1
|
Arunkumar R, Zhou SO, Day JP, Bakare S, Pitton S, Zhang Y, Hsing CY, O’Boyle S, Pascual-Gil J, Clark B, Chandler RJ, Leitão AB, Jiggins FM. Natural selection has driven the recurrent loss of an immunity gene that protects Drosophila against a major natural parasite. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2211019120. [PMID: 37552757 PMCID: PMC10438844 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2211019120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2022] [Accepted: 06/26/2023] [Indexed: 08/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Polymorphisms in immunity genes can have large effects on susceptibility to infection. To understand the origins of this variation, we have investigated the genetic basis of resistance to the parasitoid wasp Leptopilina boulardi in Drosophila melanogaster. We found that increased expression of the gene lectin-24A after infection by parasitic wasps was associated with a faster cellular immune response and greatly increased rates of killing the parasite. lectin-24A encodes a protein that is strongly up-regulated in the fat body after infection and localizes to the surface of the parasite egg. In certain susceptible lines, a deletion upstream of the lectin-24A has largely abolished expression. Other mutations predicted to abolish the function of this gene have arisen recurrently in this gene, with multiple loss-of-expression alleles and premature stop codons segregating in natural populations. The frequency of these alleles varies greatly geographically, and in some southern African populations, natural selection has driven them near to fixation. We conclude that natural selection has favored the repeated loss of an important component of the immune system, suggesting that in some populations, a pleiotropic cost to lectin-24A expression outweighs the benefits of resistance.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ramesh Arunkumar
- Department of Genetics, School of Biological Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, CambridgeCB2 3EH, United Kingdom
| | - Shuyu Olivia Zhou
- Department of Genetics, School of Biological Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, CambridgeCB2 3EH, United Kingdom
| | - Jonathan P. Day
- Department of Genetics, School of Biological Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, CambridgeCB2 3EH, United Kingdom
| | - Sherifat Bakare
- Department of Genetics, School of Biological Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, CambridgeCB2 3EH, United Kingdom
- Department of Biochemical Sciences, School of Biosciences, University of Surrey, 388 Stag Hill, Guildford,GU2 7XH, United Kingdom
| | - Simone Pitton
- Department of Genetics, School of Biological Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, CambridgeCB2 3EH, United Kingdom
- Biosciences Department, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 26, Milano, MI20133, Italy
| | - Yexin Zhang
- Department of Genetics, School of Biological Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, CambridgeCB2 3EH, United Kingdom
| | - Chi-Yun Hsing
- Department of Genetics, School of Biological Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, CambridgeCB2 3EH, United Kingdom
| | - Sinead O’Boyle
- Department of Genetics, School of Biological Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, CambridgeCB2 3EH, United Kingdom
- School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, University College Dublin, DublinD04 V1W8, Ireland
| | - Juan Pascual-Gil
- Department of Genetics, School of Biological Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, CambridgeCB2 3EH, United Kingdom
- Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, C. Francisco Tomás y Valiente 7, 28049Madrid, Spain
| | - Belinda Clark
- Department of Genetics, School of Biological Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, CambridgeCB2 3EH, United Kingdom
| | - Rachael J. Chandler
- Department of Genetics, School of Biological Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, CambridgeCB2 3EH, United Kingdom
- Department of Biochemical Sciences, School of Biosciences, University of Surrey, 388 Stag Hill, Guildford,GU2 7XH, United Kingdom
| | - Alexandre B. Leitão
- Department of Genetics, School of Biological Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, CambridgeCB2 3EH, United Kingdom
| | - Francis M. Jiggins
- Department of Genetics, School of Biological Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, CambridgeCB2 3EH, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Álvarez-Ocaña R, Shahandeh MP, Ray V, Auer TO, Gompel N, Benton R. Odor-regulated oviposition behavior in an ecological specialist. Nat Commun 2023; 14:3041. [PMID: 37236992 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-38722-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2022] [Accepted: 05/10/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Colonization of a novel ecological niche can require, or be driven by, evolution of an animal's behaviors promoting their reproductive success. We investigated the evolution and sensory basis of oviposition in Drosophila sechellia, a close relative of Drosophila melanogaster that exhibits extreme specialism for Morinda citrifolia noni fruit. D. sechellia produces fewer eggs than other drosophilids and lays these almost exclusively on noni substrates. We show that visual, textural and social cues do not explain this species-specific preference. By contrast, we find that loss of olfactory input in D. sechellia, but not D. melanogaster, essentially abolishes egg-laying, suggesting that olfaction gates gustatory-driven noni preference. Noni odors are detected by redundant olfactory pathways, but we discover a role for hexanoic acid and the cognate Ionotropic receptor 75b (Ir75b) in odor-evoked oviposition. Through receptor exchange in D. melanogaster, we provide evidence for a causal contribution of odor-tuning changes in Ir75b to the evolution of D. sechellia's oviposition behavior.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Raquel Álvarez-Ocaña
- Center for Integrative Genomics, Faculty of Biology and Medicine, University of Lausanne, CH-1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Michael P Shahandeh
- Center for Integrative Genomics, Faculty of Biology and Medicine, University of Lausanne, CH-1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Vijayaditya Ray
- Evolutionary Ecology, Ludwig-Maximilians Universität München, Fakultät für Biologie, Biozentrum, Grosshaderner Strasse 2, 82152, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Thomas O Auer
- Center for Integrative Genomics, Faculty of Biology and Medicine, University of Lausanne, CH-1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Nicolas Gompel
- Evolutionary Ecology, Ludwig-Maximilians Universität München, Fakultät für Biologie, Biozentrum, Grosshaderner Strasse 2, 82152, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Richard Benton
- Center for Integrative Genomics, Faculty of Biology and Medicine, University of Lausanne, CH-1015, Lausanne, Switzerland.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
O'Malley L, Wang J, Nikzad M, Sheng H, St Leger R. Genetic variation in disease resistance in Drosophila spp. is mitigated in Drosophila sechellia by specialization to a toxic host. Sci Rep 2023; 13:7793. [PMID: 37179396 PMCID: PMC10183017 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-34976-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2023] [Accepted: 05/10/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023] Open
Abstract
We found that Drosophila species vary in their susceptibility to the broad-spectrum entomopathogen, Metarhizium anisopliae (strain Ma549). Generalist species were generally more resistant than dietary specialists, with the cactophilic Drosophila buzzatii and Drosophila sechellia, a specialist of the Morinda citrifolia (Morinda) fruit, being most susceptible. Morinda fruit is reported to be toxic to most herbivores because it contains Octanoic Acid (OA). We confirmed that OA is toxic to Drosophila spp., other than D. sechellia, and we also found that OA is highly toxic to entomopathogenic fungi including Ma549 and Beauveria bassiana. Drosophila sechellia fed a diet containing OA, even at levels much less than found in Morinda fruit, had greatly reduced susceptibility to Ma549. This suggests that specializing to Morinda may have provided an enemy-free space, reducing adaptive prioritization on a strong immune response. Our results demonstrate that M. anisopliae and Drosophila species with divergent lifestyles provide a versatile model system for understanding the mechanisms of host-pathogen interactions at different scales and in environmental context.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Liam O'Malley
- Department of Entomology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA
| | - Jonathan Wang
- Department of Entomology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA
| | - Matthew Nikzad
- Department of Entomology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA
| | - Huiyu Sheng
- Department of Entomology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA
| | - Raymond St Leger
- Department of Entomology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Reisenman CE, Wong J, Vedagarbha N, Livelo C, Scott K. Taste adaptations associated with host specialization in the specialist Drosophila sechellia. J Exp Biol 2023; 226:jeb244641. [PMID: 36637369 PMCID: PMC10088416 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.244641] [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: 06/08/2022] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Chemosensory-driven host plant specialization is a major force mediating insect ecological adaptation and speciation. Drosophila sechellia, a species endemic to the Seychelles islands, feeds and oviposits on Morinda citrifolia almost exclusively. This fruit is harmless to D. sechellia but toxic to other Drosophilidae, including the closely related generalists D. simulans and D. melanogaster, because of its high content of fatty acids. While several olfactory adaptations mediating D. sechellia's preference for its host have been uncovered, the role of taste has been much less examined. We found that D. sechellia has reduced taste and feeding aversion to bitter compounds and host fatty acids that are aversive to D. melanogaster and D. simulans. The loss of aversion to canavanine, coumarin and fatty acids arose in the D. sechellia lineage, as its sister species D. simulans showed responses akin to those of D. melanogaster. Drosophila sechellia has increased taste and feeding responses towards M. citrifolia. These results are in line with D. sechellia's loss of genes that encode bitter gustatory receptors (GRs) in D. melanogaster. We found that two GR genes which are lost in D. sechellia, GR39a.a and GR28b.a, influence the reduction of aversive responses to some bitter compounds. Also, D. sechellia has increased appetite for a prominent host fatty acid compound that is toxic to its relatives. Our results support the hypothesis that changes in the taste system, specifically a reduction of sensitivity to bitter compounds that deter generalist ancestors, contribute to the specialization of D. sechellia for its host.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Carolina E. Reisenman
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720-3200, USA
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720-3200, USA
- Essig Museum of Entomology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Joshua Wong
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720-3200, USA
| | - Namrata Vedagarbha
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720-3200, USA
| | | | - Kristin Scott
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720-3200, USA
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Ding SD, Leitão AB, Day JP, Arunkumar R, Phillips M, Zhou SO, Jiggins FM. Trans-regulatory changes underpin the evolution of the Drosophila immune response. PLoS Genet 2022; 18:e1010453. [PMID: 36342922 PMCID: PMC9671443 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1010453] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2022] [Revised: 11/17/2022] [Accepted: 09/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
When an animal is infected, the expression of a large suite of genes is changed, resulting in an immune response that can defend the host. Despite much evidence that the sequence of proteins in the immune system can evolve rapidly, the evolution of gene expression is comparatively poorly understood. We therefore investigated the transcriptional response to parasitoid wasp infection in Drosophila simulans and D. sechellia. Although these species are closely related, there has been a large scale divergence in the expression of immune-responsive genes in their two main immune tissues, the fat body and hemocytes. Many genes, including those encoding molecules that directly kill pathogens, have cis regulatory changes, frequently resulting in large differences in their expression in the two species. However, these changes in cis regulation overwhelmingly affected gene expression in immune-challenged and uninfected animals alike. Divergence in the response to infection was controlled in trans. We argue that altering trans-regulatory factors, such as signalling pathways or immune modulators, may allow natural selection to alter the expression of large numbers of immune-responsive genes in a coordinated fashion.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Alexandre B. Leitão
- Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Champalimaud Foundation, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Jonathan P. Day
- Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Ramesh Arunkumar
- Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Morgan Phillips
- Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Shuyu Olivia Zhou
- Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Francis M. Jiggins
- Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Abe M, Kamiyama T, Izumi Y, Qian Q, Yoshihashi Y, Degawa Y, Watanabe K, Hattori Y, Uemura T, Niwa R. Shortened lifespan induced by a high-glucose diet is associated with intestinal immune dysfunction in Drosophila sechellia. J Exp Biol 2022; 225:jeb244423. [PMID: 36226701 PMCID: PMC9687539 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.244423] [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: 04/22/2022] [Accepted: 10/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Organisms can generally be divided into two nutritional groups: generalists that consume various types of food and specialists that consume specific types of food. However, it remains unclear how specialists adapt to only limited nutritional conditions in nature. In this study, we addressed this question by focusing on Drosophila fruit flies. The generalist Drosophila melanogaster can consume a wide variety of foods that contain high glucose levels. In contrast, the specialist Drosophila sechellia consumes only the Indian mulberry, known as noni (Morinda citrifolia), which contains relatively little glucose. We showed that the lifespan of D. sechellia was significantly shortened under a high-glucose diet, but this effect was not observed for D. melanogaster. In D. sechellia, a high-glucose diet induced disorganization of the gut epithelia and visceral muscles, which was associated with abnormal digestion and constipation. RNA-sequencing analysis revealed that many immune-responsive genes were suppressed in the gut of D. sechellia fed a high-glucose diet compared with those fed a control diet. Consistent with this difference in the expression of immune-responsive genes, high glucose-induced phenotypes were restored by the addition of tetracycline or scopoletin, a major nutritional component of noni, each of which suppresses gut bacterial growth. We propose that, in D. sechellia, a high-glucose diet impairs gut immune function, which leads to a change in gut microbiota, disorganization of the gut epithelial structure and a shortened lifespan.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maiko Abe
- Degree Programs in Life and Earth Sciences, Graduate School of Science and Technology, University of Tsukuba, Tennodai 1-1-1, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8572, Japan
| | - Takumi Kamiyama
- Life Science Center for Survival Dynamics, Tsukuba Advanced Research Alliance (TARA), University of Tsukuba, Tennodai 1-1-1, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8577, Japan
| | - Yasushi Izumi
- Division of Cell Structure, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8787, Japan
- Department of Physiological Sciences, School of Life Science, SOKENDAI (Graduate University for Advanced Studies), Okazaki, Aichi 444-8585, Japan
| | - Qingyin Qian
- PhD Program in Human Biology, School of Integrative and Global Majors, University of Tsukuba, Tennodai 1-1-1, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8577, Japan
| | - Yuma Yoshihashi
- Degree Programs in Life and Earth Sciences, Graduate School of Science and Technology, University of Tsukuba, Tennodai 1-1-1, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8572, Japan
- Sugadaira Research Station, Mountain Science Center, University of Tsukuba, Sugadairakogen 1278-294, Nagano 386-2204, Japan
| | - Yousuke Degawa
- Sugadaira Research Station, Mountain Science Center, University of Tsukuba, Sugadairakogen 1278-294, Nagano 386-2204, Japan
| | - Kaori Watanabe
- Graduate School of Biostudies, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
| | - Yukako Hattori
- Graduate School of Biostudies, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
| | - Tadashi Uemura
- Graduate School of Biostudies, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
- Research Center for Dynamic Living Systems, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
- AMED-CREST, AMED, Otemachi 1-7-1, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0004, Japan
| | - Ryusuke Niwa
- Life Science Center for Survival Dynamics, Tsukuba Advanced Research Alliance (TARA), University of Tsukuba, Tennodai 1-1-1, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8577, Japan
- AMED-CREST, AMED, Otemachi 1-7-1, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0004, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Wertheim B. Adaptations and counter-adaptations in Drosophila host-parasitoid interactions: advances in the molecular mechanisms. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2022; 51:100896. [PMID: 35240335 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2022.100896] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2021] [Revised: 02/21/2022] [Accepted: 02/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Both hosts and parasitoids evolved a diverse array of traits and strategies for their antagonistic interactions, affecting their chances of encounter, attack and survival after parasitoid attack. This review summarizes the recent progress that has been made in elucidating the molecular mechanisms of these adaptations and counter-adaptations in various Drosophila host-parasitoid interactions. For the hosts, it focuses on the neurobiological and genetic control of strategies in Drosophila adults and larvae of avoidance or escape behaviours upon sensing the parasitoids, and the immunological defences involving diverse classes of haemocytes. For the parasitoids, it highlights their behavioural strategies in host finding, as well as the rich variety of venom components that evolved and were partially acquired through horizontal gene transfer. Recent studies revealed the mechanisms by which these venom components manipulate their parasitized hosts in exhibiting escape behaviour to avoid superparasitism, and their counter-strategies to evade or obstruct the hosts' immunological defences.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bregje Wertheim
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands.
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Cotter SC, Al Shareefi E. Nutritional ecology, infection and immune defence - exploring the mechanisms. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2022; 50:100862. [PMID: 34952240 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2021.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2021] [Revised: 12/01/2021] [Accepted: 12/10/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Diet can impact the outcome of parasitic infection in three, non-mutually exclusive ways: 1) by changing the physiological environment of the host, such as the availability of key nutritional resources, the presence of toxic dietary chemicals, the pH or osmolality of the blood or gut, 2) by enhancing the immune response and 3) by altering the presence of host microbiota, which help to digest nutrients and are a potential source of antibiotics. We show that there are no clear patterns in the effects of diet across taxa and that good evidence for the mechanisms by which diet exerts its effects are often lacking. More studies are required to understand the mechanisms of action if we are to discern patterns that can be generalised across host and parasite taxa.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sheena C Cotter
- School of Life Sciences, University of Lincoln, Brayford Pool, Lincoln LN6 7TS, UK.
| | - Ekhlas Al Shareefi
- Dept of Biology, College of Science for Women, University of Babylon, Hillah-Babil, Iraq
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Douglas TE, Beskid SG, Gernand CE, Nirtaut BE, Tamsil KE, Fitch RW, Tarvin RD. Trade-offs between cost of ingestion and rate of intake drive defensive toxin use. Biol Lett 2022; 18:20210579. [PMID: 35135316 PMCID: PMC8826133 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2021.0579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Animals that ingest toxins can become unpalatable and even toxic to predators and parasites through toxin sequestration. Because most animals rapidly eliminate toxins to survive their ingestion, it is unclear how populations transition from susceptibility and toxin elimination to tolerance and accumulation as chemical defence emerges. Studies of chemical defence have generally focused on species with active toxin sequestration and target-site insensitivity mutations or toxin-binding proteins that permit survival without necessitating toxin elimination. Here, we investigate whether animals that presumably rely on toxin elimination for survival can use ingested toxins for defence. We use the A4 and A3 Drosophila melanogaster fly strains from the Drosophila Synthetic Population Resource (DSPR), which respectively possess high and low metabolic nicotine resistance among DSPR fly lines. We find that ingesting nicotine increased A4 but not A3 fly survival against Leptopilina heterotoma wasp parasitism. Further, we find that despite possessing genetic variants that enhance toxin elimination, A4 flies accrued more nicotine than A3 individuals, likely by consuming more medium. Our results suggest that enhanced toxin metabolism can allow greater toxin intake by offsetting the cost of toxin ingestion. Passive toxin accumulation that accompanies increased toxin intake may underlie the early origins of chemical defence.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tyler E. Douglas
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology and Department of Integrative Biology, University of California Berkeley, 3101 Valley Life Sciences Building, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Sofia G. Beskid
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology and Department of Integrative Biology, University of California Berkeley, 3101 Valley Life Sciences Building, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA,Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Callie E. Gernand
- Department of Chemistry and Physics, Indiana State University, Terre Haute, IN 47809, USA
| | - Brianna E. Nirtaut
- Department of Chemistry and Physics, Indiana State University, Terre Haute, IN 47809, USA
| | - Kristen E. Tamsil
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology and Department of Integrative Biology, University of California Berkeley, 3101 Valley Life Sciences Building, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Richard W. Fitch
- Department of Chemistry and Physics, Indiana State University, Terre Haute, IN 47809, USA
| | - Rebecca D. Tarvin
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology and Department of Integrative Biology, University of California Berkeley, 3101 Valley Life Sciences Building, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Auer TO, Shahandeh MP, Benton R. Drosophila sechellia: A Genetic Model for Behavioral Evolution and Neuroecology. Annu Rev Genet 2021; 55:527-554. [PMID: 34530638 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-genet-071719-020719] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Defining the mechanisms by which animals adapt to their ecological niche is an important problem bridging evolution, genetics, and neurobiology. We review the establishment of a powerful genetic model for comparative behavioral analysis and neuroecology, Drosophila sechellia. This island-endemic fly species is closely related to several cosmopolitan generalists, including Drosophila melanogaster, but has evolved extreme specialism, feeding and reproducing exclusively on the noni fruit of the tropical shrub Morinda citrifolia. We first describe the development and use of genetic approaches to facilitate genotype/phenotype associations in these drosophilids. Next, we survey the behavioral, physiological, and morphological adaptations of D. sechellia throughout its life cycle and outline our current understanding of the genetic and cellular basis of these traits. Finally, we discuss the principles this knowledge begins to establish in the context of host specialization, speciation, and the neurobiology of behavioral evolution and consider open questions and challenges in the field.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Thomas O Auer
- Center for Integrative Genomics, Faculty of Biology and Medicine, University of Lausanne, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland; , ,
| | - Michael P Shahandeh
- Center for Integrative Genomics, Faculty of Biology and Medicine, University of Lausanne, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland; , ,
| | - Richard Benton
- Center for Integrative Genomics, Faculty of Biology and Medicine, University of Lausanne, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland; , ,
| |
Collapse
|