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Nkurikiyimfura O, Waheed A, Fang H, Yuan X, Chen L, Wang YP, Lu G, Zhan J, Yang L. Fitness difference between two synonymous mutations of Phytophthora infestans ATP6 gene. BMC Ecol Evol 2024; 24:36. [PMID: 38494489 PMCID: PMC10946160 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-024-02223-4] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2023] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 03/19/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Sequence variation produced by mutation provides the ultimate source of natural selection for species adaptation. Unlike nonsynonymous mutation, synonymous mutations are generally considered to be selectively neutral but accumulating evidence suggests they also contribute to species adaptation by regulating the flow of genetic information and the development of functional traits. In this study, we analysed sequence characteristics of ATP6, a housekeeping gene from 139 Phytophthora infestans isolates, and compared the fitness components including metabolic rate, temperature sensitivity, aggressiveness, and fungicide tolerance among synonymous mutations. RESULTS We found that the housekeeping gene exhibited low genetic variation and was represented by two major synonymous mutants at similar frequency (0.496 and 0.468, respectively). The two synonymous mutants were generated by a single nucleotide substitution but differed significantly in fitness as well as temperature-mediated spatial distribution and expression. The synonymous mutant ending in AT was more common in cold regions and was more expressed at lower experimental temperature than the synonymous mutant ending in GC and vice versa. CONCLUSION Our results are consistent with the argument that synonymous mutations can modulate the adaptive evolution of species including pathogens and have important implications for sustainable disease management, especially under climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oswald Nkurikiyimfura
- Institute of Plant Virology, Ministry of Education, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian, 350002, China
| | - Abdul Waheed
- Institute of Plant Virology, Ministry of Education, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian, 350002, China
| | - Hanmei Fang
- Institute of Plant Virology, Ministry of Education, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian, 350002, China
| | - Xiaoxian Yuan
- Institute of Plant Virology, Ministry of Education, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian, 350002, China
| | - Lixia Chen
- Fujian Key Laboratory on Conservation and Sustainable Utilization of Marine Biodiversity, Fuzhou Institute of Oceanography, Minjiang University, Fuzhou, 350108, China
- College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian, 350002, China
| | - Yan-Ping Wang
- College of Chemistry and Life Sciences, Sichuan Provincial Key Laboratory for Development and Utilization of Characteristic Horticultural Biological Resources, Chengdu Normal University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 611130, China
| | - Guodong Lu
- Department of Plant Pathology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian, 350002, China
| | - Jiasui Zhan
- Department of Forest Mycology and Plant Pathology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, 75007, Sweden.
| | - Lina Yang
- Fujian Key Laboratory on Conservation and Sustainable Utilization of Marine Biodiversity, Fuzhou Institute of Oceanography, Minjiang University, Fuzhou, 350108, China.
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Vihinen M. Individual Genetic Heterogeneity. Genes (Basel) 2022; 13:genes13091626. [PMID: 36140794 PMCID: PMC9498725 DOI: 10.3390/genes13091626] [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] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2022] [Revised: 08/25/2022] [Accepted: 09/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Genetic variation has been widely covered in literature, however, not from the perspective of an individual in any species. Here, a synthesis of genetic concepts and variations relevant for individual genetic constitution is provided. All the different levels of genetic information and variation are covered, ranging from whether an organism is unmixed or hybrid, has variations in genome, chromosomes, and more locally in DNA regions, to epigenetic variants or alterations in selfish genetic elements. Genetic constitution and heterogeneity of microbiota are highly relevant for health and wellbeing of an individual. Mutation rates vary widely for variation types, e.g., due to the sequence context. Genetic information guides numerous aspects in organisms. Types of inheritance, whether Mendelian or non-Mendelian, zygosity, sexual reproduction, and sex determination are covered. Functions of DNA and functional effects of variations are introduced, along with mechanism that reduce and modulate functional effects, including TARAR countermeasures and intraindividual genetic conflict. TARAR countermeasures for tolerance, avoidance, repair, attenuation, and resistance are essential for life, integrity of genetic information, and gene expression. The genetic composition, effects of variations, and their expression are considered also in diseases and personalized medicine. The text synthesizes knowledge and insight on individual genetic heterogeneity and organizes and systematizes the central concepts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mauno Vihinen
- Department of Experimental Medical Science, BMC B13, Lund University, SE-22184 Lund, Sweden
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3
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Li Z, Zhang Y, Li W, Irwin AJ, Finkel ZV. Conservation and architecture of housekeeping genes in the model marine diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana. New Phytol 2022; 234:1363-1376. [PMID: 35179783 DOI: 10.1111/nph.18039] [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: 12/02/2021] [Accepted: 02/06/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Housekeeping genes (HKGs) are constitutively expressed with low variation across tissues/conditions. They are thought to be highly conserved and fundamental to cellular maintenance, with distinctive genomic features. Here, we identify 1505 HKGs in the unicellular marine diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana based on an RNA-seq analysis of 232 samples taken under 12 experimental conditions over 0-72 h. We identify promising internal reference genes (IRGs) for T. pseudonana from the most stably expressed HKGs. A comparative analysis indicates < 18% of HKGs in T. pseudonana have orthologs in other eukaryotes, including other diatom species. Contrary to work on human tissues, T. pseudonana HKGs are longer than non-HKGs, due to elongated introns. More ancient HKGs tend to be shorter than more recent HKGs, and expression levels of HKGs decrease more rapidly with gene length relative to non-HKGs. Our results indicate that HKGs are highly variable across the tree of life and thus unlikely to be universally fundamental for cellular maintenance. We hypothesize that the distinct genomic features of HKGs of T. pseudonana may be a consequence of selection pressures associated with high expression and low variance across conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhengke Li
- School of Food and Biological Engineering, Shaanxi University of Science and Technology, Weiyang University Park, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710021, China
- Department of Oceanography, Dalhousie University, 1355 Oxford St, Halifax, NS, B3H 4R2, Canada
| | - Yong Zhang
- Department of Oceanography, Dalhousie University, 1355 Oxford St, Halifax, NS, B3H 4R2, Canada
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fujian Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Recycling, Fujian Normal University, No. 8 Shangsan Road, Fuzhou, Fujian, 350007, China
| | - Wei Li
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Huangshan University, 39 Xihai Road, Huangshan, Anhui, 245041, China
| | - Andrew J Irwin
- Department of Mathematics & Statistics, Dalhousie University, 1355 Oxford St, Halifax, NS, B3H 4R2, Canada
| | - Zoe V Finkel
- Department of Oceanography, Dalhousie University, 1355 Oxford St, Halifax, NS, B3H 4R2, Canada
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Sivaprakasam B, Sadagopan P. Development of shiny dashboard application for “genome-wide association study on analysis of SNPs injected in Homo sapiens genome (snips-HsG)”. Gene Reports 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.genrep.2021.101033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Abstract
Genetic and other variations frequently affect protein functions. Scientific articles can contain confusing descriptions about which function or property is affected, and in many cases the statements are pure speculation without any experimental evidence. To clarify functional effects of protein variations of genetic or non-genetic origin, a systematic conceptualisation and framework are introduced. This framework describes protein functional effects on abundance, activity, specificity and affinity, along with countermeasures, which allow cells, tissues and organisms to tolerate, avoid, repair, attenuate or resist (TARAR) the effects. Effects on abundance discussed include gene dosage, restricted expression, mis-localisation and degradation. Enzymopathies, effects on kinetics, allostery and regulation of protein activity are subtopics for the effects of variants on activity. Variation outcomes on specificity and affinity comprise promiscuity, specificity, affinity and moonlighting. TARAR mechanisms redress variations with active and passive processes including chaperones, redundancy, robustness, canalisation and metabolic and signalling rewiring. A framework for pragmatic protein function analysis and presentation is introduced. All of the mechanisms and effects are described along with representative examples, most often in relation to diseases. In addition, protein function is discussed from evolutionary point of view. Application of the presented framework facilitates unambiguous, detailed and specific description of functional effects and their systematic study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mauno Vihinen
- Department of Experimental Medical Science, BMC B13, Lund University, SE-22 184, Lund, Sweden.
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Muro EM, Ibn-Salem J, Andrade-Navarro MA. The distributions of protein coding genes within chromatin domains in relation to human disease. Epigenetics Chromatin 2019; 12:72. [PMID: 31805995 PMCID: PMC6894242 DOI: 10.1186/s13072-019-0317-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [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: 04/23/2019] [Accepted: 11/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Our understanding of the nuclear chromatin structure has increased hugely during the last years mainly as a consequence of the advances in chromatin conformation capture methods like Hi-C. The unprecedented resolution of genome-wide interaction maps shows functional consequences that extend the initial thought of an efficient DNA packaging mechanism: gene regulation, DNA repair, chromosomal translocations and evolutionary rearrangements seem to be only the peak of the iceberg. One key concept emerging from this research is the topologically associating domains (TADs) whose functional role in gene regulation and their association with disease is not fully untangled. Results We report that the lower the number of protein coding genes inside TADs, the higher the tendency of those genes to be associated with disease (p-value = 4 × \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
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\begin{document}$$10^{-54}$$\end{document}10-54). Moreover, housekeeping genes are less associated with disease than other genes. Accordingly, they are depleted in TADs containing less than three protein coding genes (p-value = 3.9 × \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
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\begin{document}$$10^{-34}$$\end{document}10-34). We observed that TADs with higher ratios of enhancers versus genes contained higher numbers of disease-associated genes. We interpret these results as an indication that sharing enhancers among genes reduces their involvement in disease. Larger TADs would have more chances to accommodate many genes and select for enhancer sharing along evolution. Conclusions Genes associated with human disease do not distribute randomly over the TADs. Our observations suggest general rules that confer functional stability to TADs, adding more evidence to the role of TADs as regulatory units.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enrique M Muro
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, Hans-Dieter-Hüsch-Weg 15, 55128, Mainz, Germany.
| | - Jonas Ibn-Salem
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, Hans-Dieter-Hüsch-Weg 15, 55128, Mainz, Germany
| | - Miguel A Andrade-Navarro
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, Hans-Dieter-Hüsch-Weg 15, 55128, Mainz, Germany
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Abstract
Background Histone deacetylases (HDACs) are the proteins responsible for removing the acetyl group from lysine residues of core histones in chromosomes, a crucial component of gene regulation. Eleven known HDACs exist in humans and most other vertebrates. While the basic function of HDACs has been well characterized and new discoveries are still being made, the transcriptional regulation of their corresponding genes is still poorly understood. Results Here, we conducted a computational analysis of the eleven HDAC promoter sequences in 25 vertebrate species to determine whether transcription factor binding sites (TFBSs) are conserved in HDAC evolution, and if so, whether they provide useful information about HDAC expression and function. Furthermore, we used tissue-specific information of transcription factors to investigate the potential expression patterns of HDACs in different human tissues based on their transcription factor binding sites. We found that the TFBS profiles of most of the HDACs were well conserved in closely related species for all HDAC promoters except HDAC7 and HDAC10. HDAC5 had particularly strong conservation across over half of the species studied, with nearly identical profiles in the primate species. Our comparisons of TFBSs with the tissue specific gene expression profiles of their corresponding TFs showed that most HDACs had the ability to be ubiquitously expressed. A few HDAC promoters exhibited the potential for preferential expression in certain tissues, most notably HDAC11 in gall bladder, while HDAC9 seemed to have less propensity for expression in the nervous system. Conclusions In general, we found evolutionary conservation in HDAC promoters that seems to be more prominent for the ubiquitously expressed HDACs. In turn, when conservation did not follow usual phylogeny, human TFBS patterns indicated possible functional relevance. While we found that HDACs appear to uniformly expressed, we confirm that the functional differences in HDACs may be less a matter of location of activity than a question of which proteins and which acetyl groups they may be acting on. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12864-019-5973-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toni A Boltz
- Department of Computer Science, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA.,Present address: University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Sawsan Khuri
- University of Exeter College of Medicine and Health, Exeter, UK
| | - Stefan Wuchty
- Department of Computer Science, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA. .,Department of Biology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA. .,Center of Computational Science, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA. .,Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA.
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Petrov P, Sarapulov AV, Eöry L, Scielzo C, Scarfò L, Smith J, Burt DW, Mattila PK. Computational analysis of the evolutionarily conserved Missing In Metastasis/Metastasis Suppressor 1 gene predicts novel interactions, regulatory regions and transcriptional control. Sci Rep 2019; 9:4155. [PMID: 30858428 PMCID: PMC6411742 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-40697-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2018] [Accepted: 02/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Missing in Metastasis (MIM), or Metastasis Suppressor 1 (MTSS1), is a highly conserved protein, which links the plasma membrane to the actin cytoskeleton. MIM has been implicated in various cancers, however, its modes of action remain largely enigmatic. Here, we performed an extensive in silico characterisation of MIM to gain better understanding of its function. We detected previously unappreciated functional motifs including adaptor protein (AP) complex interaction site and a C-helix, pointing to a role in endocytosis and regulation of actin dynamics, respectively. We also identified new functional regions, characterised with phosphorylation sites or distinct hydrophilic properties. Strong negative selection during evolution, yielding high conservation of MIM, has been combined with positive selection at key sites. Interestingly, our analysis of intra-molecular co-evolution revealed potential regulatory hotspots that coincided with reduced potentially pathogenic polymorphisms. We explored databases for the mutations and expression levels of MIM in cancer. Experimentally, we focused on chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL), where MIM showed high overall expression, however, downregulation on poor prognosis samples. Finally, we propose strong conservation of MTSS1 also on the transcriptional level and predict novel transcriptional regulators. Our data highlight important targets for future studies on the role of MIM in different tissues and cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Petar Petrov
- Institute of Biomedicine, and MediCity Research Laboratories, University of Turku, Tykistökatu 6A, 20520, Turku, Finland.
| | - Alexey V Sarapulov
- Institute of Biomedicine, and MediCity Research Laboratories, University of Turku, Tykistökatu 6A, 20520, Turku, Finland
| | - Lel Eöry
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, The Roslin Institute and R(D)SVS, University of Edinburgh, Roslin, Easter Bush campus, Midlothian, EH25 9RG, United Kingdom
| | - Cristina Scielzo
- Unit of B Cell Neoplasia, Division of Molecular Oncology, IRCCS, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milano, Italy.,Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy
| | - Lydia Scarfò
- Unit of B Cell Neoplasia, Division of Molecular Oncology, IRCCS, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milano, Italy.,Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy.,Strategic Research Program on CLL, Division of Experimental Oncology, IRCCS, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milano, Italy
| | - Jacqueline Smith
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, The Roslin Institute and R(D)SVS, University of Edinburgh, Roslin, Easter Bush campus, Midlothian, EH25 9RG, United Kingdom
| | - David W Burt
- University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Pieta K Mattila
- Institute of Biomedicine, and MediCity Research Laboratories, University of Turku, Tykistökatu 6A, 20520, Turku, Finland.
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Zhang B, Wu X, Liu J, Song L, Song Q, Wang L, Yuan D, Wu Z. β-Actin: Not a Suitable Internal Control of Hepatic Fibrosis Caused by Schistosoma japonicum. Front Microbiol 2019; 10:66. [PMID: 30766520 PMCID: PMC6365423 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.00066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [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: 08/03/2018] [Accepted: 01/15/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Schistosomiasis japonica is a significant health problem that leads to morbidity and mortality of humans. It is characterized by hepatic granulomatous response and fibrosis caused by eggs deposition in the liver. β-actin, a traditional housekeeping gene, is widely used as an internal control to normalize gene and protein expression. However, β-actin expression can fluctuate upon the treatment with pharmacological agents or under some physiological and pathological conditions. In this study, we found that the expressions of both β-actin mRNA and protein increased significantly with hepatic fibrosis formation after 6 weeks infection with Schistosoma japonicum and kept high level during the progression of hepatic fibrosis, while the levels of β-Tubulin and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) remained stable. The dynamic change of β-actin was similar with the profibrogenic factors, including α-SMA, Collagen I, and Collagen III. We employed immunofluorescence staining and further showed that the expression level of β-actin was positively correlated with α-SMA. What is more, there was a positive correlation between the level of β-actin mRNA and the content of hydroxyproline in liver. This study provides evidences that β-actin is variable and unsatisfied for application as an internal control in hepatic fibrosis induced by S. japonicum infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beibei Zhang
- Department of Parasitology, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control (SYSU), Ministry of Education, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.,Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center for Biological Vector Control, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiaoying Wu
- School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jiahua Liu
- Department of Parasitology, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control (SYSU), Ministry of Education, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.,Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center for Biological Vector Control, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Langui Song
- Department of Parasitology, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control (SYSU), Ministry of Education, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.,Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center for Biological Vector Control, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Qiuyue Song
- Department of Parasitology, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control (SYSU), Ministry of Education, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.,Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center for Biological Vector Control, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Lifu Wang
- Department of Parasitology, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control (SYSU), Ministry of Education, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.,Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center for Biological Vector Control, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Dongjuan Yuan
- Department of Parasitology, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.,College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zhongdao Wu
- Department of Parasitology, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control (SYSU), Ministry of Education, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.,Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center for Biological Vector Control, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
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Mu H, Sun J, Heras H, Chu KH, Qiu JW. An integrated proteomic and transcriptomic analysis of perivitelline fluid proteins in a freshwater gastropod laying aerial eggs. J Proteomics 2017; 155:22-30. [PMID: 28095328 DOI: 10.1016/j.jprot.2017.01.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2016] [Revised: 01/04/2017] [Accepted: 01/08/2017] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Proteins of the egg perivitelline fluid (PVF) that surrounds the embryo are critical for embryonic development in many animals, but little is known about their identities. Using an integrated proteomic and transcriptomic approach, we identified 64 proteins from the PVF of Pomacea maculata, a freshwater snail adopting aerial oviposition. Proteins were classified into eight functional groups: major multifunctional perivitellin subunits, immune response, energy metabolism, protein degradation, oxidation-reduction, signaling and binding, transcription and translation, and others. Comparison of gene expression levels between tissues showed that 22 PVF genes were exclusively expressed in albumen gland, the female organ that secretes PVF. Base substitution analysis of PVF and housekeeping genes between P. maculata and its closely related species Pomacea canaliculata showed that the reproductive proteins had a higher mean evolutionary rate. Predicted 3D structures of selected PVF proteins showed that some nonsynonymous substitutions are located at or near the binding regions that may affect protein function. The proteome and sequence divergence analysis revealed a substantial amount of maternal investment in embryonic nutrition and defense, and higher adaptive selective pressure on PVF protein-coding genes when compared with housekeeping genes, providing insight into the adaptations associated with the unusual reproductive strategy in these mollusks. SIGNIFICANCE There has been great interest in studying reproduction-related proteins as such studies may not only answer fundamental questions about speciation and evolution, but also solve practical problems of animal infertility and pest outbreak. Our study has demonstrated the effectiveness of an integrated proteomic and transcriptomic approach in understanding the heavy maternal investment of proteins in the eggs of a non-model snail, and how the reproductive proteins may have evolved during the transition from laying underwater eggs to aerial eggs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huawei Mu
- Department of Biology, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China
| | - Jin Sun
- Division of Life Science, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, China
| | - Horacio Heras
- Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata (INIBIOLP), Universidad Nacional de La Plata (UNLP)-CONICET CCT-La Plata, La Plata, Argentina; Cátedra de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, UNLP, Argentina
| | - Ka Hou Chu
- Simon F.S. Li Marine Science Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Jian-Wen Qiu
- Department of Biology, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China.
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