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Wee JLQ, Das Banerjee T, Prakash A, Seah KS, Monteiro A. Distal-less and spalt are distal organisers of pierid wing patterns. EvoDevo 2022; 13:12. [PMID: 35659745 PMCID: PMC9164424 DOI: 10.1186/s13227-022-00197-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2022] [Accepted: 05/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Two genes, Distal-less (Dll) and spalt (sal), are known to be involved in establishing nymphalid butterfly wing patterns. They function in several ways: in the differentiation of the eyespot’s central signalling cells, or foci; in the differentiation of the surrounding black disc; in overall scale melanisation (Dll); and in elaborating marginal patterns, such as parafocal elements. However, little is known about the functions of these genes in the development of wing patterns in other butterfly families. Here, we study the expression and function of Dll and sal in the development of spots and other melanic wing patterns of the Indian cabbage white, Pieris canidia, a pierid butterfly. In P. canidia, both Dll and Sal proteins are expressed in the scale-building cells at the wing tips, in chevron patterns along the pupal wing margins, and in areas of future scale melanisation. Additionally, Sal alone is expressed in the future black spots. CRISPR knockouts of Dll and sal showed that each gene is required for the development of melanic wing pattern elements, and repressing pteridine granule formation, in the areas where they are expressed. We conclude that both genes likely play ancestral roles in organising distal butterfly wing patterns, across pierid and nymphalid butterflies, but are unlikely to be differentiating signalling centres in pierids black spots. The genetic and developmental mechanisms that set up the location of spots and eyespots are likely distinct in each lineage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jocelyn Liang Qi Wee
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 16 Science Drive 4, Block S2 01-03, Singapore, 117558, Singapore.
| | - Tirtha Das Banerjee
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 16 Science Drive 4, Block S2 01-03, Singapore, 117558, Singapore
| | - Anupama Prakash
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 16 Science Drive 4, Block S2 01-03, Singapore, 117558, Singapore
| | - Kwi Shan Seah
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 16 Science Drive 4, Block S2 01-03, Singapore, 117558, Singapore
| | - Antonia Monteiro
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 16 Science Drive 4, Block S2 01-03, Singapore, 117558, Singapore. .,Yale-NUS College, College Ave West, Singapore, 138527, Singapore.
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Bálint Z, Parker A, Ingram A, Kertész K, Piszter G, Horváth ZE, Illés L, Biró LP. Scale granules and colours: Sexual dimorphism in Trichonis (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae, Theclinae). Arthropod Struct Dev 2021; 65:101113. [PMID: 34666210 DOI: 10.1016/j.asd.2021.101113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2021] [Revised: 09/10/2021] [Accepted: 09/12/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
A large fraction of dorsal wing surface ground scales show an unusual granulated nature, composed of material apparently extruded from the scale lumen in male individuals of both Trichonis Hewitson, 1865 species in the tribe Eumaeini, a rare Guyanian-Amazonian genus. Only a few not-granulated male specimens are known, females are not granulated. The granulated scales are investigated by various microscopic (optical, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, focused ion beam lamella cutting) and spectroscopic (optical reflectance, energy-dispersive X-ray (EDS), Raman) techniques. The characteristic blue colour unique in the South American representatives of the tribe is documented and analysed. EDS spectra show that the granules contain additional calcium and oxygen as compared with the un-granulated regions of the same scale. Electron diffraction (inside the TEM) did not reveal any crystalline component in the granules. The granulated wing surfaces of the males exhibit a UV absorption band at 280 nm, characteristic for biogenic CaCO3; therefore, the material of the granules is tentatively identified as CaCO3. It is shown that the granules influence the optical properties of the dorsal wing surface resulting in a characteristic spectrum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zsolt Bálint
- Hungarian Natural History Museum, Baross utca 13, Budapest, H-1088, Hungary.
| | - Andrew Parker
- Green Templeton College, University of Oxford, 43 Woodstock Road, Oxford, OX2 6HG, United Kingdom
| | - Abigail Ingram
- Department of Science, West Kent College, Brook Street, Tonbridge, Kent, TN9 2PW, United Kingdom
| | - Krisztián Kertész
- Institute of Technical Physics and Materials Science, Centre for Energy Research, P.O. Box 49, Budapest, H-1525, Hungary
| | - Gábor Piszter
- Institute of Technical Physics and Materials Science, Centre for Energy Research, P.O. Box 49, Budapest, H-1525, Hungary
| | - Zsolt E Horváth
- Institute of Technical Physics and Materials Science, Centre for Energy Research, P.O. Box 49, Budapest, H-1525, Hungary
| | - Levente Illés
- Institute of Technical Physics and Materials Science, Centre for Energy Research, P.O. Box 49, Budapest, H-1525, Hungary
| | - László Péter Biró
- Institute of Technical Physics and Materials Science, Centre for Energy Research, P.O. Box 49, Budapest, H-1525, Hungary
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Saenko SV, Chouteau M, Piron-Prunier F, Blugeon C, Joron M, Llaurens V. Unravelling the genes forming the wing pattern supergene in the polymorphic butterfly Heliconius numata. EvoDevo 2019; 10:16. [PMID: 31406559 PMCID: PMC6686539 DOI: 10.1186/s13227-019-0129-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2019] [Accepted: 07/12/2019] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Unravelling the genetic basis of polymorphic characters is central to our understanding of the origins and diversification of living organisms. Recently, supergenes have been implicated in a wide range of complex polymorphisms, from adaptive colouration in butterflies and fish to reproductive strategies in birds and plants. The concept of a supergene is now a hot topic in biology, and identification of its functional elements is needed to shed light on the evolution of highly divergent adaptive traits. Here, we apply different gene expression analyses to study the supergene P that controls polymorphism of mimetic wing colour patterns in the neotropical butterfly Heliconius numata. Results We performed de novo transcriptome assembly and differential expression analyses using high-throughput Illumina RNA sequencing on developing wing discs of different H. numata morphs. Within the P interval, 30 and 17 of the 191 transcripts were expressed differentially in prepupae and day-1 pupae, respectively. Among these is the gene cortex, known to play a role in wing pattern formation in Heliconius and other Lepidoptera. Our in situ hybridization experiments confirmed the relationship between cortex expression and adult wing patterns. Conclusions This study found the majority of genes in the P interval to be expressed in the developing wing discs during the critical stages of colour pattern formation, and detect drastic changes in expression patterns in multiple genes associated with structural variants. The patterns of expression of cortex only partially recapitulate the variation in adult phenotype, suggesting that the remaining phenotypic variation could be controlled by other genes within the P interval. Although functional studies on cortex are now needed to determine its exact developmental role, our results are in accordance with the classical supergene hypothesis, whereby several genes inherited together due to tight linkage control a major developmental switch. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13227-019-0129-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suzanne V Saenko
- 1Institut de Systématique, Evolution et Biodiversité, UMR 7205 (CNRS, MNHN, Sorbonne Université, EPHE), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle CP50, 57 rue Cuvier, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Mathieu Chouteau
- 2Laboratoire Ecologie, Evolution, Interactions Des Systèmes Amazoniens (LEEISA), USR 3456, CNRS Guyane, Université De Guyane, 275 route de Montabo, 97334 Cayenne, French Guiana
| | - Florence Piron-Prunier
- 1Institut de Systématique, Evolution et Biodiversité, UMR 7205 (CNRS, MNHN, Sorbonne Université, EPHE), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle CP50, 57 rue Cuvier, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Corinne Blugeon
- Genomic Facility, Institut de Biologie de l'Ecole normale superieure (IBENS), École normale supérieure, CNRS, INSERM, PSL Université Paris, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Mathieu Joron
- 4Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, UMR 5175 CNRS-Université de Montpellier, École Pratique des Hautes Études, Université Paul Valéry, 34293 Montpellier 5, France
| | - Violaine Llaurens
- 1Institut de Systématique, Evolution et Biodiversité, UMR 7205 (CNRS, MNHN, Sorbonne Université, EPHE), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle CP50, 57 rue Cuvier, 75005 Paris, France
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Fenner J, Rodriguez-Caro L, Counterman B. Plasticity and divergence in ultraviolet reflecting structures on Dogface butterfly wings. Arthropod Struct Dev 2019; 51:14-22. [PMID: 31176003 DOI: 10.1016/j.asd.2019.06.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2019] [Revised: 05/24/2019] [Accepted: 06/03/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
The vast diversity of animal coloration is generated through a combination of pigment and structural colors. These colors can greatly influence the fitness and life history of an organism. Butterflies and their wing colors are an excellent model to study how these colors can impact the development and success of an organism. In this study, we explore species differences in structurally-based ultraviolet coloration in the Zerene butterfly. We show clear species differences in ultraviolet (UV) pattern and reflectance spectra. By varying larval diet, we show evidence for developmental plasticity in the structure and organization of UV reflecting scales in Zerene cesonia. We further show that feeding the larval host plant of Zerene eurydice to Z. cesonia does not result in greater similarity in scale structure or UV coloration to the sister species. These results not only demonstrate a connection between plasticity in a male ornamentation, UV wing pattern, and larval resource acquisition, but also identify candidate structural and organizational changes in wing scales responsible for the trait variation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Fenner
- Department of Biological Sciences, Mississippi State University, MS, 39762, United States.
| | - Luis Rodriguez-Caro
- Department of Biological Sciences, Mississippi State University, MS, 39762, United States
| | - Brian Counterman
- Department of Biological Sciences, Mississippi State University, MS, 39762, United States
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