Chu HY, Sprouffske K, Wagner A. Assessing the benefits of horizontal gene transfer by laboratory evolution and genome sequencing. BMC Evol Biol 2018; 18:54. [PMID: 29673327 PMCID: PMC5909237 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-018-1164-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2017] [Accepted: 03/22/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Recombination is widespread across the tree of life, because it helps purge deleterious mutations and creates novel adaptive traits. In prokaryotes, it often takes the form of horizontal gene transfer from a donor to a recipient bacterium. While such transfer is widespread in natural communities, its immediate fitness benefits are usually unknown. We asked whether any such benefits depend on the environment, and on the identity of donor and recipient strains. To this end, we adapted Escherichia coli to two novel carbon sources over several hundred generations of laboratory evolution, exposing evolving populations to various DNA donors. RESULTS At the end of these experiments, we measured fitness and sequenced the genomes of 65 clones from 34 replicate populations to study the genetic changes associated with adaptive evolution. Furthermore, we identified candidate de novo beneficial mutations. During adaptive evolution on the first carbon source, 4-Hydroxyphenylacetic acid (HPA), recombining populations adapted better, which was likely mediated by acquiring the hpa operon from the donor. In contrast, recombining populations did not adapt better to the second carbon source, butyric acid, even though they suffered fewer extinctions than non-recombining populations. The amount of DNA transferred, but not its benefit, strongly depended on the donor-recipient strain combination. CONCLUSIONS To our knowledge, our study is the first to investigate the genomic consequences of prokaryotic recombination and horizontal gene transfer during laboratory evolution. It shows that the benefits of recombination strongly depend on the environment and the foreign DNA donor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hoi Yee Chu
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Kathleen Sprouffske
- The Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Quartier Sorge – Batiment Genopode, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Andreas Wagner
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- The Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Quartier Sorge – Batiment Genopode, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
- Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, New Mexico USA
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27
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Abstract
Ploidy is considered a very stable cellular characteristic. Although rare, changes in ploidy play important roles in the acquisition of long-term adaptations. Since these duplications allow the subsequent loss of individual chromosomes and accumulation of mutations, changes in ploidy can also cause genomic instability, and have been found to promote cancer. Despite the importance of the subject, measuring the rate of whole-genome duplications has proven extremely challenging. We have recently measured the rate of diploidization in yeast using long-term, in-lab experiments. We found that spontaneous diploidization occurs frequently, by two different mechanisms: endoreduplication and mating type switching. Despite its common occurrence, spontaneous diploidization is usually selected against, although it can be advantageous under some stressful conditions. Our results have implications for the understanding of evolutionary processes, as well as for the use of yeast cells in biotechnological applications.
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28
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Spontaneous Changes in Ploidy Are Common in Yeast. Curr Biol 2018; 28:825-835.e4. [PMID: 29502947 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2018.01.062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2017] [Revised: 12/11/2017] [Accepted: 01/22/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Changes in ploidy are relatively rare, but play important roles in the development of cancer and the acquisition of long-term adaptations. Genome duplications occur across the tree of life, and can alter the rate of adaptive evolution. Moreover, by allowing the subsequent loss of individual chromosomes and the accumulation of mutations, changes in ploidy can promote genomic instability and/or adaptation. Although many studies have been published in the last years about changes in chromosome number and their evolutionary consequences, tracking and measuring the rate of whole-genome duplications have been extremely challenging. We have systematically studied the appearance of diploid cells among haploid yeast cultures evolving for over 100 generations in different media. We find that spontaneous diploidization is a relatively common event, which is usually selected against, but under certain stressful conditions may become advantageous. Furthermore, we were able to detect and distinguish between two different mechanisms of diploidization, one that requires whole-genome duplication (endoreduplication) and a second that involves mating-type switching despite the use of heterothallic strains. Our results have important implications for our understanding of evolution and adaptation in fungal pathogens and the development of cancer, and for the use of yeast cells in biotechnological applications.
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29
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Burke NW, Bonduriansky R. The fitness effects of delayed switching to sex in a facultatively asexual insect. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:2698-2711. [PMID: 29531687 PMCID: PMC5838058 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3895] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2017] [Revised: 01/10/2018] [Accepted: 01/12/2018] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Facultative reproductive strategies that incorporate both sexual and parthenogenetic reproduction should be optimal, yet are rarely observed in animals. Resolving this paradox requires an understanding of the economics of facultative asexuality. Recent work suggests that switching from parthenogenesis to sex can be costly and that females can resist mating to avoid switching. However, it remains unclear whether these costs and resistance behaviors are dependent on female age. We addressed these questions in the Cyclone Larry stick insect, Sipyloidea larryi, by pairing females with males (or with females as a control) in early life prior to the start of parthenogenetic reproduction, or in mid- or late life after a period of parthenogenetic oviposition. Young females were receptive to mating even though mating in early life caused reduced fecundity. Female resistance to mating increased with age, but reproductive switching in mid- or late life did not negatively affect female survival or offspring performance. Overall, mating enhanced female fitness because fertilized eggs had higher hatching success and resulted in more adult offspring than parthenogenetic eggs. However, female fecundity and offspring viability were also enhanced in females paired with other females, suggesting a socially mediated maternal effect. Our results provide little evidence that switching from parthenogenesis to sex at any age is costly for S. larryi females. However, age-dependent effects of switching on some fitness components and female resistance behaviors suggest the possibility of context-dependent effects that may only be apparent in natural populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan W. Burke
- Evolution & Ecology Research CentreSchool of Biological, Earth and Environmental SciencesUniversity of New South Wales AustraliaSydneyNSWAustralia
| | - Russell Bonduriansky
- Evolution & Ecology Research CentreSchool of Biological, Earth and Environmental SciencesUniversity of New South Wales AustraliaSydneyNSWAustralia
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Aanen D, Beekman M, Kokko H. Weird sex: the underappreciated diversity of sexual reproduction. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2018; 371:rstb.2016.0262. [PMID: 27619706 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2016.0262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/20/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Duur Aanen
- Plant Sciences Group, Laboratory of Genetics, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Madeleine Beekman
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Hanna Kokko
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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Gulisija D, Plotkin JB. Phenotypic plasticity promotes recombination and gene clustering in periodic environments. Nat Commun 2017; 8:2041. [PMID: 29229921 PMCID: PMC5725583 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-01952-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2017] [Accepted: 10/26/2017] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
While theory offers clear predictions for when recombination will evolve in changing environments, it is unclear what natural scenarios can generate the necessary conditions. The Red Queen hypothesis provides one such scenario, but it requires antagonistic host-parasite interactions. Here we present a novel scenario for the evolution of recombination in finite populations: the genomic storage effect due to phenotypic plasticity. Using analytic approximations and Monte-Carlo simulations, we demonstrate that balanced polymorphism and recombination evolve between a target locus that codes for a seasonally selected trait and a plasticity modifier locus that modulates the effects of target-locus alleles. Furthermore, we show that selection suppresses recombination among multiple co-modulated target loci, in the absence of epistasis among them, which produces a cluster of linked selected loci. These results provide a novel biological scenario for the evolution of recombination and supergenes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Davorka Gulisija
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
| | - Joshua B Plotkin
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
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Chu HY, Sprouffske K, Wagner A. The role of recombination in evolutionary adaptation of Escherichia coli to a novel nutrient. J Evol Biol 2017; 30:1692-1711. [PMID: 28612351 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2017] [Revised: 05/11/2017] [Accepted: 06/05/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The benefits and detriments of recombination for adaptive evolution have been studied both theoretically and experimentally, with conflicting predictions and observations. Most pertinent experiments examine recombination's effects in an unchanging environment and do not study its genomewide effects. Here, we evolved six replicate populations of either highly recombining R+ or lowly recombining R- E. coli strains in a changing environment, by introducing the novel nutrients L-arabinose or indole into the environment. The experiment's ancestral strains are not viable on these nutrients, but 130 generations of adaptive evolution were sufficient to render them viable. Recombination conferred a more pronounced advantage to populations adapting to indole. To study the genomic changes associated with this advantage, we sequenced the genomes of 384 clones isolated from selected replicates at the end of the experiment. These genomes harbour complex changes that range from point mutations to large-scale DNA amplifications. Among several candidate adaptive mutations, those in the tryptophanase regulator tnaC stand out, because the tna operon in which it resides has a known role in indole metabolism. One of the highly recombining populations also shows a significant excess of large-scale segmental DNA amplifications that include the tna operon. This lineage also shows a unique and potentially adaptive combination of point mutations and DNA amplifications that may have originated independently from one another, to be joined later by recombination. Our data illustrate that the advantages of recombination for adaptive evolution strongly depend on the environment and that they can be associated with complex genomic changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- H-Y Chu
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - K Sprouffske
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - A Wagner
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,The Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Quartier Sorge, Batiment Genopode, Lausanne, Switzerland.,The Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM, USA
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