1
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Evolutionarily conserved boule and dazl identify germ cells of Coilia nasus. AQUACULTURE AND FISHERIES 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.aaf.2021.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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2
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Eckelbarger KJ, Hodgson AN. Invertebrate oogenesis – a review and synthesis: comparative ovarian morphology, accessory cell function and the origins of yolk precursors. INVERTEBR REPROD DEV 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/07924259.2021.1927861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kevin J. Eckelbarger
- Darling Marine Center, School of Marine Sciences, The University of Maine, Walpole, Maine, U.S.A
| | - Alan N. Hodgson
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa
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3
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Rodríguez Gutiérrez D, Biason-Lauber A. Pluripotent Cell Models for Gonadal Research. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:ijms20215495. [PMID: 31690065 PMCID: PMC6862629 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20215495] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2019] [Revised: 10/30/2019] [Accepted: 11/01/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Sex development is a complex process involving many genes and hormones. Defects in this process lead to Differences of Sex Development (DSD), a group of heterogeneous conditions not as rare as previously thought. Part of the obstacles in proper management of these patients is due to an incomplete understanding of the genetics programs and molecular pathways involved in sex development and DSD. Several challenges delay progress and the lack of a proper model system for the single patient severely hinders advances in understanding these diseases. The revolutionary techniques of cellular reprogramming and guided in vitro differentiation allow us now to exploit the versatility of induced pluripotent stem cells to create alternatives models for DSD, ideally on a patient-specific personalized basis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Rodríguez Gutiérrez
- Endocrinology Division, Department of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Cardiovascular System, Section of Medicine, University of Fribourg, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland.
| | - Anna Biason-Lauber
- Endocrinology Division, Department of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Cardiovascular System, Section of Medicine, University of Fribourg, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland.
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4
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Renard E, Leys SP, Wörheide G, Borchiellini C. Understanding Animal Evolution: The Added Value of Sponge Transcriptomics and Genomics: The disconnect between gene content and body plan evolution. Bioessays 2018; 40:e1700237. [PMID: 30070368 DOI: 10.1002/bies.201700237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2017] [Revised: 06/22/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Sponges are important but often-neglected organisms. The absence of classical animal traits (nerves, digestive tract, and muscles) makes sponges challenging for non-specialists to work with and has delayed getting high quality genomic data compared to other invertebrates. Yet analyses of sponge genomes and transcriptomes currently available have radically changed our understanding of animal evolution. Sponges are of prime evolutionary importance as one of the best candidates to form the sister group of all other animals, and genomic data are essential to understand the mechanisms that control animal evolution and diversity. Here we review the most significant outcomes of current genomic and transcriptomic analyses of sponges, and discuss limitations and future directions of sponge transcriptomic and genomic studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emmanuelle Renard
- Aix Marseille Univ., Univ Avignon, CNRS, IRD, UMR 7263, Mediterranean Institute of Marine and Continental Biodiversity and Ecology (IMBE), Station Marine d'Endoume, Marseille, France.,Aix Marseille Univ., CNRS, UMR 7288, IBDM, Marseille, France
| | - Sally P Leys
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E9, Canada
| | - Gert Wörheide
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Paleontology and Geobiology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Richard-Wagner Straße 10, 80333 Munich, Germany.,GeoBio-Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany.,Bavarian State Collection for Paleontology and Geology, Munich, Germany
| | - Carole Borchiellini
- Aix Marseille Univ., Univ Avignon, CNRS, IRD, UMR 7263, Mediterranean Institute of Marine and Continental Biodiversity and Ecology (IMBE), Station Marine d'Endoume, Marseille, France
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5
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Zhang X, Yu S, Yang Q, Wang K, Zhang S, Pan C, Yan H, Dang R, Lei C, Chen H, Lan X. Goat Boule: Isoforms identification, mRNA expression in testis and functional study and promoter methylation profiles. Theriogenology 2018; 116:53-63. [PMID: 29778921 DOI: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2018.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2017] [Revised: 05/03/2018] [Accepted: 05/04/2018] [Indexed: 10/16/2022]
Abstract
A conserved gene in meiosis, the Boule gene is involved in meiosis and spermatogenesis. The deletion of this gene in males blocks meiosis and results in infertility. Alternative splicing variants of the Boule gene have been identified in humans, bovines, and bats, but in dairy goats remains unknown. This study was therefore to detect splicing variants of the goat Boule gene and explore their potential roles in meiosis. Three isoforms, denoted as Boule-a, Boule-b, and Boule-c, were identified in the testes of goats using real-time PCR (RT-PCR) and cloning sequencing. Compared to the normal Boule gene, Boule-a was found to lack exons 7 and 8, which corresponds to a predicted variant, X4, on the NCBI database. Boule-b lacked exon 8, and Boule-c only retained exons 1 and 2. Of these three variants, two were novel isoforms of the Boule gene. Quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) showed that the Boule-a and Boule-b expression patterns were significantly different between the adult goat testes and the postnatal testes of 42 and 56 days. Overexpression of Boule-a and Boule-c in GC-1 spg cells of model mice significantly repressed CDC2 expression. Bisulfite sequencing PCR (BSP) results showed that the promoter region of the Boule gene was hypermethylated in goat testes. A negative correlation between the methylation levels of the Boule gene promoter and total mRNA expression of its transcripts was found. Our data showed alternative splicing and promoter methylation in the goat Boule gene, suggesting that this gene may play an important role in the regulation of Boule expression and in meiosis processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoyan Zhang
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Agriculture, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, PR China.
| | - Shuai Yu
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Agriculture, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, PR China
| | - Qing Yang
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Agriculture, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, PR China
| | - Ke Wang
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Agriculture, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, PR China
| | - Sihuan Zhang
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Agriculture, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, PR China
| | - Chuanying Pan
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Agriculture, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, PR China
| | - Hailong Yan
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Agriculture, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, PR China; Shaanxi Provincial Engineering and Technology Research Center of Cashmere Goats, Yulin University, Yulin 719000, China
| | - Ruihua Dang
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Agriculture, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, PR China
| | - Chuzhao Lei
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Agriculture, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, PR China
| | - Hong Chen
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Agriculture, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, PR China
| | - Xianyong Lan
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Agriculture, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, PR China.
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6
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Carmell MA, Dokshin GA, Skaletsky H, Hu YC, van Wolfswinkel JC, Igarashi KJ, Bellott DW, Nefedov M, Reddien PW, Enders GC, Uversky VN, Mello CC, Page DC. A widely employed germ cell marker is an ancient disordered protein with reproductive functions in diverse eukaryotes. eLife 2016; 5. [PMID: 27718356 PMCID: PMC5098910 DOI: 10.7554/elife.19993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2016] [Accepted: 10/05/2016] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The advent of sexual reproduction and the evolution of a dedicated germline in multicellular organisms are critical landmarks in eukaryotic evolution. We report an ancient family of GCNA (germ cell nuclear antigen) proteins that arose in the earliest eukaryotes, and feature a rapidly evolving intrinsically disordered region (IDR). Phylogenetic analysis reveals that GCNA proteins emerged before the major eukaryotic lineages diverged; GCNA predates the origin of a dedicated germline by a billion years. Gcna gene expression is enriched in reproductive cells across eukarya - either just prior to or during meiosis in single-celled eukaryotes, and in stem cells and germ cells of diverse multicellular animals. Studies of Gcna-mutant C. elegans and mice indicate that GCNA has functioned in reproduction for at least 600 million years. Homology to IDR-containing proteins implicated in DNA damage repair suggests that GCNA proteins may protect the genomic integrity of cells carrying a heritable genome.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Gregoriy A Dokshin
- RNA Therapeutics Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, United States
| | - Helen Skaletsky
- Whitehead Institute, Cambridge, United States.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, United States
| | | | | | | | | | - Michael Nefedov
- BACPAC Resources, Children's Hospital Oakland, Oakland, United States
| | - Peter W Reddien
- Whitehead Institute, Cambridge, United States.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, United States.,Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, United States
| | - George C Enders
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, United States
| | - Vladimir N Uversky
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, United States
| | - Craig C Mello
- RNA Therapeutics Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, United States.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, United States
| | - David C Page
- Whitehead Institute, Cambridge, United States.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, United States.,Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, United States
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7
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LncRNA, a new component of expanding RNA-protein regulatory network important for animal sperm development. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2016; 59:110-117. [PMID: 27345292 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2016.06.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2016] [Revised: 06/17/2016] [Accepted: 06/20/2016] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Spermatogenesis is one of the fundamental processes of sexual reproduction, present in almost all metazoan animals. Like many other reproductive traits, developmental features and traits of spermatogenesis are under strong selective pressure to change, both at morphological and underlying molecular levels. Yet evidence suggests that some fundamental features of spermatogenesis may be ancient and conserved among metazoan species. Identifying the underlying conserved molecular mechanisms could reveal core components of metazoan spermatogenic machinery and provide novel insight into causes of human infertility. Conserved RNA-binding proteins and their interacting RNA network emerge to be a common theme important for animal sperm development. We review research on the recent addition to the RNA family - Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) and its roles in spermatogenesis in the context of the expanding RNA-protein network.
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8
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Sekiné K, Furusawa T, Hatakeyama M. The boule gene is essential for spermatogenesis of haploid insect male. Dev Biol 2015; 399:154-163. [PMID: 25592223 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2014.12.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2014] [Revised: 12/18/2014] [Accepted: 12/22/2014] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
boule (bol), a member of the Deleted in Azoospermia (DAZ) gene family plays an important role in meiosis (reductional maturation divisions) in a spermatogenesis-specific manner in animals by regulating translation of the downstream cell division cycle 25 (cdc25) phosphatase mRNA. Orthologues of bol are conserved among animals and found in the genomes of hymenopteran insects, in which the general mode of reproduction is haplodiploidy: female is diploid and male is haploid. In this mode of reproduction, haploid males produce haploid sperm through non-reductional maturation divisions. The question thus arises of whether the bol gene actually functions during spermatogenesis in these haploid males. In this study, we identified two transcriptional isoforms of bol orthologue (Ar bol and Ar bol-2), and one cdc25 orthologue (Ar cdc25) in the hymenopteran sawfly, Athalia rosae. Ar bol was expressed exclusively in the testis when maturation divisions occurred, while Ar bol-2 was expressed ubiquitously. Knockdown of all bol transcripts (both Ar bol and Ar bol-2) resulted in a lack of mature sperm, whereas males with sole knockdown of Ar bol-2 were able to produce a small number of mature sperm. The cell cycle was arrested before maturation divisions in the testis in which all bol transcripts were knocked down, as revealed by flow cytometry. Although no mature sperm was produced, sperm elongation was partially observed when Ar cdc25 alone was knocked down. These results indicate that Ar bol is essential for the entry and progression of maturation divisions and sperm differentiation in haploid males.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazuki Sekiné
- Division of Insect Sciences, National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, 1-2, Owashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8634, Japan
| | - Tadashi Furusawa
- Division of Animal Sciences, National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, 2, Ikenodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8602, Japan
| | - Masatsugu Hatakeyama
- Division of Insect Sciences, National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, 1-2, Owashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8634, Japan.
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9
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Li B, Ngo S, Wu W, Xu H, Xie Z, Li Q, Pan Z. Identification and characterization of yak (Bos grunniens) b-Boule gene and its alternative splice variants. Gene 2014; 550:193-9. [PMID: 25149018 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2014.08.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2014] [Revised: 08/11/2014] [Accepted: 08/15/2014] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Boule is responsible for meiotic arrest of sperms and male sterility during mammalian spermatogenesis. In the present study, we first identified yak b-Boule gene and its two alternative splice variants. The full length coding region of yak b-Boule is 888bp and encodes a 295-amino acid protein with a typical RNA-recognition motif (RRM) and a Deleted in Azoospermia (DAZ) repetitive sequence motif. Two alternative splice variants of yak b-Boule were generated following the consensus "GT-AG" rule and named b-Boule1 (36bp deletion in exon 3) and b-Boule2 (deletion of integral exon 7), respectively. In male yak, b-Boule, b-Boule1 and b-Boule2 were found to be exclusively expressed in the testes at a ratio of 81:0.1:1. Intriguingly, the mRNA expression levels of b-Boule and b-Boule1 in yak testis were significantly higher than those in cattle-yak, although no significant difference was observed for b-Boule2 expression between the yak and cattle-yak. These results suggest that b-Boule gene, which is partially regulated by alternative splicing, may be involved in the process of yak spermatogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bojiang Li
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Sherry Ngo
- Liggins Institute, University of Auckland, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
| | - Wangjun Wu
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Hongtao Xu
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Zhuang Xie
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Qifa Li
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China.
| | - Zengxiang Pan
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
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10
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Dwarakanath M, Lim M, Xu H, Hong Y. Differential expression of boule and dazl in adult germ cells of the Asian seabass. Gene 2014; 549:237-42. [PMID: 25084124 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2014.07.068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2013] [Revised: 07/06/2014] [Accepted: 07/24/2014] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Fertility genes boule and dazl constitute the evolutionarily conserved DAZ (Deleted in AZoospermia) family of RNA binding proteins essential for germline development across animal phyla. Here we report the cloning and expression analysis of boule and dazl from the Asian seabass (Lates calcarifer), a marine fish that undergoes sequential male-to-female sex reversal. Molecular cloning and sequence comparison led to the identification of boule and dazl cDNAs. RT-PCR analysis showed that both boule and dazl RNAs were restricted to the gonads among adult organs examined. Chromogenic in situ hybridization revealed germ cell-specific expression for both boule and dazl in female and male adults. Importantly, distinct differences were found between boule and dazl in terms of temporospatial expression and subcellular distribution. The boule RNA was abundant in late gametogenic cells except sperm. Interestingly, dazl expression increases in early oocytes and concentrates in a perinuclear speckle that appears to develop ultimately into the Balbiani body in advanced oocytes. The dazl RNA was found to be abundant in spermatocytes but hardly detectable in sperm. These data demonstrate that boule and dazl are germ cell markers in the adult Asian seabass, and that bisexual germline-specific expression has been conserved for boule and dazl in fish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manali Dwarakanath
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 14 Science Drive 4, 117543, Singapore
| | - Menghuat Lim
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 14 Science Drive 4, 117543, Singapore
| | - Hongyan Xu
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 14 Science Drive 4, 117543, Singapore
| | - Yunhan Hong
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 14 Science Drive 4, 117543, Singapore.
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11
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Tsai YS, Gomez SM, Wang Z. Prevalent RNA recognition motif duplication in the human genome. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2014; 20:702-712. [PMID: 24667216 PMCID: PMC3988571 DOI: 10.1261/rna.044081.113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2013] [Accepted: 02/17/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
The sequence-specific recognition of RNA by proteins is mediated through various RNA binding domains, with the RNA recognition motif (RRM) being the most frequent and present in >50% of RNA-binding proteins (RBPs). Many RBPs contain multiple RRMs, and it is unclear how each RRM contributes to the binding specificity of the entire protein. We found that RRMs within the same RBP (i.e., sibling RRMs) tend to have significantly higher similarity than expected by chance. Sibling RRM pairs from RBPs shared by multiple species tend to have lower similarity than those found only in a single species, suggesting that multiple RRMs within the same protein might arise from domain duplication followed by divergence through random mutations. This finding is exemplified by a recent RRM domain duplication in DAZ proteins and an ancient duplication in PABP proteins. Additionally, we found that different similarities between sibling RRMs are associated with distinct functions of an RBP and that the RBPs tend to contain repetitive sequences with low complexity. Taken together, this study suggests that the number of RBPs with multiple RRMs has expanded in mammals and that the multiple sibling RRMs may recognize similar target motifs in a cooperative manner.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Shawn M. Gomez
- Curriculum in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology
- Department of Pharmacology
- Department of Computer Science
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, USA
| | - Zefeng Wang
- Curriculum in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology
- Department of Pharmacology
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12
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Teramura T, Frampton J. Induced pluripotent stem cells in reproductive medicine. Reprod Med Biol 2012; 12:39-46. [PMID: 29699129 DOI: 10.1007/s12522-012-0141-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2012] [Accepted: 11/29/2012] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite recent advances in reproductive medicine, there are still no effective treatments for severe infertility caused by congenital absence of germ cells or gonadotoxic treatments during prepubertal childhood. However, the development of technologies for germ cell formation from stem cells in vitro, induction of pluripotency from somatic cells, and production of patient-specific pluripotent stem cells may provide new solutions for treating these severe fertility problems. It may be possible to produce germ cells in vitro from our own somatic cells that can be used to restore fertility. In addition, these technologies may also bring about novel therapies by helping to elucidate the mechanisms of human germ cell development. In this review, we describe the current approaches for obtaining germ cells from pluripotent stem cells, and provide basic information about induction of pluripotency and germ cell development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takeshi Teramura
- Institute of Advanced Clinical Medicine Kinki University Faculty of Medicine 377-2 Osaka-sayama Osaka Japan.,Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Mie University Faculty of Medicine Tsu Mie Japan
| | - John Frampton
- Department of Biomedical Engineering University of Michigan Ann Arbor MI USA
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13
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Sobrinho IS, de Brito RA. Positive and purifying selection influence the evolution of doublesex in the Anastrepha fraterculus species group. PLoS One 2012; 7:e33446. [PMID: 22428050 PMCID: PMC3302808 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0033446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2011] [Accepted: 02/09/2012] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The gene doublesex (dsx) is considered to be under strong selective constraint along its evolutionary history because of its central role in somatic sex differentiation in insects. However, previous studies of dsx used global estimates of evolutionary rates to investigate its molecular evolution, which potentially miss signals of adaptive changes in generally conserved genes. In this work, we investigated the molecular evolution of dsx in the Anastrepha fraterculus species group (Diptera, Tephritidae), and test the hypothesis that this gene evolved solely by purifying selection using divergence-based and population-based methods. In the first approach, we compared sequences from Anastrepha and other Tephritidae with other Muscomorpha species, analyzed variation in nonsynonymous to synonymous rate ratios (dN/dS) in the Tephritidae, and investigated radical and conservative changes in amino acid physicochemical properties. We show a general selective constraint on dsx, but with signs of positive selection mainly in the common region. Such changes were localized in alpha-helices previously reported to be involved in dimer formation in the OD2 domain and near the C-terminal of the OD1 domain. In the population-based approach, we amplified a region of 540 bp that spanned almost all of the region common to both sexes from 32 different sites in Brazil. We investigated patterns of selection using neutrality tests based on the frequency spectrum and locations of synonymous and nonsynonymous mutations in a haplotype network. As in the divergence-based approach, these analyses showed that dsx has evolved under an overall selective constraint, but with some events of positive selection. In contrast to previous studies, our analyses indicate that even though dsx has indeed evolved as a conserved gene, the common region of dsx has also experienced bouts of positive selection, perhaps driven by sexual selection, during its evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iderval S Sobrinho
- Departamento de Genética e Evolução, Universidade Federal de São Carlos, São Carlos, Brazil.
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