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Skojec C, Godfrey RK, Kawahara AY. Long read genome assembly of Automeris io (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae) an emerging model for the evolution of deimatic displays. G3 (BETHESDA, MD.) 2024; 14:jkad292. [PMID: 38324397 PMCID: PMC10917498 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkad292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 02/09/2024]
Abstract
Automeris moths are a morphologically diverse group with 135 described species that have a geographic range that spans from the New World temperate zone to the Neotropics. Many Automeris have elaborate hindwing eyespots that are thought to deter or disrupt the attack of potential predators, allowing the moth time to escape. The Io moth (Automeris io), known for its striking eyespots, is a well-studied species within the genus and is an emerging model system to study the evolution of deimatism. Existing research on the eyespot pattern development will be augmented by genomic resources that allow experimental manipulation of this emerging model. Here, we present a high-quality, PacBio HiFi genome assembly for Io moth to aid existing research on the molecular development of eyespots and future research on other deimatic traits. This 490 Mb assembly is highly contiguous (N50 = 15.78 mbs) and complete (benchmarking universal single-copy orthologs = 98.4%). Additionally, we were able to recover orthologs of genes previously identified as being involved in wing pattern formation and movement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chelsea Skojec
- McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity, Florida Museum of Natural
History, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
32611, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, 220 Bartram
Hall, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - R Keating Godfrey
- McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity, Florida Museum of Natural
History, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
32611, USA
| | - Akito Y Kawahara
- McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity, Florida Museum of Natural
History, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
32611, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, 220 Bartram
Hall, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
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2
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Le MH, Morgan B, Lu MY, Moctezuma V, Burgos O, Huang JP. The genomes of Hercules beetles reveal putative adaptive loci and distinct demographic histories in pristine North American forests. Mol Ecol Resour 2024; 24:e13908. [PMID: 38063363 DOI: 10.1111/1755-0998.13908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2022] [Revised: 01/14/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024]
Abstract
Beetles, despite their remarkable biodiversity and a long history of research, remain lacking in reference genomes annotated with structural variations in loci of adaptive significance. We sequenced and assembled high-quality chromosome-level genomes of four Hercules beetles which exhibit divergence in male horn size and shape and body colouration. The four Hercules beetle genomes were assembled to 11 pseudo-chromosomes, where the three genomes assembled using Nanopore data (Dynastes grantii, D. hyllus and D. tityus) were mapped to the genome assembled using PacBio + Hi-C data (D. maya). We demonstrated a striking similarity in genome structure among the four species. This conservative genome structure may be attributed to our use of the D. maya assembly as the reference; however, it is worth noting that such a conservative genome structure is a recurring phenomenon among scarab beetles. We further identified homologues of nine and three candidate-gene families that may be associated with the evolution of horn structure and body colouration respectively. Structural variations in Scr and Ebony2 were detected and discussed for their putative impacts on generating morphological diversity in beetles. We also reconstructed the demographic histories of the four Hercules beetles using heterozygosity information from the diploid genomes. We found that the demographic histories of the beetles closely recapitulated historical changes in suitable forest habitats driven by climate shifts.
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Affiliation(s)
- My-Hanh Le
- Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Brett Morgan
- Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
- Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Edgewater, Maryland, USA
| | - Mei-Yeh Lu
- Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Victor Moctezuma
- Centro Tlaxcala de Biología de la Conducta, Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Tlaxcala de Xicohténcatl, Tlaxcala, Mexico
| | - Oscar Burgos
- Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos, Cuernavaca, Mexico
| | - Jen-Pan Huang
- Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
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3
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Godfrey RK, Britton SE, Mishra S, Goldberg JK, Kawahara AY. A high-quality, long-read genome assembly of the whitelined sphinx moth (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae: Hyles lineata) shows highly conserved melanin synthesis pathway genes. G3 (BETHESDA, MD.) 2023; 13:jkad090. [PMID: 37119801 PMCID: PMC10234378 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkad090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2023] [Revised: 03/21/2023] [Accepted: 04/14/2023] [Indexed: 05/01/2023]
Abstract
The sphinx moth genus Hyles comprises 29 described species inhabiting all continents except Antarctica. The genus diverged relatively recently (40-25 MYA), arising in the Americas and rapidly establishing a cosmopolitan distribution. The whitelined sphinx moth, Hyles lineata, represents the oldest extant lineage of this group and is one of the most widespread and abundant sphinx moths in North America. Hyles lineata exhibits the large body size and adept flight control characteristic of the sphinx moth family (Sphingidae), but it is unique in displaying extreme larval color variation and broad host plant use. These traits, in combination with its broad distribution and high relative abundance within its range, have made H. lineata a model organism for studying phenotypic plasticity, plant-herbivore interactions, physiological ecology, and flight control. Despite being one of the most well-studied sphinx moths, little data exist on genetic variation or regulation of gene expression. Here, we report a high-quality genome showing high contiguity (N50 of 14.2 Mb) and completeness (98.2% of Lepidoptera BUSCO genes), an important first characterization to facilitate such studies. We also annotate the core melanin synthesis pathway genes and confirm that they have high sequence conservation with other moths and are most similar to those of another, well-characterized sphinx moth, the tobacco hornworm (Manduca sexta).
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Affiliation(s)
- R Keating Godfrey
- McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, 3215 Hull Rd, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Sarah E Britton
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, 1041 E. Lowell St, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - Shova Mishra
- Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of Florida, 1881 Natural Area Dr., Gainesville, FL 32608, USA
| | - Jay K Goldberg
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, 1041 E. Lowell St, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - Akito Y Kawahara
- McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, 3215 Hull Rd, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
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4
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Snead AA, Clark RD. The Biological Hierarchy, Time, and Temporal 'Omics in Evolutionary Biology: A Perspective. Integr Comp Biol 2022; 62:1872-1886. [PMID: 36057775 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icac138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2022] [Revised: 08/28/2022] [Accepted: 08/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Sequencing data-genomics, transcriptomics, epigenomics, proteomics, and metabolomics-have revolutionized biological research, enabling a more detailed study of processes, ranging from subcellular to evolutionary, that drive biological organization. These processes, collectively, are responsible for generating patterns of phenotypic variation and can operate over dramatically different timescales (milliseconds to billions of years). While researchers often study phenotypic variation at specific levels of biological organization to isolate processes operating at that particular scale, the varying types of sequence data, or 'omics, can also provide complementary inferences to link molecular and phenotypic variation to produce an integrated view of evolutionary biology, ranging from molecular pathways to speciation. We briefly describe how 'omics has been used across biological levels and then demonstrate the utility of integrating different types of sequencing data across multiple biological levels within the same study to better understand biological phenomena. However, single-time-point studies cannot evaluate the temporal dynamics of these biological processes. Therefore, we put forward temporal 'omics as a framework that can better enable researchers to study the temporal dynamics of target processes. Temporal 'omics is not infallible, as the temporal sampling regime directly impacts inferential ability. Thus, we also discuss the role the temporal sampling regime plays in deriving inferences about the environmental conditions driving biological processes and provide examples that demonstrate the impact of the sampling regime on biological inference. Finally, we forecast the future of temporal 'omics by highlighting current methodological advancements that will enable temporal 'omics to be extended across species and timescales. We extend this discussion to using temporal multi-omics to integrate across the biological hierarchy to evaluate and link the temporal dynamics of processes that generate phenotypic variation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony A Snead
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alabama, 300 Hackberry Lane, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487, USA
| | - René D Clark
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Natural Resources, Rutgers University, 14 College Farm Road, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
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Croce AC, Scolari F. The Bright Side of the Tiger: Autofluorescence Patterns in Aedes albopictus (Diptera, Culicidae) Male and Female Mosquitoes. Molecules 2022; 27:molecules27030713. [PMID: 35163978 PMCID: PMC8839535 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27030713] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2021] [Revised: 01/17/2022] [Accepted: 01/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Light-based events in insects deserve increasing attention for various reasons. Besides their roles in inter- and intra-specific visual communication, with biological, ecological and taxonomical implications, optical properties are also promising tools for the monitoring of insect pests and disease vectors. Among these is the Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, a global arbovirus vector. Here we have focused on the autofluorescence characterization of Ae. albopictus adults using a combined imaging and spectrofluorometric approach. Imaging has evidenced that autofluorescence rises from specific body compartments, such as the head appendages, and the abdominal and leg scales. Spectrofluorometry has demonstrated that emission consists of a main band in the 410–600 nm region. The changes in the maximum peak position, between 430 nm and 500 nm, and in the spectral width, dependent on the target structure, indicate the presence, at variable degrees, of different fluorophores, likely resilin, chitin and melanins. The aim of this work has been to provide initial evidence on the so far largely unexplored autofluorescence of Ae. albopictus, to furnish new perspectives for the set-up of species- and sex-specific investigation of biological functions as well as of strategies for in-flight direct detection and surveillance of mosquito vectors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna C. Croce
- Institute of Molecular Genetics, Italian National Research Council (CNR), Via Abbiategrasso 207, 27100 Pavia, Italy
- Department of Biology & Biotechnology, University of Pavia, Via Ferrata 9, I-27100 Pavia, Italy
- Correspondence: (A.C.C.); (F.S.); Tel.: +39-0382-986428 (A.C.C.); +39-0382-986421 (F.S.)
| | - Francesca Scolari
- Institute of Molecular Genetics, Italian National Research Council (CNR), Via Abbiategrasso 207, 27100 Pavia, Italy
- Department of Biology & Biotechnology, University of Pavia, Via Ferrata 9, I-27100 Pavia, Italy
- Correspondence: (A.C.C.); (F.S.); Tel.: +39-0382-986428 (A.C.C.); +39-0382-986421 (F.S.)
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Piron-Prunier F, Persyn E, Legeai F, McClure M, Meslin C, Robin S, Alves-Carvalho S, Mohammad A, Blugeon C, Jacquin-Joly E, Montagné N, Elias M, Gauthier J. Comparative transcriptome analysis at the onset of speciation in a mimetic butterfly-The Ithomiini Melinaea marsaeus. J Evol Biol 2021; 34:1704-1721. [PMID: 34570954 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13940] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2021] [Revised: 08/16/2021] [Accepted: 09/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Ecological speciation entails divergent selection on specific traits and ultimately on the developmental pathways responsible for these traits. Selection can act on gene sequences but also on regulatory regions responsible for gene expression. Mimetic butterflies are a relevant system for speciation studies because wing colour pattern (WCP) often diverges between closely related taxa and is thought to drive speciation through assortative mating and increased predation on hybrids. Here, we generate the first transcriptomic resources for a mimetic butterfly of the tribe Ithomiini, Melinaea marsaeus, to examine patterns of differential expression between two subspecies and between tissues that express traits that likely drive reproductive isolation; WCP and chemosensory genes. We sequenced whole transcriptomes of three life stages to cover a large catalogue of transcripts, and we investigated differential expression between subspecies in pupal wing discs and antennae. Eighteen known WCP genes were expressed in wing discs and 115 chemosensory genes were expressed in antennae, with a remarkable diversity of chemosensory protein genes. Many transcripts were differentially expressed between subspecies, including two WCP genes and one odorant receptor. Our results suggest that in M. marsaeus the same genes as in other mimetic butterflies are involved in traits causing reproductive isolation, and point at possible candidates for the differences in those traits between subspecies. Differential expression analyses of other developmental stages and body organs and functional studies are needed to confirm and expand these results. Our work provides key resources for comparative genomics in mimetic butterflies, and more generally in Lepidoptera.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florence Piron-Prunier
- Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité, MNHN, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, Université des Antilles, Paris, France
| | - Emma Persyn
- Institute of Ecology and Environmental Sciences of Paris, Sorbonne Université, INRAE, CNRS, IRD, UPEC, Université de Paris, Paris, France
| | - Fabrice Legeai
- BIPAA, IGEPP, INRAE, Institut Agro, Univ Rennes, Rennes, France.,Univ Rennes, INRIA, CNRS, IRISA, Rennes, France
| | - Melanie McClure
- Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité, MNHN, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, Université des Antilles, Paris, France.,Laboratoire Écologie, Évolution,Interactions des Systèmes Amazoniens (LEEISA), Université de Guyane, CNRS, IFREMER, Cayenne, France
| | - Camille Meslin
- Institute of Ecology and Environmental Sciences of Paris, Sorbonne Université, INRAE, CNRS, IRD, UPEC, Université de Paris, Paris, France
| | - Stéphanie Robin
- BIPAA, IGEPP, INRAE, Institut Agro, Univ Rennes, Rennes, France.,Univ Rennes, INRIA, CNRS, IRISA, Rennes, France
| | | | - Ammara Mohammad
- Département de Biologie, Genomics Core Facility, Institut de Biologie de l'ENS (IBENS), École Normale Supérieure, CNRS, INSERM, Université PSL, Paris, France
| | - Corinne Blugeon
- Département de Biologie, Genomics Core Facility, Institut de Biologie de l'ENS (IBENS), École Normale Supérieure, CNRS, INSERM, Université PSL, Paris, France
| | - Emmanuelle Jacquin-Joly
- Institute of Ecology and Environmental Sciences of Paris, Sorbonne Université, INRAE, CNRS, IRD, UPEC, Université de Paris, Paris, France
| | - Nicolas Montagné
- Institute of Ecology and Environmental Sciences of Paris, Sorbonne Université, INRAE, CNRS, IRD, UPEC, Université de Paris, Paris, France
| | - Marianne Elias
- Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité, MNHN, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, Université des Antilles, Paris, France
| | - Jérémy Gauthier
- Univ Rennes, INRIA, CNRS, IRISA, Rennes, France.,Geneva Natural History Museum, Geneva, Switzerland
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Jia SL, Chi Z, Chen L, Liu GL, Hu Z, Chi ZM. Molecular evolution and regulation of DHN melanin-related gene clusters are closely related to adaptation of different melanin-producing fungi. Genomics 2021; 113:1962-1975. [PMID: 33901575 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygeno.2021.04.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2020] [Revised: 03/31/2021] [Accepted: 04/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Many genes responsible for melanin biosynthesis in fungi were physically linked together. The PKS gene clusters in most of the melanin-producing fungi were regulated by the Cmr1. It was found that a close rearrangement of the PKS gene clusters had evolved in most of the melanin-producing fungi and various functions of melanin in them were beneficial to their adaptation to the changing environments. The melanin-producing fungi had undergone at least five large-scale differentiations, making their PKS gene clusters be quickly evolved and the fungi be adapted to different harsh environments. The recent gene losses and expansion were remarkably frequent in the PKS gene clusters, leading to their rapid evolution and adaptation of their hosts to different environments. The PKS gene and the CMR1 gene in them were subject to a strong co-evolution, but the horizontal gene transfer events might have occurred in the genome-duplicated species, Aspergillus and Penicillium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shu-Lei Jia
- College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Yushan Road, No. 5, Qingdao, China
| | - Zhe Chi
- College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Yushan Road, No. 5, Qingdao, China; Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, 266003 Qingdao, China
| | - Lu Chen
- College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Yushan Road, No. 5, Qingdao, China; Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, 266003 Qingdao, China
| | - Guang-Lei Liu
- College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Yushan Road, No. 5, Qingdao, China; Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, 266003 Qingdao, China
| | - Zhong Hu
- Department of Biology, Shantou University, Shantou 515063, China
| | - Zhen-Ming Chi
- College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Yushan Road, No. 5, Qingdao, China; Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, 266003 Qingdao, China.
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Rahman SR, Terranova T, Tian L, Hines HM. Developmental Transcriptomics Reveals a Gene Network Driving Mimetic Color Variation in a Bumble Bee. Genome Biol Evol 2021; 13:6244266. [PMID: 33881508 PMCID: PMC8220310 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evab080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
A major goal of evolutionary genetics and evo-devo is to understand how changes in genotype manifest as changes in phenotype. Bumble bees display remarkable color pattern diversity while converging onto numerous regional Müllerian mimicry patterns, thus enabling exploration of the genetic mechanisms underlying convergent phenotypic evolution. In western North America, multiple bumble bee species converge onto local mimicry patterns through parallel shifts of midabdominal segments from red to black. It was previously demonstrated that a Hox gene, Abd-B, is the key regulator of the phenotypic switch in one of these species, Bombus melanopygus, however, the mechanism by which Abd-B regulates color differentiation remains unclear. Using tissue/stage-specific transcriptomic analysis followed by qRT–PCR validation, this study reveals a suite of genes potentially involved downstream of Abd-B during color pattern differentiation. The data support differential genes expression of not only the first switch gene Abd-B, but also an intermediate developmental gene nubbin, and a whole suite of downstream melanin and redox genes that together reinforce the observed eumelanin (black)-pheomelanin (red) ratios. These include potential genes involved in the production of insect pheomelanins, a pigment until recently not thought to occur in insects and thus lacking known regulatory enzymes. The results enhance understanding of pigmentation gene networks involved in bumble bee color pattern development and diversification, while providing insights into how upstream regulators such as Hox genes interact with downstream morphogenic players to facilitate this adaptive phenotypic radiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarthok Rasique Rahman
- Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA.,Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA
| | - Tatiana Terranova
- Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Li Tian
- Department of Entomology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Heather M Hines
- Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA.,Department of Entomology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
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