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Kittelmann M, McGregor AP. Looking across the gap: Understanding the evolution of eyes and vision among insects. Bioessays 2024; 46:e2300240. [PMID: 38593308 DOI: 10.1002/bies.202300240] [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: 12/15/2023] [Revised: 02/29/2024] [Accepted: 03/05/2024] [Indexed: 04/11/2024]
Abstract
The compound eyes of insects exhibit stunning variation in size, structure, and function, which has allowed these animals to use their vision to adapt to a huge range of different environments and lifestyles, and evolve complex behaviors. Much of our knowledge of eye development has been learned from Drosophila, while visual adaptations and behaviors are often more striking and better understood from studies of other insects. However, recent studies in Drosophila and other insects, including bees, beetles, and butterflies, have begun to address this gap by revealing the genetic and developmental bases of differences in eye morphology and key new aspects of compound eye structure and function. Furthermore, technical advances have facilitated the generation of high-resolution connectomic data from different insect species that enhances our understanding of visual information processing, and the impact of changes in these processes on the evolution of vision and behavior. Here, we review these recent breakthroughs and propose that future integrated research from the development to function of visual systems within and among insect species represents a great opportunity to understand the remarkable diversification of insect eyes and vision.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maike Kittelmann
- Department of Biological and Medical Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK
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2
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Buffry AD, Currea JP, Franke-Gerth FA, Palavalli-Nettimi R, Bodey AJ, Rau C, Samadi N, Gstöhl SJ, Schlepütz CM, McGregor AP, Sumner-Rooney L, Theobald J, Kittelmann M. Evolution of compound eye morphology underlies differences in vision between closely related Drosophila species. BMC Biol 2024; 22:67. [PMID: 38504308 PMCID: PMC10953123 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-024-01864-7] [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: 09/18/2023] [Accepted: 03/07/2024] [Indexed: 03/21/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Insects have evolved complex visual systems and display an astonishing range of adaptations for diverse ecological niches. Species of Drosophila melanogaster subgroup exhibit extensive intra- and interspecific differences in compound eye size. These differences provide an excellent opportunity to better understand variation in insect eye structure and the impact on vision. Here we further explored the difference in eye size between D. mauritiana and its sibling species D. simulans. RESULTS We confirmed that D. mauritiana have rapidly evolved larger eyes as a result of more and wider ommatidia than D. simulans since they recently diverged approximately 240,000 years ago. The functional impact of eye size, and specifically ommatidia size, is often only estimated based on the rigid surface morphology of the compound eye. Therefore, we used 3D synchrotron radiation tomography to measure optical parameters in 3D, predict optical capacity, and compare the modelled vision to in vivo optomotor responses. Our optical models predicted higher contrast sensitivity for D. mauritiana, which we verified by presenting sinusoidal gratings to tethered flies in a flight arena. Similarly, we confirmed the higher spatial acuity predicted for Drosophila simulans with smaller ommatidia and found evidence for higher temporal resolution. CONCLUSIONS Our study demonstrates that even subtle differences in ommatidia size between closely related Drosophila species can impact the vision of these insects. Therefore, further comparative studies of intra- and interspecific variation in eye morphology and the consequences for vision among other Drosophila species, other dipterans and other insects are needed to better understand compound eye structure-function and how the diversification of eye size, shape, and function has helped insects to adapt to the vast range of ecological niches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra D Buffry
- Department of Biological and Medical Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, OX3 0BP, UK
| | - John P Currea
- Integrative Biology and Physiology, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Franziska A Franke-Gerth
- Molecular Evolution and Systematics of Animals, Institute of Biology, University of Leipzig, Talstrasse 33, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Ravindra Palavalli-Nettimi
- Institute of the Environment and Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Andrew J Bodey
- Diamond Light Source Ltd, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, UK
| | - Christoph Rau
- Diamond Light Source Ltd, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, UK
| | - Nazanin Samadi
- Swiss Light Source, Paul Scherrer Institute, Forschungsstrasse 111, 5232, Villigen PSI, Switzerland
| | - Stefan J Gstöhl
- Swiss Light Source, Paul Scherrer Institute, Forschungsstrasse 111, 5232, Villigen PSI, Switzerland
| | - Christian M Schlepütz
- Swiss Light Source, Paul Scherrer Institute, Forschungsstrasse 111, 5232, Villigen PSI, Switzerland
| | - Alistair P McGregor
- Department of Biosciences, Durham University, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK
| | - Lauren Sumner-Rooney
- Museum Für Naturkunde, Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Research, Berlin, 10115, Germany
| | - Jamie Theobald
- Institute of the Environment and Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Maike Kittelmann
- Department of Biological and Medical Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, OX3 0BP, UK.
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3
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Tissue dissociation for single-cell and single-nuclei RNA sequencing for low amounts of input material. Front Zool 2022; 19:27. [DOI: 10.1186/s12983-022-00472-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 10/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Background
Recent technological advances opened the opportunity to simultaneously study gene expression for thousands of individual cells on a genome-wide scale. The experimental accessibility of such single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq) approaches allowed gaining insights into the cell type composition of heterogeneous tissue samples of animal model systems and emerging models alike. A major prerequisite for a successful application of the method is the dissociation of complex tissues into individual cells, which often requires large amounts of input material and harsh mechanical, chemical and temperature conditions. However, the availability of tissue material may be limited for small animals, specific organs, certain developmental stages or if samples need to be acquired from collected specimens. Therefore, we evaluated different dissociation protocols to obtain single cells from small tissue samples of Drosophila melanogaster eye-antennal imaginal discs.
Results
We show that a combination of mechanical and chemical dissociation resulted in sufficient high-quality cells. As an alternative, we tested protocols for the isolation of single nuclei, which turned out to be highly efficient for fresh and frozen tissue samples. Eventually, we performed scRNAseq and single-nuclei RNA sequencing (snRNAseq) to show that the best protocols for both methods successfully identified relevant cell types. At the same time, snRNAseq resulted in less artificial gene expression that is caused by rather harsh dissociation conditions needed to obtain single cells for scRNAseq. A direct comparison of scRNAseq and snRNAseq data revealed that both datasets share biologically relevant genes among the most variable genes, and we showed differences in the relative contribution of the two approaches to identified cell types.
Conclusion
We present two dissociation protocols that allow isolating single cells and single nuclei, respectively, from low input material. Both protocols resulted in extraction of high-quality RNA for subsequent scRNAseq or snRNAseq applications. If tissue availability is limited, we recommend the snRNAseq procedure of fresh or frozen tissue samples as it is perfectly suited to obtain thorough insights into cellular diversity of complex tissue.
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4
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Mitteroecker P, Schaefer K. Thirty years of geometric morphometrics: Achievements, challenges, and the ongoing quest for biological meaningfulness. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2022; 178 Suppl 74:181-210. [PMID: 36790612 PMCID: PMC9545184 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24531] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2021] [Revised: 03/28/2022] [Accepted: 04/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
The foundations of geometric morphometrics were worked out about 30 years ago and have continually been refined and extended. What has remained as a central thrust and source of debate in the morphometrics community is the shared goal of meaningful biological inference through a tight connection between biological theory, measurement, multivariate biostatistics, and geometry. Here we review the building blocks of modern geometric morphometrics: the representation of organismal geometry by landmarks and semilandmarks, the computation of shape or form variables via superimposition, the visualization of statistical results as actual shapes or forms, the decomposition of shape variation into symmetric and asymmetric components and into different spatial scales, the interpretation of various geometries in shape or form space, and models of the association between shape or form and other variables, such as environmental, genetic, or behavioral data. We focus on recent developments and current methodological challenges, especially those arising from the increasing number of landmarks and semilandmarks, and emphasize the importance of thorough exploratory multivariate analyses rather than single scalar summary statistics. We outline promising directions for further research and for the evaluation of new developments, such as "landmark-free" approaches. To illustrate these methods, we analyze three-dimensional human face shape based on data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC).
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Affiliation(s)
- Philipp Mitteroecker
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Unit for Theoretical BiologyUniversity of ViennaViennaAustria
| | - Katrin Schaefer
- Department of Evolutionary AnthropologyUniversity of ViennaViennaAustria,Human Evolution and Archaeological Sciences (HEAS)University of ViennaViennaAustria
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5
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Cohen LB, Jewell R, Moody D, Arsala D, Werren JH, Lynch JA. Genetic, morphometric, and molecular analyses of interspecies differences in head shape and hybrid developmental defects in the wasp genus Nasonia. G3 GENES|GENOMES|GENETICS 2021; 11:6362889. [PMID: 34580730 PMCID: PMC8664464 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkab313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2019] [Accepted: 08/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Males in the parasitoid wasp genus Nasonia have distinct, species-specific, head shapes. The availability of fertile hybrids among the species, along with obligate haploidy of males, facilitates analysis of complex gene interactions in development and evolution. Previous analyses showed that both the divergence in head shape between Nasonia vitripennis and Nasonia giraulti, and the head-specific developmental defects of F2 haploid hybrid males, are governed by multiple changes in networks of interacting genes. Here, we extend our understanding of the gene interactions that affect morphogenesis in male heads. Use of artificial diploid male hybrids shows that alleles mediating developmental defects are recessive, while there are diverse dominance relationships among other head shape traits. At the molecular level, the sex determination locus doublesex plays a major role in male head shape differences, but it is not the only important factor. Introgression of a giraulti region on chromsome 2 reveals a recessive locus that causes completely penetrant head clefting in both males and females in a vitripennis background. Finally, a third species (N. longicornis) was used to investigate the timing of genetic changes related to head morphology, revealing that most changes causing defects arose after the divergence of N. vitripennis from the other species, but prior to the divergence of N. giraulti and N. longicornis from each other. Our results demonstrate that developmental gene networks can be dissected using interspecies crosses in Nasonia, and set the stage for future fine-scale genetic dissection of both head shape and hybrid developmental defects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorna B Cohen
- Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA
- Optical Imaging Core, Van Andel Institute, Grand Rapids, MI 49503, USA
| | - Rachel Jewell
- Department of Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA
| | - Dyese Moody
- Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA
| | - Deanna Arsala
- Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - John H Werren
- Department of Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA
| | - Jeremy A Lynch
- Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA
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6
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Buchberger E, Bilen A, Ayaz S, Salamanca D, Matas de las Heras C, Niksic A, Almudi I, Torres-Oliva M, Casares F, Posnien N. Variation in Pleiotropic Hub Gene Expression Is Associated with Interspecific Differences in Head Shape and Eye Size in Drosophila. Mol Biol Evol 2021; 38:1924-1942. [PMID: 33386848 PMCID: PMC8097299 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msaa335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Revealing the mechanisms underlying the breathtaking morphological diversity observed in nature is a major challenge in Biology. It has been established that recurrent mutations in hotspot genes cause the repeated evolution of morphological traits, such as body pigmentation or the gain and loss of structures. To date, however, it remains elusive whether hotspot genes contribute to natural variation in the size and shape of organs. As natural variation in head morphology is pervasive in Drosophila, we studied the molecular and developmental basis of differences in compound eye size and head shape in two closely related Drosophila species. We show differences in the progression of retinal differentiation between species and we applied comparative transcriptomics and chromatin accessibility data to identify the GATA transcription factor Pannier (Pnr) as central factor associated with these differences. Although the genetic manipulation of Pnr affected multiple aspects of dorsal head development, the effect of natural variation is restricted to a subset of the phenotypic space. We present data suggesting that this developmental constraint is caused by the coevolution of expression of pnr and its cofactor u-shaped (ush). We propose that natural variation in expression or function of highly connected developmental regulators with pleiotropic functions is a major driver for morphological evolution and we discuss implications on gene regulatory network evolution. In comparison to previous findings, our data strongly suggest that evolutionary hotspots are not the only contributors to the repeated evolution of eye size and head shape in Drosophila.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Buchberger
- Department of Developmental Biology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Anıl Bilen
- Department of Developmental Biology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Sanem Ayaz
- Department of Developmental Biology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - David Salamanca
- Department of Developmental Biology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
- Present address: Department of Integrative Zoology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Armin Niksic
- Department of Developmental Biology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Isabel Almudi
- CABD (CSIC/UPO/JA), DMC2 Unit, Pablo de Olavide University Campus, Seville, Spain
| | - Montserrat Torres-Oliva
- Department of Developmental Biology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
- Present address: Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany
| | - Fernando Casares
- CABD (CSIC/UPO/JA), DMC2 Unit, Pablo de Olavide University Campus, Seville, Spain
| | - Nico Posnien
- Department of Developmental Biology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
- Corresponding author: E-mail:
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7
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Interplay between sex determination cascade and major signaling pathways during Drosophila eye development: Perspectives for future research. Dev Biol 2021; 476:41-52. [PMID: 33745943 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2021.03.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2020] [Revised: 02/07/2021] [Accepted: 03/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Understanding molecular mechanisms of sexually dimorphic organ growth is a fundamental problem of developmental biology. Recent quantitative studies showed that the Drosophila compound eye is a convenient model to study the determination of the final organ size. In Drosophila, females have larger eyes than males and this is evident even after correction for the larger body size. Moreover, female eyes include more ommatidia (photosensitive units) than male eyes and this difference is specified at the third larval instar in the eye primordia called eye imaginal discs. This may result in different visual capabilities between the two sexes and have behavioral consequences. Despite growing evidence on the genetic bases of eye size variation between different Drosophila species and strains, mechanisms responsible for within-species sexual dimorphism still remain elusive. Here, we discuss a presumptive crosstalk between the sex determination cascade and major signaling pathways during dimorphic eye development. Male- and female-specific isoforms of Doublesex (Dsx) protein are known to control sex-specific differentiation in the somatic tissues. However, no data on Dsx function during eye disc growth and patterning are currently available. Remarkably, Sex lethal (Sxl), the sex determination switch protein, was shown to directly affect Hedgehog (Hh) and Notch (N) signaling in the Drosophila wing disc. The similarity of signaling pathways involved in the wing and eye disc growth suggests that Sxl might be integrated into regulation of eye development. Dsx role in the eye disc requires further investigation. We discuss currently available data on sex-biased gene expression in the Drosophila eye and highlight perspectives for future studies.
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8
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Reis M, Wiegleb G, Claude J, Lata R, Horchler B, Ha NT, Reimer C, Vieira CP, Vieira J, Posnien N. Multiple loci linked to inversions are associated with eye size variation in species of the Drosophila virilis phylad. Sci Rep 2020; 10:12832. [PMID: 32732947 PMCID: PMC7393161 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-69719-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2020] [Accepted: 07/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The size and shape of organs is tightly controlled to achieve optimal function. Natural morphological variations often represent functional adaptations to an ever-changing environment. For instance, variation in head morphology is pervasive in insects and the underlying molecular basis is starting to be revealed in the Drosophila genus for species of the melanogaster group. However, it remains unclear whether similar diversifications are governed by similar or different molecular mechanisms over longer timescales. To address this issue, we used species of the virilis phylad because they have been diverging from D. melanogaster for at least 40 million years. Our comprehensive morphological survey revealed remarkable differences in eye size and head shape among these species with D. novamexicana having the smallest eyes and southern D. americana populations having the largest eyes. We show that the genetic architecture underlying eye size variation is complex with multiple associated genetic variants located on most chromosomes. Our genome wide association study (GWAS) strongly suggests that some of the putative causative variants are associated with the presence of inversions. Indeed, northern populations of D. americana share derived inversions with D. novamexicana and they show smaller eyes compared to southern ones. Intriguingly, we observed a significant enrichment of genes involved in eye development on the 4th chromosome after intersecting chromosomal regions associated with phenotypic differences with those showing high differentiation among D. americana populations. We propose that variants associated with chromosomal inversions contribute to both intra- and interspecific variation in eye size among species of the virilis phylad.
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Affiliation(s)
- Micael Reis
- Department of Developmental Biology, Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences (GZMB), University of Goettingen, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 11, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Gordon Wiegleb
- Department of Developmental Biology, Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences (GZMB), University of Goettingen, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 11, 37077, Göttingen, Germany.,International Max Planck Research School for Genome Science, Am Fassberg 11, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Julien Claude
- Institut Des Sciences de l'Evolution de Montpellier, CNRS/UM2/IRD, 2 Place Eugène Bataillon, cc64, 34095, Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - Rodrigo Lata
- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.,Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular (IBMC), Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Britta Horchler
- Department of Developmental Biology, Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences (GZMB), University of Goettingen, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 11, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Ngoc-Thuy Ha
- Animal Breeding and Genetics Group, Department of Animal Sciences, University of Goettingen, Albrecht-Thaer-Weg 3, 37075, Göttingen, Germany.,Center for Integrated Breeding Research, University of Goettingen, Albrecht-Thaer-Weg 3, 37075, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Christian Reimer
- Animal Breeding and Genetics Group, Department of Animal Sciences, University of Goettingen, Albrecht-Thaer-Weg 3, 37075, Göttingen, Germany.,Center for Integrated Breeding Research, University of Goettingen, Albrecht-Thaer-Weg 3, 37075, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Cristina P Vieira
- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.,Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular (IBMC), Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Jorge Vieira
- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.,Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular (IBMC), Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Nico Posnien
- Department of Developmental Biology, Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences (GZMB), University of Goettingen, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 11, 37077, Göttingen, Germany.
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9
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Casares F, McGregor AP. The evolution and development of eye size in flies. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS-DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY 2020; 10:e380. [PMID: 32400100 DOI: 10.1002/wdev.380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2019] [Revised: 03/08/2020] [Accepted: 03/12/2020] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
The compound eyes of flies exhibit striking variation in size, which has contributed to the adaptation of these animals to different habitats and their evolution of specialist behaviors. These differences in size are caused by differences in the number and/or size of ommatidia, which are specified during the development of the retinal field in the eye imaginal disc. While the genes and developmental mechanisms that regulate the formation of compound eyes are understood in great detail in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, we know very little about the genetic changes and mechanistic alterations that lead to natural variation in ommatidia number and/or size, and thus overall eye size, within and between fly species. Understanding the genetic and developmental bases for this natural variation in eye size not only has great potential to help us understand adaptations in fly vision but also determine how eye size and organ size more generally are regulated. Here we explore the genetic and developmental mechanisms that could underlie natural differences in compound eye size within and among fly species based on our knowledge of eye development in D. melanogaster and the few cases where the causative genes and mechanisms have already been identified. We suggest that the fly eye provides an evolutionary and developmental framework to better understand the regulation and diversification of this crucial sensory organ globally at a systems level as well as the gene regulatory networks and mechanisms acting at the tissue, cellular and molecular levels. This article is categorized under: Establishment of Spatial and Temporal Patterns > Regulation of Size, Proportion, and Timing Invertebrate Organogenesis > Flies Comparative Development and Evolution > Regulation of Organ Diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Alistair P McGregor
- Department of Biological and Medical Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK
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10
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Abstract
In this issue of Developmental Cell, Ramaekers et al. (2019) show that changes in eyeless/Pax6 expression cause differences in compound eye size within and between Drosophila species. These findings reveal how changes in the underlying gene regulatory network facilitate eye size evolution and provide insights into organ size regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabel Almudi
- Centro Andaluz de Biología del Desarrollo, CSIC/Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Carretera de Utrera Km1, 41013 Seville, Spain
| | - Alistair P McGregor
- Department of Biological and Medical Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford OX3 0BP, UK.
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11
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Characterization of the Genetic Architecture Underlying Eye Size Variation Within Drosophila melanogaster and Drosophila simulans. G3-GENES GENOMES GENETICS 2020; 10:1005-1018. [PMID: 31919111 DOI: 10.1534/g3.119.400877] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The compound eyes of insects exhibit striking variation in size, reflecting adaptation to different lifestyles and habitats. However, the genetic and developmental bases of variation in insect eye size is poorly understood, which limits our understanding of how these important morphological differences evolve. To address this, we further explored natural variation in eye size within and between four species of the Drosophila melanogaster species subgroup. We found extensive variation in eye size among these species, and flies with larger eyes generally had a shorter inter-ocular distance and vice versa We then carried out quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping of intra-specific variation in eye size and inter-ocular distance in both D. melanogaster and D. simulans This revealed that different genomic regions underlie variation in eye size and inter-ocular distance in both species, which we corroborated by introgression mapping in D. simulans This suggests that although there is a trade-off between eye size and inter-ocular distance, variation in these two traits is likely to be caused by different genes and so can be genetically decoupled. Finally, although we detected QTL for intra-specific variation in eye size at similar positions in D. melanogaster and D. simulans, we observed differences in eye fate commitment between strains of these two species. This indicates that different developmental mechanisms and therefore, most likely, different genes contribute to eye size variation in these species. Taken together with the results of previous studies, our findings suggest that the gene regulatory network that specifies eye size has evolved at multiple genetic nodes to give rise to natural variation in this trait within and among species.
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12
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Matute DR, Comeault AA, Earley E, Serrato-Capuchina A, Peede D, Monroy-Eklund A, Huang W, Jones CD, Mackay TFC, Coyne JA. Rapid and Predictable Evolution of Admixed Populations Between Two Drosophila Species Pairs. Genetics 2020; 214:211-230. [PMID: 31767631 PMCID: PMC6944414 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.119.302685] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2019] [Accepted: 11/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The consequences of hybridization are varied, ranging from the origin of new lineages, introgression of some genes between species, to the extinction of one of the hybridizing species. We generated replicate admixed populations between two pairs of sister species of Drosophila: D. simulans and D. mauritiana; and D. yakuba and D. santomea Each pair consisted of a continental species and an island endemic. The admixed populations were maintained by random mating in discrete generations for over 20 generations. We assessed morphological, behavioral, and fitness-related traits from each replicate population periodically, and sequenced genomic DNA from the populations at generation 20. For both pairs of species, species-specific traits and their genomes regressed to those of the continental species. A few alleles from the island species persisted, but they tended to be proportionally rare among all sites in the genome and were rarely fixed within the populations. This paucity of alleles from the island species was particularly pronounced on the X-chromosome. These results indicate that nearly all foreign genes were quickly eliminated after hybridization and that selection against the minor species genome might be similar across experimental replicates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel R Matute
- Biology Department, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Aaron A Comeault
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Wales, UK LL57 2EN
| | - Eric Earley
- Biology Department, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | | | - David Peede
- Biology Department, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Anaïs Monroy-Eklund
- Biology Department, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Wen Huang
- Program in Genetics and Department of Biological Science, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695
| | - Corbin D Jones
- Biology Department, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Trudy F C Mackay
- Program in Genetics and Department of Biological Science, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695
| | - Jerry A Coyne
- Ecology and Evolution, University of Chicago, Illinois 60637
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13
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Ramaekers A, Claeys A, Kapun M, Mouchel-Vielh E, Potier D, Weinberger S, Grillenzoni N, Dardalhon-Cuménal D, Yan J, Wolf R, Flatt T, Buchner E, Hassan BA. Altering the Temporal Regulation of One Transcription Factor Drives Evolutionary Trade-Offs between Head Sensory Organs. Dev Cell 2019; 50:780-792.e7. [PMID: 31447264 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2019.07.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2018] [Revised: 04/24/2019] [Accepted: 07/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Size trade-offs of visual versus olfactory organs is a pervasive feature of animal evolution. This could result from genetic or functional constraints. We demonstrate that head sensory organ size trade-offs in Drosophila are genetically encoded and arise through differential subdivision of the head primordium into visual versus non-visual fields. We discover that changes in the temporal regulation of the highly conserved eyeless/Pax6 gene expression during development is a conserved mechanism for sensory trade-offs within and between Drosophila species. We identify a natural single nucleotide polymorphism in the cis-regulatory region of eyeless in a binding site of its repressor Cut that is sufficient to alter its temporal regulation and eye size. Because eyeless/Pax6 is a conserved regulator of head sensory placode subdivision, we propose that its temporal regulation is key to define the relative size of head sensory organs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ariane Ramaekers
- Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle Epinière (ICM) - Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Sorbonne Université, Inserm, CNRS, Paris, France.
| | - Annelies Claeys
- VIB Center for Brain and Disease, VIB, Leuven, Belgium; Center for Human Genetics, University of Leuven School of Medicine, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Martin Kapun
- Department of Biology, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Emmanuèle Mouchel-Vielh
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Laboratoire de Biologie du Développement, Institut de Biologie Paris Seine, LBD-IBPS), Paris, France
| | - Delphine Potier
- Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, INSERM, CIML, Marseille, France
| | - Simon Weinberger
- VIB Center for Brain and Disease, VIB, Leuven, Belgium; Center for Human Genetics, University of Leuven School of Medicine, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Nicola Grillenzoni
- Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle Epinière (ICM) - Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Sorbonne Université, Inserm, CNRS, Paris, France
| | - Delphine Dardalhon-Cuménal
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Laboratoire de Biologie du Développement, Institut de Biologie Paris Seine, LBD-IBPS), Paris, France
| | - Jiekun Yan
- VIB Center for Brain and Disease, VIB, Leuven, Belgium; Center for Human Genetics, University of Leuven School of Medicine, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Reinhard Wolf
- Rudolf Virchow Center for Experimental Biomedicine, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Thomas Flatt
- Department of Biology, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Erich Buchner
- Institute for Clinical Neurobiology, University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Bassem A Hassan
- Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle Epinière (ICM) - Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Sorbonne Université, Inserm, CNRS, Paris, France.
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14
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Al Sayad S, Yassin A. Quantifying the extent of morphological homoplasy: A phylogenetic analysis of 490 characters in Drosophila. Evol Lett 2019; 3:286-298. [PMID: 31171984 PMCID: PMC6546384 DOI: 10.1002/evl3.115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2018] [Revised: 03/28/2019] [Accepted: 04/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Homoplasy is a fundamental phenomenon in evolutionary biology but an appraisal of its extent at the morphological level is still lacking. Here, we analyzed the evolution of 490 morphological characters conceptualized among 56 drosophilid species. We found that two thirds of morphological changes were homoplastic and that the level of homoplasy depended on the stage of development and the type of the organ, with the adult terminalia being the least homoplastic. In spite of its predominance at the character change level, homoplasy accounts for only ∼13% of between species similarities in pairwise comparisons. These results provide empirical insights on the limits of morphological changes and the frequency of recurrent evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sinan Al Sayad
- Institut Systématique Evolution Biodiversité (ISYEB)Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, MNHN, Sorbonne Université, EPHE57 rue Cuvier, CP 50,75005ParisFrance
| | - Amir Yassin
- Institut Systématique Evolution Biodiversité (ISYEB)Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, MNHN, Sorbonne Université, EPHE57 rue Cuvier, CP 50,75005ParisFrance
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15
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Keesey IW, Grabe V, Gruber L, Koerte S, Obiero GF, Bolton G, Khallaf MA, Kunert G, Lavista-Llanos S, Valenzano DR, Rybak J, Barrett BA, Knaden M, Hansson BS. Inverse resource allocation between vision and olfaction across the genus Drosophila. Nat Commun 2019; 10:1162. [PMID: 30858374 PMCID: PMC6411718 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-09087-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2018] [Accepted: 02/14/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Divergent populations across different environments are exposed to critical sensory information related to locating a host or mate, as well as avoiding predators and pathogens. These sensory signals generate evolutionary changes in neuroanatomy and behavior; however, few studies have investigated patterns of neural architecture that occur between sensory systems, or that occur within large groups of closely-related organisms. Here we examine 62 species within the genus Drosophila and describe an inverse resource allocation between vision and olfaction, which we consistently observe at the periphery, within the brain, as well as during larval development. This sensory variation was noted across the entire genus and appears to represent repeated, independent evolutionary events, where one sensory modality is consistently selected for at the expense of the other. Moreover, we provide evidence of a developmental genetic constraint through the sharing of a single larval structure, the eye-antennal imaginal disc. In addition, we examine the ecological implications of visual or olfactory bias, including the potential impact on host-navigation and courtship.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian W Keesey
- Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Department of Evolutionary Neuroethology, Hans-Knöll-Straße 8, D-07745, Jena, Germany
| | - Veit Grabe
- Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Department of Evolutionary Neuroethology, Hans-Knöll-Straße 8, D-07745, Jena, Germany
| | - Lydia Gruber
- Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Department of Evolutionary Neuroethology, Hans-Knöll-Straße 8, D-07745, Jena, Germany
| | - Sarah Koerte
- Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Department of Evolutionary Neuroethology, Hans-Knöll-Straße 8, D-07745, Jena, Germany
| | - George F Obiero
- Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Department of Evolutionary Neuroethology, Hans-Knöll-Straße 8, D-07745, Jena, Germany
- Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Technical University of Kenya, Haille-Sellasie Avenue, Workshop Road, 0200, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Grant Bolton
- University of Missouri, Division of Plant Sciences, 3-22I Agriculture Building, Columbia, Missouri, 65211, USA
| | - Mohammed A Khallaf
- Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Department of Evolutionary Neuroethology, Hans-Knöll-Straße 8, D-07745, Jena, Germany
| | - Grit Kunert
- Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Department of Biochemistry, Hans-Knöll-Straße 8, D-07745, Jena, Germany
| | - Sofia Lavista-Llanos
- Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Department of Evolutionary Neuroethology, Hans-Knöll-Straße 8, D-07745, Jena, Germany
| | - Dario Riccardo Valenzano
- Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing and CECAD at University of Cologne, Joseph-Stelzmann-Str 9b and 26, Cologne, 50931, Germany
| | - Jürgen Rybak
- Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Department of Evolutionary Neuroethology, Hans-Knöll-Straße 8, D-07745, Jena, Germany
| | - Bruce A Barrett
- University of Missouri, Division of Plant Sciences, 3-22I Agriculture Building, Columbia, Missouri, 65211, USA
| | - Markus Knaden
- Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Department of Evolutionary Neuroethology, Hans-Knöll-Straße 8, D-07745, Jena, Germany.
| | - Bill S Hansson
- Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Department of Evolutionary Neuroethology, Hans-Knöll-Straße 8, D-07745, Jena, Germany.
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16
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Abstract
Quantitative genetic variation in morphology is pervasive in all species and is the basis for the evolution of differences among species. The measurement of morphological form in adults is now beginning to be combined with comparable measurements of form during development. Here we compare the shape of the developing wing to its adult form in a holometabolous insect, Drosophila melanogaster. We used protein expression patterns to measure shape in the developing precursors of the final adult wing. Three developmental stages were studied: late larval third instar, post-pupariation and in the adult fly. We studied wild-type animals in addition to mutants of two genes (shf and ds) that have known effects on adult wing shape and size. Despite experimental noise related to the difficulty of comparing developing structures, we found consistent differences in wing shape and size at each developmental stage between genotypes. Quantitative comparisons of variation arising at different developmental stages with the variation in the final structure enable us to determine when variation arises, and to generate hypotheses about the causes of that variation. In addition we provide linear rules allowing us to link wing morphology in the larva, with wing morphology in the pupa. Our approach provides a framework to analyze quantitative morphological variation in the developing fly wing. This framework should help to characterize the natural variation of the larval and pupal wing shape, and to measure the contribution of the processes occurring during these developmental stages to the natural variation in adult wing morphology.
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17
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Genetic and Transgenic Reagents for Drosophila simulans, D. mauritiana, D. yakuba, D. santomea, and D. virilis. G3-GENES GENOMES GENETICS 2017; 7:1339-1347. [PMID: 28280212 PMCID: PMC5386881 DOI: 10.1534/g3.116.038885] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Species of the Drosophila melanogaster species subgroup, including the species D. simulans, D. mauritiana, D. yakuba, and D. santomea, have long served as model systems for studying evolution. However, studies in these species have been limited by a paucity of genetic and transgenic reagents. Here, we describe a collection of transgenic and genetic strains generated to facilitate genetic studies within and between these species. We have generated many strains of each species containing mapped piggyBac transposons including an enhanced yellow fluorescent protein (EYFP) gene expressed in the eyes and a ϕC31 attP site-specific integration site. We have tested a subset of these lines for integration efficiency and reporter gene expression levels. We have also generated a smaller collection of other lines expressing other genetically encoded fluorescent molecules in the eyes and a number of other transgenic reagents that will be useful for functional studies in these species. In addition, we have mapped the insertion locations of 58 transposable elements in D. virilis that will be useful for genetic mapping studies.
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18
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Norry FM, Gomez FH. Quantitative Trait Loci and Antagonistic Associations for Two Developmentally Related Traits in the Drosophila Head. JOURNAL OF INSECT SCIENCE (ONLINE) 2017; 17:iew115. [PMID: 28130460 PMCID: PMC5270402 DOI: 10.1093/jisesa/iew115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
In insects, some developmentally related traits are negatively correlated. Here, we mapped Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL) for traits of eye size and head capsule, in an intercontinental set of recombinant inbred lines (RILs) of Drosophila melanogaster Composite interval mapping identified QTL on all major chromosomes. Two negatively correlated traits (size of eyes and between-eyes distance) were influenced by one QTL that appeared to be antagonistic between the traits (QTL cytological range is 25F5-30A6), consistent with a negative genetic correlation between these traits of the head capsule. Comparisons of QTL across traits indicated a nonrandom distribution over the genome, with a considerable overlap between some QTL across traits. Developmentally-related traits were influenced by QTL in a pattern that is consistent both with 1) the sign of the genetic correlation between the traits and 2) a constraint in the micro-evolutionary differentiation in the traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabian M Norry
- Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, IEGEBA (CONICET-UBA), Buenos Aires, C-1428-EGA, Argentina
| | - Federico H Gomez
- Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, IEGEBA (CONICET-UBA), Buenos Aires, C-1428-EGA, Argentina
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19
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Werren JH, Cohen LB, Gadau J, Ponce R, Baudry E, Lynch JA. Dissection of the complex genetic basis of craniofacial anomalies using haploid genetics and interspecies hybrids in Nasonia wasps. Dev Biol 2016; 415:391-405. [PMID: 26721604 PMCID: PMC4914427 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2015.12.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2015] [Revised: 11/13/2015] [Accepted: 12/21/2015] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The animal head is a complex structure where numerous sensory, structural and alimentary structures are concentrated and integrated, and its ontogeny requires precise and delicate interactions among genes, cells, and tissues. Thus, it is perhaps unsurprising that craniofacial abnormalities are among the most common birth defects in people, or that these defects have a complex genetic basis involving interactions among multiple loci. Developmental processes that depend on such epistatic interactions become exponentially more difficult to study in diploid organisms as the number of genes involved increases. Here, we present hybrid haploid males of the wasp species pair Nasonia vitripennis and Nasonia giraulti, which have distinct male head morphologies, as a genetic model of craniofacial development that possesses the genetic advantages of haploidy, along with many powerful genomic tools. Viable, fertile hybrids can be made between the species, and quantitative trail loci related to shape differences have been identified. In addition, a subset of hybrid males show head abnormalities, including clefting at the midline and asymmetries. Crucially, epistatic interactions among multiple loci underlie several developmental differences and defects observed in the F2 hybrid males. Furthermore, we demonstrate an introgression of a chromosomal region from N. giraulti into N. vitripennis that shows an abnormality in relative eye size, which maps to a region containing a major QTL for this trait. Therefore, the genetic sources of head morphology can, in principle, be identified by positional cloning. Thus, Nasonia is well positioned to be a uniquely powerful model invertebrate system with which to probe both development and complex genetics of craniofacial patterning and defects.
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Affiliation(s)
- John H Werren
- Department of Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, United States.
| | - Lorna B Cohen
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
| | - Juergen Gadau
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85285, United States
| | - Rita Ponce
- Department of Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, United States
| | - Emmanuelle Baudry
- Department of Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, United States; Ecologie Systématique Evolution, Univ. Paris-Sud, CNRS, AgroParisTech, Université Paris-Saclay, 91400 Orsay, France
| | - Jeremy A Lynch
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, United States.
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20
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Matamoro-Vidal A, Salazar-Ciudad I, Houle D. Making quantitative morphological variation from basic developmental processes: Where are we? The case of the Drosophila wing. Dev Dyn 2015; 244:1058-1073. [PMID: 25619644 DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.24255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2014] [Revised: 12/19/2014] [Accepted: 12/22/2014] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
One of the aims of evolutionary developmental biology is to discover the developmental origins of morphological variation. The discipline has mainly focused on qualitative morphological differences (e.g., presence or absence of a structure) between species. Studies addressing subtle, quantitative variation are less common. The Drosophila wing is a model for the study of development and evolution, making it suitable to investigate the developmental mechanisms underlying the subtle quantitative morphological variation observed in nature. Previous reviews have focused on the processes involved in wing differentiation, patterning and growth. Here, we investigate what is known about how the wing achieves its final shape, and what variation in development is capable of generating the variation in wing shape observed in nature. Three major developmental stages need to be considered: larval development, pupariation, and pupal development. The major cellular processes involved in the determination of tissue size and shape are cell proliferation, cell death, oriented cell division and oriented cell intercalation. We review how variation in temporal and spatial distribution of growth and transcription factors affects these cellular mechanisms, which in turn affects wing shape. We then discuss which aspects of the wing morphological variation are predictable on the basis of these mechanisms. Developmental Dynamics 244:1058-1073, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexis Matamoro-Vidal
- Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida.,Genomics, Bioinformatics and Evolution Group, Department de Genètica i Microbiologia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain
| | - Isaac Salazar-Ciudad
- Genomics, Bioinformatics and Evolution Group, Department de Genètica i Microbiologia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain.,Center of Excellence in Experimental and Computational Developmental Biology, Developmental Biology Program, Institute of Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - David Houle
- Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida
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21
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Genetic architecture and functional characterization of genes underlying the rapid diversification of male external genitalia between Drosophila simulans and Drosophila mauritiana. Genetics 2015; 200:357-69. [PMID: 25783699 PMCID: PMC4423377 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.114.174045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2014] [Accepted: 03/09/2015] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Male sexual characters are often among the first traits to diverge between closely related species and identifying the genetic basis of such changes can contribute to our understanding of their evolutionary history. However, little is known about the genetic architecture or the specific genes underlying the evolution of male genitalia. The morphology of the claspers, posterior lobes, and anal plates exhibit striking differences between Drosophila mauritiana and D. simulans. Using QTL and introgression-based high-resolution mapping, we identified several small regions on chromosome arms 3L and 3R that contribute to differences in these traits. However, we found that the loci underlying the evolution of clasper differences between these two species are independent from those that contribute to posterior lobe and anal plate divergence. Furthermore, while most of the loci affect each trait in the same direction and act additively, we also found evidence for epistasis between loci for clasper bristle number. In addition, we conducted an RNAi screen in D. melanogaster to investigate if positional and expression candidate genes located on chromosome 3L, are also involved in genital development. We found that six of these genes, including components of Wnt signaling and male-specific lethal 3 (msl3), regulate the development of genital traits consistent with the effects of the introgressed regions where they are located and that thus represent promising candidate genes for the evolution these traits.
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22
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Mazzarella AB, Voje KL, Hansson TH, Taugbøl A, Fischer B. Strong and parallel salinity-induced phenotypic plasticity in one generation of threespine stickleback. J Evol Biol 2015; 28:667-77. [DOI: 10.1111/jeb.12597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2014] [Revised: 01/23/2015] [Accepted: 01/26/2015] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- A. B. Mazzarella
- Department of Biosciences; Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis; University of Oslo; Oslo Norway
| | - K. L. Voje
- Department of Biosciences; Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis; University of Oslo; Oslo Norway
| | - T. H. Hansson
- Department of Biosciences; Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis; University of Oslo; Oslo Norway
| | - A. Taugbøl
- Department of Biosciences; Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis; University of Oslo; Oslo Norway
| | - B. Fischer
- Department of Biosciences; Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis; University of Oslo; Oslo Norway
- Department of Theoretical Biology; University of Vienna; Vienna Austria
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23
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Hilbrant M, Almudi I, Leite DJ, Kuncheria L, Posnien N, Nunes MDS, McGregor AP. Sexual dimorphism and natural variation within and among species in the Drosophila retinal mosaic. BMC Evol Biol 2014; 14:240. [PMID: 25424626 PMCID: PMC4268811 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-014-0240-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2014] [Accepted: 11/10/2014] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Insect compound eyes are composed of ommatidia, which contain photoreceptor cells that are sensitive to different wavelengths of light defined by the specific rhodopsin proteins that they express. The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster has several different ommatidium types that can be localised to specific retinal regions, such as the dorsal rim area (DRA), or distributed stochastically in a mosaic across the retina, like the ‘pale’ and ‘yellow’ types. Variation in these ommatidia patterns very likely has important implications for the vision of insects and could underlie behavioural and environmental adaptations. However, despite the detailed understanding of ommatidia specification in D. melanogaster, the extent to which the frequency and distribution of the different ommatidium types vary between sexes, strains and species of Drosophila is not known. Results We investigated the frequency and distribution of ommatidium types based on rhodopsin protein expression, and the expression levels of rhodopsin transcripts in the eyes of both sexes of different strains of D. melanogaster, D. simulans and D. mauritiana. We found that while the number of DRA ommatidia was invariant, Rh3 expressing ommatidia were more frequent in the larger eyes of females compared to the males of all species analysed. The frequency and distribution of ommatidium types also differed between strains and species. The D. simulans strain ZOM4 has the highest frequency of Rh3 expressing ommatidia, which is associated with a non-stochastic patch of pale and odd-coupled ommatidia in the dorsal-posterior of their eyes. Conclusions Our results show that there is striking variation in the frequency and distribution of ommatidium types between sexes, strains and species of Drosophila. This suggests that evolutionary changes in the underlying regulatory mechanisms can alter the distribution of ommatidium types to promote or restrict their expression in specific regions of the eye within and between species, and that this could cause differences in vision among these flies. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12862-014-0240-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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