1
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Pyenson BC, Rehan SM. Gene regulation supporting sociality shared across lineages and variation in complexity. Genome 2024; 67:99-108. [PMID: 38096504 DOI: 10.1139/gen-2023-0054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2024]
Abstract
Across evolutionary lineages, insects vary in social complexity, from those that exhibit extended parental care to those with elaborate divisions of labor. Here, we synthesize the sociogenomic resources from hundreds of species to describe common gene regulatory mechanisms in insects that regulate social organization across phylogeny and levels of social complexity. Different social phenotypes expressed by insects can be linked to the organization of co-expressing gene networks and features of the epigenetic landscape. Insect sociality also stems from processes like the emergence of parental care and the decoupling of ancestral genetic programs. One underexplored avenue is how variation in a group's social environment affects the gene expression of individuals. Additionally, an experimental reduction of gene expression would demonstrate how the activity of specific genes contributes to insect social phenotypes. While tissue specificity provides greater localization of the gene expression underlying social complexity, emerging transcriptomic analysis of insect brains at the cellular level provides even greater resolution to understand the molecular basis of social insect evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sandra M Rehan
- Department of Biology, York University, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada
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2
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Han Z, Gong Q, Huang S, Meng X, Xu Y, Li L, Shi Y, Lin J, Chen X, Li C, Ma H, Liu J, Zhang X, Chen D, Si J. Machine learning uncovers accumulation mechanism of flavonoid compounds in Polygonatum cyrtonema Hua. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY : PPB 2023; 201:107839. [PMID: 37352696 DOI: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2023.107839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2023] [Revised: 06/05/2023] [Accepted: 06/13/2023] [Indexed: 06/25/2023]
Abstract
The compositions and yield of flavonoid compounds of Polygonatum cyrtonema Hua (PC) are important indices of the quality of medicinal materials. However, the flavonoids compositions and accumulation mechanism are still unclear in PC. Here, we identified 22 flavonoids using widely-targeted metabolome analysis in 15 genotypes of PC. Then weighted gene co-expression network analysis based on 45 transcriptome samples was performed to construct 12 co-expressed modules, in which blue module highly correlated with flavonoids was identified. Furthermore, 4 feature genes including PcCHS1, PcCHI, PcCHS2 and PcCHR5 were identified from 94 hub genes in blue module via machine learning methods support vector machine-recursive feature elimination (SVM-RFE) and random forest (RF), and their functions on metabolic flux of flavonoids pathway were confirmed by tobacco transient expression system. Our findings identified representative flavonoids and key enzymes in PC that provided new insight for elite breeding rich in flavonoids, and thus will be beneficial for rapid development of great potential economic and medicinal value of PC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhigang Han
- State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Silviculture, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou, 311300, China; School of Forestry and Biotechnology, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou, 311300, China.
| | - Qiqi Gong
- State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Silviculture, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou, 311300, China; School of Forestry and Biotechnology, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou, 311300, China.
| | - Suya Huang
- Collaborative Innovation Center for Efficient and Green Production of Agriculture in Mountainous Areas of Zhejiang Province, College of Horticulture Science, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou, 311300, China.
| | - Xinyue Meng
- Collaborative Innovation Center for Efficient and Green Production of Agriculture in Mountainous Areas of Zhejiang Province, College of Horticulture Science, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou, 311300, China.
| | - Yi Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Silviculture, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou, 311300, China; School of Forestry and Biotechnology, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou, 311300, China.
| | - Lige Li
- State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Silviculture, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou, 311300, China; School of Forestry and Biotechnology, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou, 311300, China.
| | - Yan Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Silviculture, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou, 311300, China; School of Forestry and Biotechnology, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou, 311300, China.
| | - Junhao Lin
- State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Silviculture, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou, 311300, China; School of Forestry and Biotechnology, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou, 311300, China.
| | - Xueliang Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Silviculture, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou, 311300, China; School of Forestry and Biotechnology, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou, 311300, China.
| | - Cong Li
- State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Silviculture, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou, 311300, China; School of Forestry and Biotechnology, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou, 311300, China.
| | - Haijie Ma
- Collaborative Innovation Center for Efficient and Green Production of Agriculture in Mountainous Areas of Zhejiang Province, College of Horticulture Science, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou, 311300, China.
| | - Jingjing Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Silviculture, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou, 311300, China; School of Forestry and Biotechnology, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou, 311300, China.
| | - Xinfeng Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Silviculture, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou, 311300, China; School of Forestry and Biotechnology, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou, 311300, China.
| | - Donghong Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Silviculture, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou, 311300, China; School of Forestry and Biotechnology, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou, 311300, China.
| | - Jinping Si
- State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Silviculture, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou, 311300, China; School of Forestry and Biotechnology, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou, 311300, China.
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3
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İlhan A, Golestani S, Shafagh SG, Asadi F, Daneshdoust D, Al-Naqeeb BZT, Nemati MM, Khalatbari F, Yaseri AF. The dual role of microRNA (miR)-20b in cancers: Friend or foe? Cell Commun Signal 2023; 21:26. [PMID: 36717861 PMCID: PMC9885628 DOI: 10.1186/s12964-022-01019-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2022] [Accepted: 12/14/2022] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
MicroRNAs, as non-coding transcripts, modulate gene expression through RNA silencing under normal physiological conditions. Their aberrant expression has strongly associated with tumorigenesis and cancer development. MiR-20b is one of the crucial miRNAs that regulate essential biological processes such as cell proliferation, apoptosis, autophagy, and migration. Deregulated levels of miR-20b contribute to the early- and advanced stages of cancer. On the other hand, investigations emphasize the tumor suppressor ability of miR-20b. High-throughput strategies are developed to identify miR-20b potential targets, providing the proper insight into its molecular mechanism of action. Moreover, accumulated results suggest that miR-20b exerts its effects through diverse signaling pathways, including PI3K/AKT/mTOR and ERK axes. Restoration of the altered expression levels of miR-20b induces cell apoptosis and reduces invasion and migration. Further, miR-20b can be used as a biomarker in cancer. The current comprehensive review could lead to a better understanding of the miR-20b in either tumorigenesis or tumor regression that may open new avenues for cancer treatment. Video Abstract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmet İlhan
- grid.98622.370000 0001 2271 3229Department of Medical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Cukurova University, Adana, Turkey
| | - Shayan Golestani
- grid.411757.10000 0004 1755 5416Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Dental School, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan (Khorasgan) Branch, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Seyyed Ghavam Shafagh
- grid.411746.10000 0004 4911 7066Faculty of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Fatemeh Asadi
- grid.488474.30000 0004 0494 1414Department of Genetics, Marvdasht Branch, Islamic Azad University, Marvdasht, Iran
| | - Danyal Daneshdoust
- grid.411495.c0000 0004 0421 4102School of Medicine, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran
| | | | - Mohammed Mahdi Nemati
- grid.412763.50000 0004 0442 8645Faculty of Medicine, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran
| | - Fateme Khalatbari
- grid.411768.d0000 0004 1756 1744Department of Pathology, Mashhad Medical Sciences Branch, Islamic Azad University, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Amirhossein Fakhre Yaseri
- grid.412606.70000 0004 0405 433XDepartment of Genetic, Faculty of Medicine, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran
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4
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Favreau E, Geist KS, Wyatt CDR, Toth AL, Sumner S, Rehan SM. Co-expression Gene Networks and Machine-learning Algorithms Unveil a Core Genetic Toolkit for Reproductive Division of Labour in Rudimentary Insect Societies. Genome Biol Evol 2022; 15:6926469. [PMID: 36527688 PMCID: PMC9830183 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evac174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2022] [Revised: 12/06/2022] [Accepted: 12/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The evolution of eusociality requires that individuals forgo some or all their own reproduction to assist the reproduction of others in their group, such as a primary egg-laying queen. A major open question is how genes and genetic pathways sculpt the evolution of eusociality, especially in rudimentary forms of sociality-those with smaller cooperative nests when compared with species such as honeybees that possess large societies. We lack comprehensive comparative studies examining shared patterns and processes across multiple social lineages. Here we examine the mechanisms of molecular convergence across two lineages of bees and wasps exhibiting such rudimentary societies. These societies consist of few individuals and their life histories range from facultative to obligately social. Using six species across four independent origins of sociality, we conduct a comparative meta-analysis of publicly available transcriptomes. Standard methods detected little similarity in patterns of differential gene expression in brain transcriptomes among reproductive and non-reproductive individuals across species. By contrast, both supervised machine learning and consensus co-expression network approaches uncovered sets of genes with conserved expression patterns among reproductive and non-reproductive phenotypes across species. These sets overlap substantially, and may comprise a shared genetic "toolkit" for sociality across the distantly related taxa of bees and wasps and independently evolved lineages of sociality. We also found many lineage-specific genes and co-expression modules associated with social phenotypes and possible signatures of shared life-history traits. These results reveal how taxon-specific molecular mechanisms complement a core toolkit of molecular processes in sculpting traits related to the evolution of eusociality.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Christopher D R Wyatt
- Department of Genetics, Environment, Evolution, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
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5
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Li Q, Wang M, Zhang P, Liu Y, Guo Q, Zhu Y, Wen T, Dai X, Zhang X, Nagel M, Dethlefsen BH, Xie N, Zhao J, Jiang W, Han L, Wu L, Zhong W, Wang Z, Wei X, Dai W, Liu L, Xu X, Lu H, Yang H, Wang J, Boomsma JJ, Liu C, Zhang G, Liu W. A single-cell transcriptomic atlas tracking the neural basis of division of labour in an ant superorganism. Nat Ecol Evol 2022; 6:1191-1204. [PMID: 35711063 PMCID: PMC9349048 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-022-01784-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2021] [Accepted: 05/03/2022] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Ant colonies with permanent division of labour between castes and highly distinct roles of the sexes have been conceptualized to be superorganisms, but the cellular and molecular mechanisms that mediate caste/sex-specific behavioural specialization have remained obscure. Here we characterized the brain cell repertoire of queens, gynes (virgin queens), workers and males of Monomorium pharaonis by obtaining 206,367 single-nucleus transcriptomes. In contrast to Drosophila, the mushroom body Kenyon cells are abundant in ants and display a high diversity with most subtypes being enriched in worker brains, the evolutionarily derived caste. Male brains are as specialized as worker brains but with opposite trends in cell composition with higher abundances of all optic lobe neuronal subtypes, while the composition of gyne and queen brains remained generalized, reminiscent of solitary ancestors. Role differentiation from virgin gynes to inseminated queens induces abundance changes in roughly 35% of cell types, indicating active neurogenesis and/or programmed cell death during this transition. We also identified insemination-induced cell changes probably associated with the longevity and fecundity of the reproductive caste, including increases of ensheathing glia and a population of dopamine-regulated Dh31-expressing neurons. We conclude that permanent caste differentiation and extreme sex-differentiation induced major changes in the neural circuitry of ants. Using single-cell transcriptomics, the authors generate a brain cell atlas for the pharaoh ant including individuals of different sexes and castes and show changes in cell composition underlying division of labour and reproductive specialization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiye Li
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China.,College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | | | | | | | - Qunfei Guo
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China.,College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | | | | | - Xueqin Dai
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China.,Kunming College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
| | - Xiafang Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China.,Kunming College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
| | - Manuel Nagel
- Section for Ecology and Evolution, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Bjarke Hamberg Dethlefsen
- Section for Ecology and Evolution, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Nianxia Xie
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China.,College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jie Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
| | | | - Lei Han
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China
| | - Liang Wu
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China.,College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Wenjiang Zhong
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China.,Kunming College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
| | | | | | - Wei Dai
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China
| | - Longqi Liu
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China.,College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, China
| | - Xun Xu
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China.,College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Genome Read and Write, Shenzhen, China
| | - Haorong Lu
- China National GeneBank, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China
| | - Huanming Yang
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China.,James D. Watson Institute of Genome Science, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jian Wang
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China.,James D. Watson Institute of Genome Science, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jacobus J Boomsma
- Section for Ecology and Evolution, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | - Guojie Zhang
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China. .,State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China. .,Section for Ecology and Evolution, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. .,Center for Excellence in Animal Evolution and Genetics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China. .,Evolutionary and Organismal Biology Research Center, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
| | - Weiwei Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China.
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6
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Rivarola Sena AC, Andres-Robin A, Vialette AC, Just J, Launay-Avon A, Borrega N, Dubreucq B, Scutt CP. Custom methods to identify conserved genetic modules applied to novel transcriptomic data from Amborella trichopoda. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2022; 73:2487-2498. [PMID: 35134938 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erac044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2021] [Accepted: 02/01/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
We have devised a procedure for the inter-species comparison of transcriptomic data and used this procedure to reconstruct the expression dynamics of major genetic modules that were present at least 149 million years ago in the most recent common ancestor of living angiosperms. We began by using laser-assisted microdissection to generate novel transcriptomic data from female flower tissues of Amborella trichopoda, the likely sister to all other living angiosperms. We then employed a gene-expression clustering method, followed by a custom procedure to compare genetic modules on the basis of gene orthology between Amborella and the molecular-genetic model angiosperm Arabidopsis thaliana. Using this protocol, we succeeded in identifying nine major genetic modules that appear to have conserved their expression dynamics from an early stage in angiosperm evolution. The genes of these modules, representing over 5000 orthogroups, include around one third of those known to control female reproductive development in Arabidopsis. Our study constitutes a proof of concept for the comparison of transcriptomic data between widely diverged plant species and represents a first step in the large-scale analysis of gene expression dynamics in a macro-evolutionary context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana C Rivarola Sena
- Laboratoire Reproduction et Développement des Plantes, Univ. Lyon, ENS de Lyon, UCB Lyon-1, CNRS, INRA, Lyon, France
| | - Amélie Andres-Robin
- Laboratoire Reproduction et Développement des Plantes, Univ. Lyon, ENS de Lyon, UCB Lyon-1, CNRS, INRA, Lyon, France
| | - Aurelie C Vialette
- Laboratoire Reproduction et Développement des Plantes, Univ. Lyon, ENS de Lyon, UCB Lyon-1, CNRS, INRA, Lyon, France
| | - Jérémy Just
- Laboratoire Reproduction et Développement des Plantes, Univ. Lyon, ENS de Lyon, UCB Lyon-1, CNRS, INRA, Lyon, France
| | - Alexandra Launay-Avon
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, INRAE, Univ Evry, Institute of Plant Sciences Paris-Saclay (IPS2), Orsay, France
- Université de Paris, CNRS, INRAE, Institute of Plant Sciences Paris-Saclay (IPS2), Orsay, France
| | - Néro Borrega
- UMR 1318 INRAe-AgroParisTech, Route de Saint Cyr, 78026 Versailles cedex, France
| | - Bertrand Dubreucq
- UMR 1318 INRAe-AgroParisTech, Route de Saint Cyr, 78026 Versailles cedex, France
| | - Charles P Scutt
- Laboratoire Reproduction et Développement des Plantes, Univ. Lyon, ENS de Lyon, UCB Lyon-1, CNRS, INRA, Lyon, France
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7
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Pulliainen U, Morandin C, Bos N, Sundström L, Schultner E. Social environment affects sensory gene expression in ant larvae. INSECT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2022; 31:1-9. [PMID: 34418191 DOI: 10.1111/imb.12732] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2021] [Revised: 07/08/2021] [Accepted: 08/16/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Social insects depend on communication to regulate social behaviour. This also applies to their larvae, which are commonly exposed to social interactions and can react to social stimulation. However, how social insect larvae sense their environment is not known. Using RNAseq, we characterized expression of sensory-related genes in larvae of the ant Formica fusca, upon exposure to two social environments: isolation without contact to other individuals, and stimulation via the presence of other developing individuals. Expression of key sensory-related genes was higher following social stimulation, and larvae expressed many of the same sensory-related genes as adult ants and larvae of other insects, including genes belonging to the major insect chemosensory gene families. Our study provides first insights into the molecular changes associated with social information perception in social insect larvae.
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Affiliation(s)
- U Pulliainen
- Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Tvärminne Zoological Station, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - C Morandin
- Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Biophore, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - N Bos
- Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - L Sundström
- Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Tvärminne Zoological Station, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - E Schultner
- Zoology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
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8
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Brahma A, Leon RG, Hernandez GL, Wurm Y. Larger, more connected societies of ants have a higher prevalence of viruses. Mol Ecol 2021; 31:859-865. [PMID: 34800339 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2021] [Revised: 10/18/2021] [Accepted: 10/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The benefits of cooperative living for foraging, nesting, defence and buffering environmental challenges lead animals with the most highly social lifestyles to dominate many ecosystems. However, living in larger, more highly connected groups should also increase the risks of pathogen exposure and transmission. While over long timescales selective responses could buffer the impacts of potential higher pathogen prevalence, similar processes are unlikely over short timescales. The red fire ant Solenopsis invicta is ideal for measuring the effects of group size on pathogen prevalence because two types of society coexist in this species: smaller single-nest single-queen colonies that are highly aggressive to their neighbours and larger multiple-queen colonies that exchange resources with neighbouring nests. We compare the presence of viruses between these two colony types using metagenomic sequence classification of RNA-sequencing reads. We find that queens from multiple-queen colonies have 8.3-times higher viral load and 1.5-times higher viral diversity than queens from single-queen colonies. This finding characterizes a rarely considered cost of transitions to more highly social living. Furthermore, our results show that highly social invertebrates can harbour many viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anindita Brahma
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - Raphael Gray Leon
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK.,University College London, London, UK
| | - Gabriel Luis Hernandez
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - Yannick Wurm
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK.,Alan Turing Institute, London, UK
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9
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Jiang F, Gao H, Qin W, Song P, Wang H, Zhang J, Liu D, Wang D, Zhang T. Marked Seasonal Variation in Structure and Function of Gut Microbiota in Forest and Alpine Musk Deer. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:699797. [PMID: 34552569 PMCID: PMC8450597 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.699797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2021] [Accepted: 08/04/2021] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Musk deer (Moschus spp.) is a globally endangered species due to excessive hunting and habitat fragmentation. Captive breeding of musk deer can efficiently relieve the hunting pressure and contribute to the conservation of the wild population and musk supply. However, its effect on the gut microbiota of musk deer is unclear. Recent studies have indicated that gut microbiota is associated with host health and its environmental adaption, influenced by many factors. Herein, high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene was used based on 262 fecal samples from forest musk deer (M. berezovskii) (FMD) and 90 samples from alpine musk deer (M. chrysogaster) (AMD). We sought to determine whether seasonal variation can affect the structure and function of gut microbiota in musk deer. The results demonstrated that FMD and AMD had higher α-diversity of gut microbiota in the cold season than in the warm season, suggesting that season change can affect gut microbiota diversity in musk deer. Principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) also revealed significant seasonal differences in the structure and function of gut microbiota in AMD and FMD. Particularly, phyla Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes significantly dominated the 352 fecal samples from captive FMD and AMD. The relative abundance of Firmicutes and the ratio of Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes were significantly decreased in summer than in spring and substantially increased in winter than in summer. In contrast, the relative abundance of Bacteroidetes showed opposite results. Furthermore, dominant bacterial genera and main metabolic functions of gut microbiota in musk deer showed significant seasonal differences. Overall, the abundance of main gut microbiota metabolic functions in FMD was significantly higher in the cold season. WGCNA analysis indicated that OTU6606, OTU5027, OTU7522, and OTU3787 were at the core of the network and significantly related with the seasonal variation. These results indicated that the structure and function in the gut microbiota of captive musk deer vary with seasons, which is beneficial to the environmental adaptation and the digestion and metabolism of food. This study provides valuable insights into the healthy captive breeding of musk deer and future reintroduction programs to recover wild populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feng Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Adaptation and Evolution of Plateau Biota, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Xining, China.,College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Qinghai Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Ecological Genomics, Xining, China
| | - Hongmei Gao
- Key Laboratory of Adaptation and Evolution of Plateau Biota, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Xining, China.,Qinghai Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Ecological Genomics, Xining, China
| | - Wen Qin
- State Key Laboratory of Plateau Ecology and Agriculture, Qinghai University, Xining, China
| | - Pengfei Song
- Key Laboratory of Adaptation and Evolution of Plateau Biota, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Xining, China.,College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Haijing Wang
- Key Laboratory of Adaptation and Evolution of Plateau Biota, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Xining, China.,College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jingjie Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Adaptation and Evolution of Plateau Biota, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Xining, China.,College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Qinghai Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Ecological Genomics, Xining, China
| | - Daoxin Liu
- Key Laboratory of Adaptation and Evolution of Plateau Biota, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Xining, China.,College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Qinghai Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Ecological Genomics, Xining, China
| | - Dong Wang
- Key Laboratory of Adaptation and Evolution of Plateau Biota, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Xining, China.,College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Tongzuo Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Adaptation and Evolution of Plateau Biota, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Xining, China.,Qinghai Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Ecological Genomics, Xining, China
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10
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Liedtke HC, Harney E, Gomez-Mestre I. Cross-species transcriptomics uncovers genes underlying genetic accommodation of developmental plasticity in spadefoot toads. Mol Ecol 2021; 30:2220-2234. [PMID: 33730392 DOI: 10.1111/mec.15883] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2020] [Revised: 01/29/2021] [Accepted: 02/26/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
That hardcoded genomes can manifest as plastic phenotypes responding to environmental perturbations is a fascinating feature of living organisms. How such developmental plasticity is regulated at the molecular level is beginning to be uncovered aided by the development of -omic techniques. Here, we compare the transcriptome-wide responses of two species of spadefoot toads with differing capacity for developmental acceleration of their larvae in the face of a shared environmental risk: pond drying. By comparing gene expression profiles over time and performing cross-species network analyses, we identified orthologues and functional gene pathways whose environmental sensitivity in expression have diverged between species. Genes related to lipid, cholesterol and steroid biosynthesis and metabolism make up most of a module of genes environmentally responsive in one species, but canalized in the other. The evolutionary changes in the regulation of the genes identified through these analyses may have been key in the genetic accommodation of developmental plasticity in this system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hans Christoph Liedtke
- Ecology, Evolution and Development Group, Department of Wetland Ecology, Estación Biológica de Doñana, CSIC, Seville, Spain
| | - Ewan Harney
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Behaviour, Institute of Infection, Veterinary & Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Ivan Gomez-Mestre
- Ecology, Evolution and Development Group, Department of Wetland Ecology, Estación Biológica de Doñana, CSIC, Seville, Spain
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11
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Xavier CAD, Allen ML, Whitfield AE. Ever-increasing viral diversity associated with the red imported fire ant Solenopsis invicta (Formicidae: Hymenoptera). Virol J 2021; 18:5. [PMID: 33407622 PMCID: PMC7788728 DOI: 10.1186/s12985-020-01469-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2020] [Accepted: 12/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Advances in sequencing and analysis tools have facilitated discovery of many new viruses from invertebrates, including ants. Solenopsis invicta is an invasive ant that has quickly spread worldwide causing significant ecological and economic impacts. Its virome has begun to be characterized pertaining to potential use of viruses as natural enemies. Although the S. invicta virome is the best characterized among ants, most studies have been performed in its native range, with less information from invaded areas. Methods Using a metatranscriptome approach, we further identified and molecularly characterized virus sequences associated with S. invicta, in two introduced areas, U.S and Taiwan. The data set used here was obtained from different stages (larvae, pupa, and adults) of S. invicta life cycle. Publicly available RNA sequences from GenBank’s Sequence Read Archive were downloaded and de novo assembled using CLC Genomics Workbench 20.0.1. Contigs were compared against the non-redundant protein sequences and those showing similarity to viral sequences were further analyzed. Results We characterized five putative new viruses associated with S. invicta transcriptomes. Sequence comparisons revealed extensive divergence across ORFs and genomic regions with most of them sharing less than 40% amino acid identity with those closest homologous sequences previously characterized. The first negative-sense single-stranded RNA virus genomic sequences included in the orders Bunyavirales and Mononegavirales are reported. In addition, two positive single-strand virus genome sequences and one single strand DNA virus genome sequence were also identified. While the presence of a putative tenuivirus associated with S. invicta was previously suggested to be a contamination, here we characterized and present strong evidence that Solenopsis invicta virus 14 (SINV-14) is a tenui-like virus that has a long-term association with the ant. Furthermore, based on virus sequence abundance compared to housekeeping genes, phylogenetic relationships, and completeness of viral coding sequences, our results suggest that four of five virus sequences reported, those being SINV-14, SINV-15, SINV-16 and SINV-17, may be associated to viruses actively replicating in the ant S. invicta. Conclusions The present study expands our knowledge about viral diversity associated with S. invicta in introduced areas with potential to be used as biological control agents, which will require further biological characterization.
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Affiliation(s)
- César Augusto Diniz Xavier
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University, 840 Main Campus Drive, Raleigh, NC, 27606, USA
| | - Margaret Louise Allen
- U. S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Biological Control of Pests Research Unit, 59 Lee Road, Stoneville, MS, 38776, USA.
| | - Anna Elizabeth Whitfield
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University, 840 Main Campus Drive, Raleigh, NC, 27606, USA.
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12
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Martinez-Ruiz C, Pracana R, Stolle E, Paris CI, Nichols RA, Wurm Y. Genomic architecture and evolutionary antagonism drive allelic expression bias in the social supergene of red fire ants. eLife 2020; 9:55862. [PMID: 32773032 PMCID: PMC7476760 DOI: 10.7554/elife.55862] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2020] [Accepted: 08/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Supergene regions maintain alleles of multiple genes in tight linkage through suppressed recombination. Despite their importance in determining complex phenotypes, our empirical understanding of early supergene evolution is limited. Here we focus on the young ‘social’ supergene of fire ants, a powerful system for disentangling the effects of evolutionary antagonism and suppressed recombination. We hypothesize that gene degeneration and social antagonism shaped the evolution of the fire ant supergene, resulting in distinct patterns of gene expression. We test these ideas by identifying allelic differences between supergene variants, characterizing allelic expression across populations, castes and body parts, and contrasting allelic expression biases with differences in expression between social forms. We find strong signatures of gene degeneration and gene-specific dosage compensation. On this background, a small portion of the genes has the signature of adaptive responses to evolutionary antagonism between social forms. Red fire ants (Solenopsis invicta) are native to South America, but the species has spread to North America, Australia and New Zealand where it can be an invasive pest. A reason for this species’ invasiveness types of colonies : one with a single egg-laying queen and another with several queens. However, it is not possible to simply add more queens to a colony with one queen. Instead, the number of queens in a colony is controlled genetically, by a chromosome known as the ‘social chromosome’. Like many other animals, red fire ants are diploid: their cells have two copies of each chromosome, which can carry two different versions of each gene. The social chromosome is no different, and it comes in two variants, SB and Sb. Each ant can therefore have either two SB chromosomes, leading to a colony with a single queen; or one SB chromosome and one Sb chromosome, leading to a colony with multiple queens. Ants with two copies of the Sb variant die when they are young, so the Sb version is inherited in a similar way to how the Y chromosome is passed on in humans. However, the social chromosome in red fire ants appeared less than one million years ago, making it much younger than the human Y chromosome, which is 180 million years old. This makes the social chromosome a good candidate for examining the early evolution of special chromosome variants that are only inherited. How differences between the SB and the Sb chromosomes are evolving is an open question, however. Perhaps each version of the social chromosome has been optimised through natural selection to one colony type. Another suggestion is that the Sb chromosome has degenerated over time because its genes cannot be ‘reshuffled’ as they would be on normal chromosomes. Martinez-Ruiz et al. compared genetic variants on the SB and Sb chromosomes, along with their expression in different types of ant colonies. The analysis showed that the Sb variant is in fact breaking down because of the lack of gene shuffling. This loss is compensated by intact copies of the same genes found on the SB variant, which explains why ants with the Sb variant can only survive if they also carry the SB version. Only a handful of genes on the social chromosomes appear to have been optimised by natural selection. Therefore Martinez-Ruiz et al. concluded the differences between the two chromosomes that lead to different colony types are collateral effects of Sb’s inability to reshuffle its genes. This work reveals how a special chromosome similar to the Y chromosome in humans evolved. It also shows how multiple complex evolutionary forces can shape a species’ genetic makeup and social forms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Martinez-Ruiz
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Rodrigo Pracana
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Eckart Stolle
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Carolina Ivon Paris
- Departamento Ecología, Genética y Evolución, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Intendente Güiraldes 2160, Ciudad Universitaria, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Richard A Nichols
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Yannick Wurm
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom.,Alan Turing Institute, London, United Kingdom
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13
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Wang M, Liu Y, Wen T, Liu W, Gao Q, Zhao J, Xiong Z, Wang Z, Jiang W, Yu Y, Wu L, Yuan Y, Wei X, Xu J, Cheng M, Zhang P, Li P, Hou Y, Yang H, Zhang G, Li Q, Liu C, Liu L. Chromatin accessibility and transcriptome landscapes of Monomorium pharaonis brain. Sci Data 2020; 7:217. [PMID: 32641764 PMCID: PMC7343836 DOI: 10.1038/s41597-020-0556-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2020] [Accepted: 06/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The emergence of social organization (eusociality) is a major event in insect evolution. Although previous studies have investigated the mechanisms underlying caste differentiation and social behavior of eusocial insects including ants and honeybees, the molecular circuits governing sociality in these insects remain obscure. In this study, we profiled the transcriptome and chromatin accessibility of brain tissues in three Monomorium pharaonis ant castes: queens (including mature and un-mated queens), males and workers. We provide a comprehensive dataset including 16 RNA-sequencing and 16 assay for transposase accessible chromatin (ATAC)-sequencing profiles. We also demonstrate strong reproducibility of the datasets and have identified specific genes and open chromatin regions in the genome that may be associated with the social function of these castes. Our data will be a valuable resource for further studies of insect behaviour, particularly the role of brain in the control of eusociality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingyue Wang
- BGI Education Center, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518083, China
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518083, China
- China National Gene Bank, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518120, China
| | - Yang Liu
- BGI Education Center, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518083, China
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518083, China
- China National Gene Bank, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518120, China
| | - Tinggang Wen
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518083, China
- China National Gene Bank, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518120, China
| | - Weiwei Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resource and Evolution, Kunming Institution of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Science, Kunming, 650223, China
- Center for Excellence in Animal Evolution and Genetics, Chinese Academy of Science, Kunming, 650223, China
| | - Qionghua Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resource and Evolution, Kunming Institution of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Science, Kunming, 650223, China
- Center for Excellence in Animal Evolution and Genetics, Chinese Academy of Science, Kunming, 650223, China
| | - Jie Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resource and Evolution, Kunming Institution of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Science, Kunming, 650223, China
- Center for Excellence in Animal Evolution and Genetics, Chinese Academy of Science, Kunming, 650223, China
| | - Zijun Xiong
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518083, China
- China National Gene Bank, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518120, China
| | - Zhifeng Wang
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518083, China
- China National Gene Bank, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518120, China
| | - Wei Jiang
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518083, China
- China National Gene Bank, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518120, China
| | - Yeya Yu
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518083, China
- China National Gene Bank, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518120, China
- BGI College, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450000, China
| | - Liang Wu
- BGI Education Center, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518083, China
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518083, China
- China National Gene Bank, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518120, China
| | - Yue Yuan
- BGI Education Center, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518083, China
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518083, China
- China National Gene Bank, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518120, China
| | - Xiaoyu Wei
- BGI Education Center, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518083, China
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518083, China
- China National Gene Bank, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518120, China
| | - Jiangshan Xu
- BGI Education Center, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518083, China
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518083, China
- China National Gene Bank, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518120, China
| | - Mengnan Cheng
- BGI Education Center, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518083, China
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518083, China
- China National Gene Bank, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518120, China
| | - Pei Zhang
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518083, China
- China National Gene Bank, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518120, China
| | - Panyi Li
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518083, China
- China National Gene Bank, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518120, China
| | - Yong Hou
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518083, China
- China National Gene Bank, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518120, China
| | - Huanming Yang
- BGI Education Center, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518083, China
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518083, China
- James D. Watson Institute of Genome Sciences, Hangzhou, 310013, China
| | - Guojie Zhang
- China National Gene Bank, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518120, China
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resource and Evolution, Kunming Institution of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Science, Kunming, 650223, China
- Center for Excellence in Animal Evolution and Genetics, Chinese Academy of Science, Kunming, 650223, China
- Section for Ecology and Evolution, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, DK-2100, Denmark
| | - Qiye Li
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518083, China
- China National Gene Bank, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518120, China
| | - Chuanyu Liu
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518083, China.
- China National Gene Bank, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518120, China.
| | - Longqi Liu
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518083, China.
- China National Gene Bank, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518120, China.
- Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, 518083, China.
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14
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Developmental plasticity shapes social traits and selection in a facultatively eusocial bee. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:13615-13625. [PMID: 32471944 PMCID: PMC7306772 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2000344117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Developmental processes are an important source of phenotypic variation, but the extent to which this variation contributes to evolutionary change is unknown. We used integrative genomic analyses to explore the relationship between developmental and social plasticity in a bee species that can adopt either a social or solitary lifestyle. We find genes regulating this social flexibility also regulate development, and positive selection on these genes is influenced by their function during development. This suggests that developmental plasticity may influence the evolution of sociality. Our additional finding of genetic variants linked to differences in social behavior sheds light on how phenotypic variation derived from development may become encoded into the genome, and thus contribute to evolutionary change. Developmental plasticity generates phenotypic variation, but how it contributes to evolutionary change is unclear. Phenotypes of individuals in caste-based (eusocial) societies are particularly sensitive to developmental processes, and the evolutionary origins of eusociality may be rooted in developmental plasticity of ancestral forms. We used an integrative genomics approach to evaluate the relationships among developmental plasticity, molecular evolution, and social behavior in a bee species (Megalopta genalis) that expresses flexible sociality, and thus provides a window into the factors that may have been important at the evolutionary origins of eusociality. We find that differences in social behavior are derived from genes that also regulate sex differentiation and metamorphosis. Positive selection on social traits is influenced by the function of these genes in development. We further identify evidence that social polyphenisms may become encoded in the genome via genetic changes in regulatory regions, specifically in transcription factor binding sites. Taken together, our results provide evidence that developmental plasticity provides the substrate for evolutionary novelty and shapes the selective landscape for molecular evolution in a major evolutionary innovation: Eusociality.
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15
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Roberts WR, Roalson EH. Co-expression clustering across flower development identifies modules for diverse floral forms in Achimenes (Gesneriaceae). PeerJ 2020; 8:e8778. [PMID: 32201652 PMCID: PMC7071821 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.8778] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2019] [Accepted: 02/21/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Genetic pathways involved with flower color and shape are thought to play an important role in the development of flowers associated with different pollination syndromes, such as those associated with bee, butterfly, or hummingbird pollination. Because pollination syndromes are complex traits that are orchestrated by multiple genes and pathways, the gene regulatory networks have not been explored. Gene co-expression networks provide a systems level approach to identify important contributors to floral diversification. METHODS RNA-sequencing was used to assay gene expression across two stages of flower development (an early bud and an intermediate stage) in 10 species of Achimenes (Gesneriaceae). Two stage-specific co-expression networks were created from 9,503 orthologs and analyzed to identify module hubs and the network periphery. Module association with bee, butterfly, and hummingbird pollination syndromes was tested using phylogenetic mixed models. The relationship between network connectivity and evolutionary rates (d N/d S) was tested using linear models. RESULTS Networks contained 65 and 62 modules that were largely preserved between developmental stages and contained few stage-specific modules. Over a third of the modules in both networks were associated with flower color, shape, and pollination syndrome. Within these modules, several hub nodes were identified that related to the production of anthocyanin and carotenoid pigments and the development of flower shape. Evolutionary rates were decreased in highly connected genes and elevated in peripheral genes. DISCUSSION This study aids in the understanding of the genetic architecture and network properties underlying the development of floral form and provides valuable candidate modules and genes for future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wade R. Roberts
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
- Biological Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA
| | - Eric H. Roalson
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
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16
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Cheng S, Wang X, Zhang Q, He Y, Zhang X, Yang L, Shi J. Comparative Transcriptome Analysis Identifying the Different Molecular Genetic Markers Related to Production Performance and Meat Quality in Longissimus Dorsi Tissues of MG × STH and STH Sheep. Genes (Basel) 2020; 11:E183. [PMID: 32050672 PMCID: PMC7074365 DOI: 10.3390/genes11020183] [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: 12/27/2019] [Revised: 02/05/2020] [Accepted: 02/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Crossbred sheep have many prominent traits, such as excellent production performance and high-quality meat, when compared to local sheep breeds. However, the genetic molecular markers related to these characteristics remain unclear. The crossbred MG × STH (small-tailed Han sheep (STH) × Mongolian sheep (MG)) breed and the STH breed were selected to measure production performance and meat quality. We used 14 indexes of production performance and meat quality, which in the MG × STH population showed significant differences compared to the STH breed. Subsequently, the longissimusdorsi from the two sheep were subjected to comparative transcriptomic analyses to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) related to production performance and meat quality. A total of 874 DEGs were identified between the two sheep groups. A total of 110 unique DEGs related to sheep production performance and meat quality were selected as the candidate DEGs. We found 6 production-performance-related and 30 meat-quality-related DEGs through a correlation analysis, including SPARC, ACVRL1, FNDC5 and FREM1. The expression levels of 11 DEGs were validated by real-time PCR, and the results were in accordance with the results of the comparative transcriptomic and correlation analyses. These results will assist in understanding sheep heterosis and molecular marker-assisted selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuru Cheng
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China; (L.Y.); (J.S.)
| | - Xueying Wang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China;
| | - Quanwei Zhang
- College of Life Science and Biotechnology, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China; (Y.H.); (X.Z.)
| | - Yuqin He
- College of Life Science and Biotechnology, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China; (Y.H.); (X.Z.)
| | - Xia Zhang
- College of Life Science and Biotechnology, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China; (Y.H.); (X.Z.)
| | - Lei Yang
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China; (L.Y.); (J.S.)
| | - Jinping Shi
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China; (L.Y.); (J.S.)
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17
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Khimoun A, Doums C, Molet M, Kaufmann B, Peronnet R, Eyer PA, Mona S. Urbanization without isolation: the absence of genetic structure among cities and forests in the tiny acorn ant Temnothorax nylanderi. Biol Lett 2020; 16:20190741. [PMID: 31992150 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2019.0741] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Urban alteration of neutral and adaptive evolutionary processes is still underexplored. Using a genome-wide SNP dataset, we investigated (i) urban-induced modifications of population demography, genetic diversity and population structure and (ii) signature of divergent selection between urban and forest populations in the ant species, Temnothorax nylanderi. Our results did not reveal an impact of urbanization on neutral processes since we observed: (i) analogous genetic diversity among paired urban/forest sites and two control populations; (ii) weak population genetic structure explained neither by habitat (urban versus forest) nor by geography; (iii) a remarkably similar demographic history across populations with an ancestral growth followed by a recent decline, regardless of their current habitat or geographical location. The micro-geographical home range of ants may explain their resilience to urbanization. Finally, we detected 19 candidate loci discriminating urban/forest populations and associated with core cellular components, molecular function or biological process. Two of these loci were associated with a gene ontology term that was previously found to belong to a module of co-expressed genes related to caste phenotype. These results call for transcriptomics analyses to identify genes associated with ant social traits and to infer their potential role in urban adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Khimoun
- Biogéosciences, UMR 6282 CNRS, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, 6 Boulevard Gabriel, 21000 Dijon, France
| | - C Doums
- Institut de Systématique, Évolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), UMR 7205, MNHN, CNRS, EPHE, Sorbonne Université, 75005 Paris, France.,EPHE, PSL University, 75005 Paris, France
| | - M Molet
- Institut d'Ecologie et des Sciences de l'Environnement de Paris (iEES-Paris), UMR 7618, Sorbonne Université, Université Paris Est Créteil, Université Paris Diderot, CNRS, INRA, IRD, 75005 Paris, France
| | - B Kaufmann
- Université de Lyon, UMR5023 Ecologie des Hydrosystèmes Naturels et Anthropisés, Université Lyon 1, ENTPE, CNRS, Villeurbanne 69622, France
| | - R Peronnet
- Institut d'Ecologie et des Sciences de l'Environnement de Paris (iEES-Paris), UMR 7618, Sorbonne Université, Université Paris Est Créteil, Université Paris Diderot, CNRS, INRA, IRD, 75005 Paris, France
| | - P A Eyer
- Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, 2143 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843-2143, USA
| | - S Mona
- Institut de Systématique, Évolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), UMR 7205, MNHN, CNRS, EPHE, Sorbonne Université, 75005 Paris, France.,EPHE, PSL University, 75005 Paris, France
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18
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Schneider K, Adams CE, Elmer KR. Parallel selection on ecologically relevant gene functions in the transcriptomes of highly diversifying salmonids. BMC Genomics 2019; 20:1010. [PMID: 31870285 PMCID: PMC6929470 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-019-6361-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2019] [Accepted: 12/01/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Salmonid fishes are characterised by a very high level of variation in trophic, ecological, physiological, and life history adaptations. Some salmonid taxa show exceptional potential for fast, within-lake diversification into morphologically and ecologically distinct variants, often in parallel; these are the lake-resident charr and whitefish (several species in the genera Salvelinus and Coregonus). To identify selection on genes and gene categories associated with such predictable diversifications, we analysed 2702 orthogroups (4.82 Mbp total; average 4.77 genes/orthogroup; average 1783 bp/orthogroup). We did so in two charr and two whitefish species and compared to five other salmonid lineages, which do not evolve in such ecologically predictable ways, and one non-salmonid outgroup. Results All selection analyses are based on Coregonus and Salvelinus compared to non-diversifying taxa. We found more orthogroups were affected by relaxed selection than intensified selection. Of those, 122 were under significant relaxed selection, with trends of an overrepresentation of serine family amino acid metabolism and transcriptional regulation, and significant enrichment of behaviour-associated gene functions. Seventy-eight orthogroups were under significant intensified selection and were enriched for signalling process and transcriptional regulation gene ontology terms and actin filament and lipid metabolism gene sets. Ninety-two orthogroups were under diversifying/positive selection. These were enriched for signal transduction, transmembrane transport, and pyruvate metabolism gene ontology terms and often contained genes involved in transcriptional regulation and development. Several orthogroups showed signs of multiple types of selection. For example, orthogroups under relaxed and diversifying selection contained genes such as ap1m2, involved in immunity and development, and slc6a8, playing an important role in muscle and brain creatine uptake. Orthogroups under intensified and diversifying selection were also found, such as genes syn3, with a role in neural processes, and ctsk, involved in bone remodelling. Conclusions Our approach pinpointed relevant genomic targets by distinguishing among different kinds of selection. We found that relaxed, intensified, and diversifying selection affect orthogroups and gene functions of ecological relevance in salmonids. Because they were found consistently and robustly across charr and whitefish and not other salmonid lineages, we propose these genes have a potential role in the replicated ecological diversifications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin Schneider
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health & Comparative Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary & Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK
| | - Colin E Adams
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health & Comparative Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary & Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK.,Scottish Centre for Ecology and the Natural Environment, University of Glasgow, Rowardennan, G63 0AW, UK
| | - Kathryn R Elmer
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health & Comparative Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary & Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK.
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19
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Shell WA, Rehan SM. Social modularity: conserved genes and regulatory elements underlie caste-antecedent behavioural states in an incipiently social bee. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 286:20191815. [PMID: 31771475 PMCID: PMC6939254 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.1815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2019] [Accepted: 10/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The evolutionary origins of advanced eusociality, one of the most complex forms of phenotypic plasticity in nature, have long been a focus within the field of sociobiology. Although eusocial insects are known to have evolved from solitary ancestors, sociogenomic research among incipiently social taxa has only recently provided empirical evidence supporting theories that modular regulation and deeply conserved genes may play important roles in both the evolutionary emergence and elaboration of insect sociality. There remains, however, a paucity of data to further test the biological reality of these and other evolutionary theories among taxa in the earliest stages of social evolution. Here, we present brain transcriptomic data from the incipiently social small carpenter bee, Ceratina calcarata, which captures patterns of cis-regulation and gene expression associated with female maturation, and underlying two well-defined behavioural states, foraging and guarding, concurrently demonstrated by mothers and daughters during early autumn. We find that an incipiently social nest environment may dramatically affect gene expression. We further reveal foraging and guarding behaviours to be putatively caste-antecedent states in C. calcarata, and offer strong empirical support for the operation of modular regulation, involving deeply conserved and differentially expressed genes in the expression of early social forms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wyatt A. Shell
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of New Hampshire, 38 Academic Way, Durham, NH 03824, USA
| | - Sandra M. Rehan
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of New Hampshire, 38 Academic Way, Durham, NH 03824, USA
- Department of Biology, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, Ontario, CanadaM3 J 1P3
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20
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Dang V, Cohanim AB, Fontana S, Privman E, Wang J. Has gene expression neofunctionalization in the fire ant antennae contributed to queen discrimination behavior? Ecol Evol 2019; 9:12754-12766. [PMID: 31788211 PMCID: PMC6875580 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5748] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2019] [Revised: 09/18/2019] [Accepted: 09/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Queen discrimination behavior in the fire ant Solenopsis invicta maintains its two types of societies: colonies with one (monogyne) or many (polygyne) queens, yet the underlying genetic mechanism is poorly understood. This behavior is controlled by two supergene alleles, SB and Sb, with ~600 genes. Polygyne workers, having either the SB/SB or SB/Sb genotype, accept additional SB/Sb queens into their colonies but kill SB/SB queens. In contrast, monogyne workers, all SB/SB, reject all additional queens regardless of genotype. Because the SB and Sb alleles have suppressed recombination, determining which genes within the supergene mediate this differential worker behavior is difficult. We hypothesized that the alternate worker genotypes sense queens differently because of the evolution of differential expression of key genes in their main sensory organ, the antennae. To identify such genes, we sequenced RNA from four replicates of pooled antennae from three classes of workers: monogyne SB/SB, polygyne SB/SB, and polygyne SB/Sb. We identified 81 differentially expressed protein-coding genes with 13 encoding potential chemical metabolism or perception proteins. We focused on the two odorant perception genes: an odorant receptor SiOR463 and an odorant-binding protein SiOBP12. We found that SiOR463 has been lost in the Sb genome. In contrast, SiOBP12 has an Sb-specific duplication, SiOBP12b', which is expressed in the SB/Sb worker antennae, while both paralogs are expressed in the body. Comparisons with another fire ant species revealed that SiOBP12b' antennal expression is specific to S. invicta and suggests that queen discrimination may have evolved, in part, through expression neofunctionalization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viet‐Dai Dang
- Biodiversity Research CenterAcademia SinicaTaipeiTaiwan
- Biodiversity Taiwan International Graduate Program, Biodiversity Research CenterAcademia SinicaTaipeiTaiwan
- Department of Life ScienceNational Taiwan Normal UniversityTaipeiTaiwan
- Department of ZoologySouthern Institute of EcologyVietnam Academy of Science and TechnologyHochiminhVietnam
| | - Amir B. Cohanim
- Department of Evolutionary and Environmental BiologyInstitute of EvolutionUniversity of HaifaHaifaIsrael
| | - Silvia Fontana
- Biodiversity Research CenterAcademia SinicaTaipeiTaiwan
- Biodiversity Taiwan International Graduate Program, Biodiversity Research CenterAcademia SinicaTaipeiTaiwan
- Department of Life ScienceNational Taiwan Normal UniversityTaipeiTaiwan
| | - Eyal Privman
- Department of Evolutionary and Environmental BiologyInstitute of EvolutionUniversity of HaifaHaifaIsrael
| | - John Wang
- Biodiversity Research CenterAcademia SinicaTaipeiTaiwan
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21
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Arsenault SV, Glastad KM, Hunt BG. Leveraging technological innovations to investigate evolutionary transitions to eusociality. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2019; 34:27-32. [PMID: 31247414 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2019.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2018] [Revised: 02/19/2019] [Accepted: 03/12/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
The study of the major transition to eusociality presents several challenges to researchers, largely resulting from the importance of complex behavioral phenotypes and the shift from individual to group level selection. These challenges are being met with corresponding technological improvements. Advances in resource development for non-model taxa, behavioral tracking, nucleic acid sequencing, and reverse genetics are facilitating studies of hypotheses that were previously intractable. These innovations are resulting in the development of new model systems tailored to the exploration of specific behavioral phenotypes and the querying of underlying molecular mechanisms that drive eusocial behaviors. Here, we present a brief overview of how methodological innovations are advancing our understanding of the evolution of eusociality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel V Arsenault
- Department of Entomology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, United States
| | - Karl M Glastad
- Department of Cell & Developmental Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, United States
| | - Brendan G Hunt
- Department of Entomology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, United States.
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22
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Core transcriptional signatures of phase change in the migratory locust. Protein Cell 2019; 10:883-901. [PMID: 31292921 PMCID: PMC6881432 DOI: 10.1007/s13238-019-0648-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2019] [Accepted: 06/17/2019] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Phenotypic plasticity plays fundamental roles in successful adaptation of animals in response to environmental variations. Here, to reveal the transcriptome reprogramming in locust phase change, a typical phenotypic plasticity, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of multiple phase-related transcriptomic datasets of the migratory locust. We defined PhaseCore genes according to their contribution to phase differentiation by the adjustment for confounding principal components analysis algorithm (AC-PCA). Compared with other genes, PhaseCore genes predicted phase status with over 87.5% accuracy and displayed more unique gene attributes including the faster evolution rate, higher CpG content and higher specific expression level. Then, we identified 20 transcription factors (TFs) named PhaseCoreTF genes that are associated with the regulation of PhaseCore genes. Finally, we experimentally verified the regulatory roles of three representative TFs (Hr4, Hr46, and grh) in phase change by RNAi. Our findings revealed that core transcriptional signatures are involved in the global regulation of locust phase changes, suggesting a potential common mechanism underlying phenotypic plasticity in insects. The expression and network data are accessible in an online resource called LocustMine (http://www.locustmine.org:8080/locustmine).
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23
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Warner MR, Qiu L, Holmes MJ, Mikheyev AS, Linksvayer TA. Convergent eusocial evolution is based on a shared reproductive groundplan plus lineage-specific plastic genes. Nat Commun 2019; 10:2651. [PMID: 31201311 PMCID: PMC6570765 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-10546-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2019] [Accepted: 05/14/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Eusociality has convergently evolved multiple times, but the genomic basis of caste-based division of labor and degree to which independent origins of eusociality have utilized common genes remain largely unknown. Here we characterize caste-specific transcriptomic profiles across development and adult body segments from pharaoh ants (Monomorium pharaonis) and honey bees (Apis mellifera), representing two independent origins of eusociality. We identify a substantial shared core of genes upregulated in the abdomens of queen ants and honey bees that also tends to be upregulated in mated female flies, suggesting that these genes are part of a conserved insect reproductive groundplan. Outside of this shared groundplan, few genes are differentially expressed in common. Instead, the majority of the thousands of caste-associated genes are plastically expressed, rapidly evolving, and relatively evolutionarily young. These results emphasize that the recruitment of both highly conserved and lineage-specific genes underlie the convergent evolution of novel traits such as eusociality. Eusocial caste systems have evolved independently multiple times. Here, Warner et al. investigate the amount of shared vs. lineage-specific genes involved in the evolution of caste in pharaoh ants and honey bees by comparing transcriptomes across tissues, developmental stages, and castes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lijun Qiu
- Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Okinawa, 904-0495, Japan
| | - Michael J Holmes
- Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Okinawa, 904-0495, Japan.,School of Life and Environmental Science, University of Sydney, Sydney, 2006, Australia
| | - Alexander S Mikheyev
- Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Okinawa, 904-0495, Japan.,Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, 0200, Australia
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24
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Toth AL. To reproduce or work? Insect castes emerge from socially induced changes in nutrition-related genes. Mol Ecol 2019; 26:2839-2841. [PMID: 28544664 DOI: 10.1111/mec.14076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2017] [Revised: 02/08/2017] [Accepted: 02/21/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
In social species, there is a fundamental trade-off between 'me' and 'we'; that is, should I reproduce, or should I work to help others to reproduce? In this issue of Molecular Ecology, Okada et al. () delve into the evolution and genetic mechanisms of this core question, focusing on social caste formation in insects. The authors take advantage of a unique ant in the genus Diacamma, which has secondarily lost the classic, highly different queens and workers found in many other ants, bees and wasps. Instead, Diacamma ant castes are decided via aggressive dominance interactions among adult females, similar to dominance hierarchies seen in primitively social insects and many social vertebrates. But how does being dominated translate into reproductive shutdown and thus, the creation of a worker caste? The authors use transcriptomics to address this question, and discover that the key may lie in very rapid (within one day) changes in the regulation of nutrient signalling genes, and other genes related to nutrient storage and reproduction. In other words, being aggressed turns on or off genes that tell the ant's brain and physiology to go into 'sterile mode', whereas winning a fight stimulates other genes that ramp up reproductive traits. These results add weight to the idea that caste differences rely on a 'toolkit' of deeply conserved genes involved in core nutritional, reproductive and metabolic functions. In addition, these results emphasize the exquisite and rapid social environmental sensitivity of core toolkit genes during the production of distinct phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy L Toth
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology and Department of Entomology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50010, USA
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25
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Co-expression network analysis identifies gonad- and embryo-associated protein modules in the sentinel species Gammarus fossarum. Sci Rep 2019; 9:7862. [PMID: 31133674 PMCID: PMC6536538 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-44203-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2018] [Accepted: 05/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Next generation sequencing and mass spectrometry technologies have recently expanded the availability of whole transcriptomes and proteomes beyond classical model organisms in molecular biology, even in absence of an annotated genome. However, the fragmented nature of transcriptomic and proteomic data reduces the ability to interpret the data, notably in non-model organisms. Network-based approaches may help extracting important biological information from -omics datasets. The reproductive cycle of the freshwater crustacean Gammarus fossarum.provides an excellent case study to test the relevance of a network analysis in non-model organisms. Here, we illustrated how the use of a co-expression network analysis (based on Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis algorithm, WGCNA) allowed identifying protein modules whose expression profiles described germ cell maturation and embryonic development in the freshwater crustacean Gammarus fossarum. Proteome datasets included testes, ovaries or embryos samples at different maturation or developmental stages, respectively. We identified an embryonic module correlated with mid-developmental stages corresponding to the organogenesis and it was characterized by enrichment in proteins involved in RNA editing and splicing. An ovarian module was enriched in vitellogenin-like proteins and clottable proteins, confirming the diversity of proteins belonging to the large lipid transfer family involved in oocytes maturations in this freshwater amphipod. Moreover, our results found evidence of a fine-tuned regulation between energy production by glycolysis and actin-myosin-dependent events in G. fossarum spermatogenesis. This study illustrates the importance of applying systems biology approaches to emergent animal models to improve the understanding of the molecular mechanisms regulating important physiological events with ecological relevance.
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26
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Warner MR, Mikheyev AS, Linksvayer TA. Transcriptomic basis and evolution of the ant nurse-larval social interactome. PLoS Genet 2019; 15:e1008156. [PMID: 31107868 DOI: 10.1101/514356] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2019] [Revised: 05/31/2019] [Accepted: 04/24/2019] [Indexed: 05/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Development is often strongly regulated by interactions among close relatives, but the underlying molecular mechanisms are largely unknown. In eusocial insects, interactions between caregiving worker nurses and larvae regulate larval development and resultant adult phenotypes. Here, we begin to characterize the social interactome regulating ant larval development by collecting and sequencing the transcriptomes of interacting nurses and larvae across time. We find that the majority of nurse and larval transcriptomes exhibit parallel expression dynamics across larval development. We leverage this widespread nurse-larva gene co-expression to infer putative social gene regulatory networks acting between nurses and larvae. Genes with the strongest inferred social effects tend to be peripheral elements of within-tissue regulatory networks and are often known to encode secreted proteins. This includes interesting candidates such as the nurse-expressed giant-lens, which may influence larval epidermal growth factor signaling, a pathway known to influence various aspects of insect development. Finally, we find that genes with the strongest signatures of social regulation tend to experience relaxed selective constraint and are evolutionarily young. Overall, our study provides a first glimpse into the molecular and evolutionary features of the social mechanisms that regulate all aspects of social life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael R Warner
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Alexander S Mikheyev
- Ecology and Evolution Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Onna, Okinawa, Japan
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Timothy A Linksvayer
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
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27
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Warner MR, Mikheyev AS, Linksvayer TA. Transcriptomic basis and evolution of the ant nurse-larval social interactome. PLoS Genet 2019; 15:e1008156. [PMID: 31107868 PMCID: PMC6544314 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1008156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2019] [Revised: 05/31/2019] [Accepted: 04/24/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Development is often strongly regulated by interactions among close relatives, but the underlying molecular mechanisms are largely unknown. In eusocial insects, interactions between caregiving worker nurses and larvae regulate larval development and resultant adult phenotypes. Here, we begin to characterize the social interactome regulating ant larval development by collecting and sequencing the transcriptomes of interacting nurses and larvae across time. We find that the majority of nurse and larval transcriptomes exhibit parallel expression dynamics across larval development. We leverage this widespread nurse-larva gene co-expression to infer putative social gene regulatory networks acting between nurses and larvae. Genes with the strongest inferred social effects tend to be peripheral elements of within-tissue regulatory networks and are often known to encode secreted proteins. This includes interesting candidates such as the nurse-expressed giant-lens, which may influence larval epidermal growth factor signaling, a pathway known to influence various aspects of insect development. Finally, we find that genes with the strongest signatures of social regulation tend to experience relaxed selective constraint and are evolutionarily young. Overall, our study provides a first glimpse into the molecular and evolutionary features of the social mechanisms that regulate all aspects of social life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael R. Warner
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Alexander S. Mikheyev
- Ecology and Evolution Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Onna, Okinawa, Japan
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Timothy A. Linksvayer
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
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28
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Comparative transcriptomics of social insect queen pheromones. Nat Commun 2019; 10:1593. [PMID: 30962449 PMCID: PMC6453924 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-09567-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2018] [Accepted: 03/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Queen pheromones are chemical signals that mediate reproductive division of labor in eusocial animals. Remarkably, queen pheromones are composed of identical or chemically similar compounds in some ants, wasps and bees, even though these taxa diverged >150MYA and evolved queens and workers independently. Here, we measure the transcriptomic consequences of experimental exposure to queen pheromones in workers from two ant and two bee species (genera: Lasius, Apis, Bombus), and test whether they are similar across species. Queen pheromone exposure affected transcription and splicing at many loci. Many genes responded consistently in multiple species, and the set of pheromone-sensitive genes was enriched for functions relating to lipid biosynthesis and transport, olfaction, production of cuticle, oogenesis, and histone (de)acetylation. Pheromone-sensitive genes tend to be evolutionarily ancient, positively selected, peripheral in the gene coexpression network, hypomethylated, and caste-specific in their expression. Our results reveal how queen pheromones achieve their effects, and suggest that ants and bees use similar genetic modules to achieve reproductive division of labor.
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29
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Yaguchi H, Suzuki R, Matsunami M, Shigenobu S, Maekawa K. Transcriptomic changes during caste development through social interactions in the termite Zootermopsis nevadensis. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:3446-3456. [PMID: 30962904 PMCID: PMC6434549 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2018] [Revised: 01/16/2019] [Accepted: 01/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
One of the most striking examples of phenotypic plasticity is the different phenotypes (i.e., castes) within a same nest of social insects. Castes usually derive from a single genotype initially by receiving social cues among individuals during development. Specific gene expression changes may be involved in caste differentiation, and thus, the regulatory mechanism of these changes should be clarified in order to understand social maintenance and evolution. The damp-wood termite Zootermopsis nevadensis is one of the most important model termite species, due to not only the availability of genomic, transcriptomic, and epigenomic information but also evidence that soldier- and worker-destined individuals can be identified in natural conditions. Given that the nutritional intakes via social interactions are crucial for caste differentiation in this species, there is a possibility that transcriptomic changes are influenced by the nutritional difference among these individuals. Here, whole body RNA-seq analysis of 3rd-instar larvae with biological replications and Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analyses were conducted. We found the drastic expression differences during caste developments between soldier- and worker-destined individuals. The results indicated that there are several key signaling pathways responsible for caste formations, which are involved in developments and social interactions. Particularly, the nutritional sensitive signaling was upregulated in soldier-destined individuals, while some metabolic pathways were identified in worker-destined individuals. These bioinformatic data obtained should be utilized to examine the molecular mechanisms of caste determination in social insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hajime Yaguchi
- Graduate School of Science and EngineeringUniversity of ToyamaToyamaJapan
- Tropical Biosphere Research CenterUniversity of the RyukyusNishiharaJapan
| | - Ryutaro Suzuki
- Graduate School of Science and EngineeringUniversity of ToyamaToyamaJapan
| | | | - Shuji Shigenobu
- Functional Genomics FacilityNational Institute for Basic BiologyOkazakiJapan
| | - Kiyoto Maekawa
- Graduate School of Science and EngineeringUniversity of ToyamaToyamaJapan
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30
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Dhaygude K, Johansson H, Kulmuni J, Sundström L. Genome organization and molecular characterization of the three Formica exsecta viruses-FeV1, FeV2 and FeV4. PeerJ 2019; 6:e6216. [PMID: 30809424 PMCID: PMC6387575 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.6216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2018] [Accepted: 12/05/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
We present the genome organization and molecular characterization of the three Formica exsecta viruses, along with ORF predictions, and functional annotation of genes. The Formica exsecta virus-4 (FeV4; GenBank ID: MF287670) is a newly discovered negative-sense single-stranded RNA virus representing the first identified member of order Mononegavirales in ants, whereas the Formica exsecta virus-1 (FeV1; GenBank ID: KF500001), and the Formica exsecta virus-2 (FeV2; GenBank ID: KF500002) are positive single-stranded RNA viruses initially identified (but not characterized) in our earlier study. The new virus FeV4 was found by re-analyzing data from a study published earlier. The Formica exsecta virus-4 genome is 9,866 bp in size, with an overall G + C content of 44.92%, and containing five predicted open reading frames (ORFs). Our bioinformatics analysis indicates that gaps are absent and the ORFs are complete, which based on our comparative genomics analysis suggests that the genomes are complete. Following the characterization, we validate virus infection for FeV1, FeV2 and FeV4 for the first time in field-collected worker ants. Some colonies were infected by multiple viruses, and the viruses were observed to infect all castes, and multiple life stages of workers and queens. Finally, highly similar viruses were expressed in adult workers and queens of six other Formica species: F. fusca, F. pressilabris, F. pratensis, F. aquilonia, F. truncorum and F. cinerea. This research indicates that viruses can be shared between ant species, but further studies on viral transmission are needed to understand viral infection pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kishor Dhaygude
- Organismal and Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Helena Johansson
- Organismal and Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Jonna Kulmuni
- Organismal and Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Liselotte Sundström
- Organismal and Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Tvärminne Zoological Station, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Hanko, Finland
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31
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Matsunami M, Nozawa M, Suzuki R, Toga K, Masuoka Y, Yamaguchi K, Maekawa K, Shigenobu S, Miura T. Caste-specific microRNA expression in termites: insights into soldier differentiation. INSECT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2019; 28:86-98. [PMID: 30126008 DOI: 10.1111/imb.12530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Eusocial insects have polyphenic caste systems in which each caste exhibits characteristic morphology and behaviour. In insects, caste systems arose independently in different lineages, such as Isoptera and Hymenoptera. Although partial molecular mechanisms for the development of eusociality in termites have been clarified by the functional analysis of genes and hormones, the contribution of microRNAs (miRNAs) to caste differentiation is unknown. To understand the role of miRNAs in termite caste polyphenism, we performed small RNA sequencing in a subterranean termite (Reticulitermes speratus) and identified the miRNAs that were specifically expressed in the soldier and worker castes. Of the 550 miRNAs annotated in the R. speratus genome, 74 were conserved in insects and 174 were conserved in other termite species. We found that eight miRNAs (mir-1, mir-125, mir-133, mir-2765, mir-87a and three termite-specific miRNAs) are differentially expressed (DE) in soldiers and workers of R. speratus. This differential expression was experimentally verified for five miRNAs by real-time quantitative PCR. Further, four of the eight DE miRNAs in soldier and worker termite castes were also differentially expressed in hymenopteran castes. The finding that Isoptera and Hymenoptera shared several DE miRNAs amongst castes suggests that these miRNAs evolved independently in these phylogenetically distinct lineages.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Matsunami
- Laboratory of Ecological Genetics, Graduate School of Environmental Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
- Graduate School of Medicine, University of the Ryukyus, Nishihara-cho, Japan
| | - M Nozawa
- Department of Biological Sciences, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Hachioji, Japan
| | - R Suzuki
- Graduate School of Science and Engineering, University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan
| | - K Toga
- Graduate School of Science and Engineering, University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan
- Department of Biosciences, College of Humanities and Sciences, Nihon University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Y Masuoka
- Graduate School of Science and Engineering, University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - K Yamaguchi
- Functional Genomics Facility, National Institute for Basic Biology, Okazaki, Japan
| | - K Maekawa
- Graduate School of Science and Engineering, University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan
| | - S Shigenobu
- Functional Genomics Facility, National Institute for Basic Biology, Okazaki, Japan
| | - T Miura
- Laboratory of Ecological Genetics, Graduate School of Environmental Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
- Misaki Marine Biological Station, University of Tokyo, Miura, Kanagawa, Japan
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32
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Abstract
Social monogamy, typically characterized by the formation of a pair bond, increased territorial defense, and often biparental care, has independently evolved multiple times in animals. Despite the independent evolutionary origins of monogamous mating systems, several homologous brain regions and neuropeptides and their receptors have been shown to play a conserved role in regulating social affiliation and parental care, but little is known about the neuromolecular mechanisms underlying monogamy on a genomic scale. Here, we compare neural transcriptomes of reproductive males in monogamous and nonmonogamous species pairs of Peromyscus mice, Microtus voles, parid songbirds, dendrobatid frogs, and Xenotilapia species of cichlid fishes. We find that, while evolutionary divergence time between species or clades did not explain gene expression similarity, characteristics of the mating system correlated with neural gene expression patterns, and neural gene expression varied concordantly across vertebrates when species transition to monogamy. Our study provides evidence of a universal transcriptomic mechanism underlying the evolution of monogamy in vertebrates.
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33
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Faragalla KM, Chernyshova AM, Gallo AJ, Thompson GJ. From gene list to gene network: Recognizing functional connections that regulate behavioral traits. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART B-MOLECULAR AND DEVELOPMENTAL EVOLUTION 2018; 330:317-329. [DOI: 10.1002/jez.b.22829] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2018] [Accepted: 09/10/2018] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
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Margres MJ, Ruiz-Aravena M, Hamede R, Jones ME, Lawrance MF, Hendricks SA, Patton A, Davis BW, Ostrander EA, McCallum H, Hohenlohe PA, Storfer A. The Genomic Basis of Tumor Regression in Tasmanian Devils (Sarcophilus harrisii). Genome Biol Evol 2018; 10:3012-3025. [PMID: 30321343 PMCID: PMC6251476 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evy229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/10/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Understanding the genetic basis of disease-related phenotypes, such as cancer susceptibility, is crucial for the advancement of personalized medicine. Although most cancers are somatic in origin, a small number of transmissible cancers have been documented. Two such cancers have emerged in the Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) and now threaten the species with extinction. Recently, cases of natural tumor regression in Tasmanian devils infected with the clonally contagious cancer have been detected. We used whole-genome sequencing and FST-based approaches to identify the genetic basis of tumor regression by comparing the genomes of seven individuals that underwent tumor regression with those of three infected individuals that did not. We found three highly differentiated candidate genomic regions containing several genes related to immune response and/or cancer risk, indicating that the genomic basis of tumor regression was polygenic. Within these genomic regions, we identified putative regulatory variation in candidate genes but no nonsynonymous variation, suggesting that natural tumor regression may be driven, at least in part, by differential host expression of key loci. Comparative oncology can provide insight into the genetic basis of cancer risk, tumor development, and the pathogenicity of cancer, particularly due to our limited ability to monitor natural, untreated tumor progression in human patients. Our results support the hypothesis that host immune response is necessary for triggering tumor regression, providing candidate genes that may translate to novel treatments in human and nonhuman cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark J Margres
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University
| | - Manuel Ruiz-Aravena
- School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
| | - Rodrigo Hamede
- School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.,Centre for Integrative Ecology, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, Victoria, Australia
| | - Menna E Jones
- School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
| | | | - Sarah A Hendricks
- Department of Biological Sciences, Institute for Bioinformatics and Evolutionary Studies, University of Idaho, Moscow
| | - Austin Patton
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University
| | - Brian W Davis
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, Texas A&M University, College Station.,Cancer Genetics and Comparative Genomics Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Elaine A Ostrander
- Cancer Genetics and Comparative Genomics Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Hamish McCallum
- School of Environment, Griffith University, Nathan, Queensland, Australia
| | - Paul A Hohenlohe
- Department of Biological Sciences, Institute for Bioinformatics and Evolutionary Studies, University of Idaho, Moscow
| | - Andrew Storfer
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University
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35
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Friedman DA, Pilko A, Skowronska-Krawczyk D, Krasinska K, Parker JW, Hirsh J, Gordon DM. The Role of Dopamine in the Collective Regulation of Foraging in Harvester Ants. iScience 2018; 8:283-294. [PMID: 30270022 PMCID: PMC6205345 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2018.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2018] [Revised: 08/04/2018] [Accepted: 09/03/2018] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Colonies of the red harvester ant (Pogonomyrmex barbatus) differ in how they regulate collective foraging activity in response to changes in humidity. We used transcriptomic, physiological, and pharmacological experiments to investigate the molecular basis of this ecologically important variation in collective behavior among colonies. RNA sequencing of forager brain tissue showed an association between colony foraging activity and differential expression of transcripts related to biogenic amine and neurohormonal metabolism and signaling. In field experiments, pharmacological increases in forager brain dopamine titer caused significant increases in foraging activity. Colonies that were naturally most sensitive to humidity were significantly more responsive to the stimulatory effect of exogenous dopamine. In addition, forager brain tissue significantly varied among colonies in biogenic amine content. Neurophysiological variation among colonies associated with individual forager sensitivity to humidity may reflect the heritable molecular variation on which natural selection acts to shape the collective regulation of foraging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel A Friedman
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
| | - Anna Pilko
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and the Institute for Quantitative and Computational Biosciences (QCB), University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Dorota Skowronska-Krawczyk
- Shiley Eye Institute, Richard C. Atkinson Lab for Regenerative Ophthalmology, Department of Ophthalmology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Karolina Krasinska
- Stanford University Mass Spectrometry, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Jacqueline W Parker
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA
| | - Jay Hirsh
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA
| | - Deborah M Gordon
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
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36
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Wu L, Yao Q, Lin P, Li Y, Li H. Comparative transcriptomics reveals specific responding genes associated with atherosclerosis in rabbit and mouse models. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0201618. [PMID: 30067832 PMCID: PMC6070260 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0201618] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2018] [Accepted: 07/18/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Mouse and rabbit are frequently employed species for atherosclerosis research. With respect to modeling human atherosclerosis, it has been observed that variations in phenotype under commonly used atherogenic conditions are partial or no congruence between two species. However, genome-wide molecular variations are still lacking. To understand the differences between rabbit and mouse in developing atherosclerosis, here from aspect of orthologs, we compared the genome-wide expression profiles of two species under the same atherosclerosis driven factors: high-fat diet or LDLR deficiency. Our results illuminated that: 1) LDLR-deficiency induced different gene expression changes in rabbit and mouse. WHHL rabbit had more significantly differential expressed genes and the most of genes were down-regulated. 2) Some genes and functions were commonly dysregulated in high-fat fed rabbit and mouse models, such as lipid metabolism and inflammation process. However, high-fat intake in rabbit produced more differentially expressed genes and more serious functional effects. 3) Specific differential expression genes were revealed for rabbit and mouse related with high-fat intake. In the aspect of lipoprotein metabolism, APOA4 and APOB was the major responding gene in rabbit and mice, respectively. The expression change of APOA4 and APOB in human atherosclerosis was more similar to rabbit, and therefore rabbit might be a better animal model for investigating human lipoprotein metabolism related diseases. In conclusion, our comparative transcriptome analysis revealed species-specific expression regulation that could partially explain the different phenotypes between rabbit and mouse, which was helpful for model selection to study atherosclerosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leilei Wu
- School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Qianlan Yao
- School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Ping Lin
- CAS Key Laboratory of Computational Biology, CAS-MPG Partner Institute for Computational Biology, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Yixue Li
- School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
- CAS Key Laboratory of Computational Biology, CAS-MPG Partner Institute for Computational Biology, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Genetics and Development, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Hong Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Computational Biology, CAS-MPG Partner Institute for Computational Biology, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
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37
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Fan W, Peng Y, Meng Y, Zhang W, Zhu N, Wang J, Guo C, Li J, Du H, Dang Z. Transcriptomic Analysis Reveals Reduced Inorganic Sulfur Compound Oxidation Mechanism in Acidithiobacillus ferriphilus. Microbiology (Reading) 2018. [DOI: 10.1134/s0026261718040070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
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38
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Aird SD, Arora J, Barua A, Qiu L, Terada K, Mikheyev AS. Population Genomic Analysis of a Pitviper Reveals Microevolutionary Forces Underlying Venom Chemistry. Genome Biol Evol 2018; 9:2640-2649. [PMID: 29048530 PMCID: PMC5737360 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evx199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/27/2017] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Venoms are among the most biologically active secretions known, and are commonly believed to evolve under extreme positive selection. Many venom gene families, however, have undergone duplication, and are often deployed in doses vastly exceeding the LD50 for most prey species, which should reduce the strength of positive selection. Here, we contrast these selective regimes using snake venoms, which consist of rapidly evolving protein formulations. Though decades of extensive studies have found that snake venom proteins are subject to strong positive selection, the greater action of drift has been hypothesized, but never tested. Using a combination of de novo genome sequencing, population genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics, we compare the two modes of evolution in the pitviper, Protobothrops mucrosquamatus. By partitioning selective constraints and adaptive evolution in a McDonald–Kreitman-type framework, we find support for both hypotheses: venom proteins indeed experience both stronger positive selection, and lower selective constraint than other genes in the genome. Furthermore, the strength of selection may be modulated by expression level, with more abundant proteins experiencing weaker selective constraint, leading to the accumulation of more deleterious mutations. These findings show that snake venoms evolve by a combination of adaptive and neutral mechanisms, both of which explain their extraordinarily high rates of molecular evolution. In addition to positive selection, which optimizes efficacy of the venom in the short term, relaxed selective constraints for deleterious mutations can lead to more rapid turnover of individual proteins, and potentially to exploration of a larger venom phenotypic space.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven D Aird
- Ecology and Evolution Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Kunigami-gun, Okinawa-ken, Japan
| | - Jigyasa Arora
- Ecology and Evolution Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Kunigami-gun, Okinawa-ken, Japan
| | - Agneesh Barua
- Ecology and Evolution Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Kunigami-gun, Okinawa-ken, Japan
| | - Lijun Qiu
- Ecology and Evolution Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Kunigami-gun, Okinawa-ken, Japan
| | - Kouki Terada
- Okinawa Prefectural Institute of Health and the Environment, Biology and Ecology Group, Nanjo-shi, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Alexander S Mikheyev
- Ecology and Evolution Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Kunigami-gun, Okinawa-ken, Japan
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39
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Romiguier J, Rolland J, Morandin C, Keller L. Phylogenomics of palearctic Formica species suggests a single origin of temporary parasitism and gives insights to the evolutionary pathway toward slave-making behaviour. BMC Evol Biol 2018; 18:40. [PMID: 29592795 PMCID: PMC5872393 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-018-1159-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2017] [Accepted: 03/19/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The ants of the Formica genus are classical model species in evolutionary biology. In particular, Darwin used Formica as model species to better understand the evolution of slave-making, a parasitic behaviour where workers of another species are stolen to exploit their workforce. In his book “On the Origin of Species” (1859), Darwin first hypothesized that slave-making behaviour in Formica evolved in incremental steps from a free-living ancestor. Methods The absence of a well-resolved phylogenetic tree of the genus prevent an assessment of whether relationships among Formica subgenera are compatible with this scenario. In this study, we resolve the relationships among the 4 palearctic Formica subgenera (Formica str. s., Coptoformica, Raptiformica and Serviformica) using a phylogenomic dataset of 945 genes for 16 species. Results We provide a reference tree resolving the relationships among the main Formica subgenera with high bootstrap supports. Discussion The branching order of our tree suggests that the free-living lifestyle is ancestral in the Formica genus and that parasitic colony founding could have evolved a single time, probably acting as a pre-adaptation to slave-making behaviour. Conclusion This phylogenetic tree provides a solid backbone for future evolutionary studies in the Formica genus and slave-making behaviour. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12862-018-1159-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Romiguier
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Biophore, University of Lausanne, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland. .,CNRS UMR-5554, Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution de Montpellier, Université de Montpellier, 34095, Montpellier, France.
| | - Jonathan Rolland
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Biophore, University of Lausanne, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland.,Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, #4200-6270 University Blvd, Vancouver, B.C., Canada.,Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Quartier Sorge, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Claire Morandin
- Centre of Excellence in Biological Interactions, Department of Biosciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Laurent Keller
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Biophore, University of Lausanne, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
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40
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Abstract
The identification of genes affecting sociality can give insights into the maintenance and development of sociality and personality. In this study, we used the combination of an advanced intercross between wild and domestic chickens with a combined QTL and eQTL genetical genomics approach to identify genes for social reinstatement, a social and anxiety-related behavior. A total of 24 social reinstatement QTL were identified and overlaid with over 600 eQTL obtained from the same birds using hypothalamic tissue. Correlations between overlapping QTL and eQTL indicated five strong candidate genes, with the gene TTRAP being strongly significantly correlated with multiple aspects of social reinstatement behavior, as well as possessing a highly significant eQTL.
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41
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Smith CR, Morandin C, Noureddine M, Pant S. Conserved roles of Osiris genes in insect development, polymorphism and protection. J Evol Biol 2018; 31:516-529. [PMID: 29322640 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2017] [Revised: 12/18/2017] [Accepted: 12/20/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Much of the variation among insects is derived from the different ways that chitin has been moulded to form rigid structures, both internal and external. In this study, we identify a highly conserved expression pattern in an insect-only gene family, the Osiris genes, that is essential for development, but also plays a significant role in phenotypic plasticity and in immunity/toxicity responses. The majority of Osiris genes exist in a highly syntenic cluster, and the cluster itself appears to have arisen very early in the evolution of insects. We used developmental gene expression in the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, the bumble bee, Bombus terrestris, the harvester ant, Pogonomyrmex barbatus, and the wood ant, Formica exsecta, to compare patterns of Osiris gene expression both during development and between alternate caste phenotypes in the polymorphic social insects. Developmental gene expression of Osiris genes is highly conserved across species and correlated with gene location and evolutionary history. The social insect castes are highly divergent in pupal Osiris gene expression. Sets of co-expressed genes that include Osiris genes are enriched in gene ontology terms related to chitin/cuticle and peptidase activity. Osiris genes are essential for cuticle formation in both embryos and pupae, and genes co-expressed with Osiris genes affect wing development. Additionally, Osiris genes and those co-expressed seem to play a conserved role in insect toxicology defences and digestion. Given their role in development, plasticity, and protection, we propose that the Osiris genes play a central role in insect adaptive evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- C R Smith
- Department of Biology, Earlham College, Richmond, IN, USA
| | - C Morandin
- Centre of Excellence in Biological Interactions, Department of Biosciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - M Noureddine
- Department of Biology, Earlham College, Richmond, IN, USA
| | - S Pant
- Department of Biology, Earlham College, Richmond, IN, USA
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42
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Favreau E, Martínez-Ruiz C, Rodrigues Santiago L, Hammond RL, Wurm Y. Genes and genomic processes underpinning the social lives of ants. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2018; 25:83-90. [PMID: 29602366 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2017.12.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2017] [Accepted: 12/05/2017] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
The >15000 ant species are all highly social and show great variation in colony organization, complexity and behavior. The mechanisms by which such sociality evolved, as well as those underpinning the elaboration of ant societies since their ∼140 million year old common ancestor, have long been pondered. Here, we review recent insights generated using various genomic approaches. This includes understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying caste differentiation and the diversity of social structures, studying the impact of eusociality on genomic evolutionary rates, and investigating gene expression changes associated with differences in lifespan between castes. Furthermore, functional studies involving RNAi and CRISPR have recently been successfully applied to ants, opening the door to exciting research that promises to revolutionize the understanding of the evolution and diversification of social living.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emeline Favreau
- Organismal Biology Department, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, United Kingdom
| | - Carlos Martínez-Ruiz
- Organismal Biology Department, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, United Kingdom
| | - Leandro Rodrigues Santiago
- Organismal Biology Department, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, United Kingdom
| | - Robert L Hammond
- Department of Genetics and Genome Biology, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, United Kingdom.
| | - Yannick Wurm
- Organismal Biology Department, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, United Kingdom.
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43
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Manfredini F, Romero AE, Pedroso I, Paccanaro A, Sumner S, Brown MJF. Neurogenomic Signatures of Successes and Failures in Life-History Transitions in a Key Insect Pollinator. Genome Biol Evol 2017; 9:3059-3072. [PMID: 29087523 PMCID: PMC5714134 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evx220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/25/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Life-history transitions require major reprogramming at the behavioral and physiological level. Mating and reproductive maturation are known to trigger changes in gene transcription in reproductive tissues in a wide range of organisms, but we understand little about the molecular consequences of a failure to mate or become reproductively mature, and it is not clear to what extent these processes trigger neural as well as physiological changes. In this study, we examined the molecular processes underpinning the behavioral changes that accompany the major life-history transitions in a key pollinator, the bumblebee Bombus terrestris. We compared neuro-transcription in queens that succeeded or failed in switching from virgin and immature states, to mated and reproductively mature states. Both successes and failures were associated with distinct molecular profiles, illustrating how development during adulthood triggers distinct molecular profiles within a single caste of a eusocial insect. Failures in both mating and reproductive maturation were explained by a general up-regulation of brain gene transcription. We identified 21 genes that were highly connected in a gene coexpression network analysis: nine genes are involved in neural processes and four are regulators of gene expression. This suggests that negotiating life-history transitions involves significant neural processing and reprogramming, and not just changes in physiology. These findings provide novel insights into basic life-history transitions of an insect. Failure to mate or to become reproductively mature is an overlooked component of variation in natural systems, despite its prevalence in many sexually reproducing organisms, and deserves deeper investigation in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabio Manfredini
- School of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, United Kingdom
- Department of Computer Science, and Centre for Systems and Synthetic Biology, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, United Kingdom
| | - Alfonso E Romero
- Department of Computer Science, and Centre for Systems and Synthetic Biology, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, United Kingdom
| | - Inti Pedroso
- Center for Systems Biotechnology, Fraunhofer Chile Research Foundation, Santiago, Chile
| | - Alberto Paccanaro
- Department of Computer Science, and Centre for Systems and Synthetic Biology, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, United Kingdom
| | - Seirian Sumner
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, United Kingdom
- Present address: Centre for Biodiversity & Environment Research, Department of Genetics, Evolution & Environment, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Mark J F Brown
- School of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, United Kingdom
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44
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Pracana R, Levantis I, Martínez‐Ruiz C, Stolle E, Priyam A, Wurm Y. Fire ant social chromosomes: Differences in number, sequence and expression of odorant binding proteins. Evol Lett 2017; 1:199-210. [PMID: 30283649 PMCID: PMC6121795 DOI: 10.1002/evl3.22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2017] [Revised: 07/17/2017] [Accepted: 07/27/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Variation in social behavior is common yet our knowledge of the mechanisms underpinning its evolution is limited. The fire ant Solenopsis invicta provides a textbook example of a Mendelian element controlling social organization: alternate alleles of a genetic element first identified as encoding an odorant binding protein (OBP) named Gp-9 determine whether a colony accepts one or multiple queens. The potential roles of such a protein in perceiving olfactory cues and evidence of positive selection on its amino acid sequence made it an appealing candidate gene. However, we recently showed that recombination is suppressed between Gp-9 and hundreds of other genes as part of a >19 Mb supergene-like region carried by a pair of social chromosomes. This finding raises the need to reassess the potential role of Gp-9. We identify 23 OBPs in the fire ant genome assembly, including nine located in the region of suppressed recombination with Gp-9. For six of these, the alleles carried by the two variants of the supergene-like region differ in protein-coding sequence and thus likely in function, with Gp-9 showing the strongest evidence of positive selection. We identify an additional OBP specific to the Sb variant of the region. Finally, we find that 14 OBPs are differentially expressed between single- and multiple-queen colonies. These results are consistent with multiple OBPs playing a role in determining social structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodrigo Pracana
- School of Biological and Chemical SciencesQueen Mary University of LondonE1 4NSLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Ilya Levantis
- School of Biological and Chemical SciencesQueen Mary University of LondonE1 4NSLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Carlos Martínez‐Ruiz
- School of Biological and Chemical SciencesQueen Mary University of LondonE1 4NSLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Eckart Stolle
- School of Biological and Chemical SciencesQueen Mary University of LondonE1 4NSLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Anurag Priyam
- School of Biological and Chemical SciencesQueen Mary University of LondonE1 4NSLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Yannick Wurm
- School of Biological and Chemical SciencesQueen Mary University of LondonE1 4NSLondonUnited Kingdom
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45
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Abstract
The study of insect social behavior has offered tremendous insight into the molecular mechanisms mediating behavioral and phenotypic plasticity. Genomic applications to the study of eusocial insect species, in particular, have led to several hypotheses for the processes underlying the molecular evolution of behavior. Advances in understanding the genetic control of social organization have also been made, suggesting an important role for supergenes in the evolution of divergent behavioral phenotypes. Intensive study of social phenotypes across species has revealed that behavior and caste are controlled by an interaction between genetic and environmentally mediated effects and, further, that gene expression and regulation mediate plastic responses to environmental signals. However, several key methodological flaws that are hindering progress in the study of insect social behavior remain. After reviewing the current state of knowledge, we outline ongoing challenges in experimental design that remain to be overcome in order to advance the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chelsea A Weitekamp
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland; ,
| | - Romain Libbrecht
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 55128 Mainz, Germany;
| | - Laurent Keller
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland; ,
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46
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Lucas ER, Romiguier J, Keller L. Gene expression is more strongly influenced by age than caste in the ant Lasius niger. Mol Ecol 2017; 26:5058-5073. [DOI: 10.1111/mec.14256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2017] [Revised: 06/20/2017] [Accepted: 06/28/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Eric R. Lucas
- Department of Ecology and Evolution; Biophore, University of Lausanne; Lausanne Switzerland
- Department of Vector Biology; Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine; Liverpool UK
| | - Jonathan Romiguier
- Department of Ecology and Evolution; Biophore, University of Lausanne; Lausanne Switzerland
| | - Laurent Keller
- Department of Ecology and Evolution; Biophore, University of Lausanne; Lausanne Switzerland
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47
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Wang Z, Liu Y, Li L, Li D, Zhang Q, Guo Y, Wang S, Zhong C, Huang H. Whole transcriptome sequencing of Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae-infected kiwifruit plants reveals species-specific interaction between long non-coding RNA and coding genes. Sci Rep 2017; 7:4910. [PMID: 28687784 PMCID: PMC5501815 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-05377-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2016] [Accepted: 05/30/2017] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
An outbreak of kiwifruit bacterial canker disease caused by Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae (Psa) beginning in 2008 caused disaster to the kiwifruit industry. However the mechanisms of interaction between kiwifruit and Psa are unknown. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are known to regulate many biological processes, but comprehensive repertoires of kiwifruit lncRNAs and their effects on the interaction between kiwifruit and Psa are unknown. Here, based on in-depth transcriptomic analysis of four kiwifruit materials at three stages of infection with Psa, we identified 14,845 transcripts from 12,280 loci as putative lncRNAs. Hierarchical clustering analysis of differentially-expressed transcripts reveals that both protein-coding and lncRNA transcripts are expressed species-specifically. Comparing differentially-expressed transcripts from different species, variations in pattern-triggered immunity (PTI) were the main causes of species-specific responses to infection by Psa. Using weighted gene co-expression network analysis, we identified species-specific expressed key lncRNAs which were closely related to plant immune response and signal transduction. Our results illustrate that different kiwifruit species employ multiple different plant immunity layers to fight against Psa infection, which causes distinct responses. We also discovered that lncRNAs might affect kiwifruit responses to Psa infection, indicating that both protein-coding regions and noncoding regions can affect kiwifruit response to Psa infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zupeng Wang
- Key Laboratory of Plant Resources Conservation and Sustainable Utilization, South China Botanical Garden, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510650, China.,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Botany, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510650, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Yifei Liu
- Key Laboratory of Plant Resources Conservation and Sustainable Utilization, South China Botanical Garden, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510650, China. .,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Botany, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510650, China.
| | - Li Li
- Key Laboratory of Plant Germplasm Enhancement and Specially Agriculture, Wuhan Botanical Garden, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, 430074, China
| | - Dawei Li
- Key Laboratory of Plant Germplasm Enhancement and Specially Agriculture, Wuhan Botanical Garden, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, 430074, China
| | - Qiong Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Plant Germplasm Enhancement and Specially Agriculture, Wuhan Botanical Garden, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, 430074, China
| | - Yangtao Guo
- Key Laboratory of Plant Resources Conservation and Sustainable Utilization, South China Botanical Garden, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510650, China.,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Botany, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510650, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Shuaibin Wang
- Key Laboratory of Plant Resources Conservation and Sustainable Utilization, South China Botanical Garden, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510650, China.,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Botany, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510650, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Caihong Zhong
- Key Laboratory of Plant Germplasm Enhancement and Specially Agriculture, Wuhan Botanical Garden, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, 430074, China
| | - Hongwen Huang
- Key Laboratory of Plant Resources Conservation and Sustainable Utilization, South China Botanical Garden, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510650, China. .,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Botany, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510650, China. .,Key Laboratory of Plant Germplasm Enhancement and Specially Agriculture, Wuhan Botanical Garden, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, 430074, China.
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48
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Sun M, Sun T, He Z, Xiong B. Identification of two novel biomarkers of rectal carcinoma progression and prognosis via co-expression network analysis. Oncotarget 2017; 8:69594-69609. [PMID: 29050227 PMCID: PMC5642502 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.18646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2017] [Accepted: 05/22/2017] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
mRNA expression profiles provide important insights on a diversity of biological processes involved in rectal carcinoma (RC). Our aim was to comprehensively map complex interactions between the mRNA expression patterns and the clinical traits of RC. We employed the integrated analysis of five microarray datasets and The Cancer Genome Atlas rectal adenocarcinoma database to identify 2118 consensual differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in RC and adjacent normal tissue samples, and then applied weighted gene co-expression network analysis to parse DEGs and eight clinical traits in 66 eligible RC samples. A total of 16 co-expressed gene modules were identified. The green-yellow and salmon modules were most appropriate to the pathological stage (R = 0.36) and the overall survival (HR =13.534, P = 0.014), respectively. A diagnostic model of the five pathological stage hub genes (SCG3, SYP, CDK5R2, AP3B2, and RUNDC3A) provided a powerful classification accuracy between localized RC and non-localized RC. We also found increased Secretogranin III (SCG3) expression with higher pathological stage and poorer prognosis in the test and validation set. The increased Homer scaffolding protein 2 (HOMER2) expression with the favorable survival prediction efficiency significantly correlated with the markedly reduced overall survival of RC patients and the higher pathological stage during the test and validation set. Our findings indicate that the SCG3 and HOMER2 mRNA levels should be further evaluated as predictors of pathological stage and survival in patients with RC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Sun
- Department of Oncology, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Hubei Key Laboratory of Tumor Biological Behaviors & Hubei Cancer Clinical Study Center, Wuhan 430071, P.R. China
| | - Taojiao Sun
- Department of Stomatology, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, P.R. China
| | - Zhongshi He
- Department of Radiation and Medical Oncology, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, P.R. China
| | - Bin Xiong
- Department of Oncology, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Hubei Key Laboratory of Tumor Biological Behaviors & Hubei Cancer Clinical Study Center, Wuhan 430071, P.R. China
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49
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Yu J, Hu F, Dossa K, Wang Z, Ke T. Genome-wide analysis of UDP-glycosyltransferase super family in Brassica rapa and Brassica oleracea reveals its evolutionary history and functional characterization. BMC Genomics 2017. [PMID: 28645261 PMCID: PMC5481917 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-017-3844-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Glycosyltransferases comprise a highly divergent and polyphyletic multigene family that is involved in widespread modification of plant secondary metabolites in a process called glycosylation. According to conserved domains identified in their amino acid sequences, these glycosyltransferases can be classified into a single UDP-glycosyltransferase (UGT) 1 superfamily. Results We performed genome-wide comparative analysis of UGT genes to trace evolutionary history in algae, bryophytes, pteridophytes, and angiosperms; then, we further investigated the expansion mechanisms and function characterization of UGT gene families in Brassica rapa and Brassica oleracea. Using Hidden Markov Model search, we identified 3, 21, 140, 200, 115, 147, and 147 UGTs in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, Physcomitrella patens, Selaginella moellendorffii, Oryza sativa, Arabidopsis thaliana, B. rapa, and B. oleracea, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that UGT80 gene family is an ancient gene family, which is shared by all plants and UGT74 gene family is shared by ferns and angiosperms, but the remaining UGT gene families were shared by angiosperms. In dicot lineage, UGTs among three species were classified into three subgroups containing 3, 6, and 12 UGT gene families. Analysis of chromosomal distribution indicates that 98.6 and 71.4% of UGTs were located on B. rapa and B. oleracea pseudo-molecules, respectively. Expansion mechanism analyses uncovered that whole genome duplication event exerted larger influence than tandem duplication on expansion of UGT gene families in B. rapa, and B. oleracea. Analysis of selection forces of UGT orthologous gene pairs in B. rapa, and B. oleracea compared to A. thaliana suggested that orthologous genes in B. rapa, and B. oleracea have undergone negative selection, but there were no significant differences between A. thaliana –B. rapa and A. thaliana –B. oleracea lineages. Our comparisons of expression profiling illustrated that UGTs in B. rapa performed more discrete expression patterns than these in B. oleracea indicating stronger function divergence. Combing with phylogeny and expression analysis, the UGTs in B. rapa and B. oleracea experienced parallel evolution after they diverged from a common ancestor. Conclusion We first traced the evolutionary history of UGT gene families in plants and revealed its evolutionary and functional characterization of UGTs in B. rapa, and B. oleracea. This study provides novel insights into the evolutionary history and functional divergence of important traits or phenotype-related gene families in plants. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-017-3844-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingyin Yu
- Department of Life Science and Technology, Nanyang Normal University, Wolong Road, Nanyang, 473061, China.,Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Oil Crops, Ministry of Agriculture, Oil Crops Research Institute, the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan, 430062, China
| | - Fan Hu
- Third Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration, Fujian, 361005, China
| | - Komivi Dossa
- Department of Life Science and Technology, Nanyang Normal University, Wolong Road, Nanyang, 473061, China.,Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Oil Crops, Ministry of Agriculture, Oil Crops Research Institute, the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan, 430062, China
| | - Zhaokai Wang
- Third Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration, Fujian, 361005, China.
| | - Tao Ke
- Department of Life Science and Technology, Nanyang Normal University, Wolong Road, Nanyang, 473061, China.
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50
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Okada Y, Watanabe Y, Tin MMY, Tsuji K, Mikheyev AS. Social dominance alters nutrition-related gene expression immediately: transcriptomic evidence from a monomorphic queenless ant. Mol Ecol 2017; 26:2922-2938. [DOI: 10.1111/mec.13989] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2016] [Revised: 11/23/2016] [Accepted: 11/28/2016] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yasukazu Okada
- Department of General Systems Studies; Graduate School of Arts and Sciences; The University of Tokyo; 3-8-1 Komaba Tokyo Japan
| | - Yutaka Watanabe
- Ecology and Evolution Unit; Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology; 1919-1 Tancha Onna-son Kunigami Okinawa 904-0495 Japan
| | - Mandy M. Y. Tin
- Ecology and Evolution Unit; Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology; 1919-1 Tancha Onna-son Kunigami Okinawa 904-0495 Japan
| | - Kazuki Tsuji
- Department of Subtropical Agro-Environmental Sciences; Faculty of Agriculture; University of the Ryukyus; Nishihara Okinawa 903-0213 Japan
| | - Alexander S. Mikheyev
- Ecology and Evolution Unit; Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology; 1919-1 Tancha Onna-son Kunigami Okinawa 904-0495 Japan
- Research School of Biology; Australian National University; Canberra ACT 0200 Australia
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