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Mu D, Wu X, Feijó A, Wu W, Wen Z, Cheng J, Xia L, Yang Q, Shan W, Ge D. Transcriptome analysis of pika heart tissue reveals mechanisms underlying the adaptation of a keystone species on the roof of the world. Front Genet 2022; 13:1020789. [PMID: 36506315 PMCID: PMC9728954 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2022.1020789] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2022] [Accepted: 11/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
High-altitude environments impose intense stresses on living organisms and drive striking phenotypic and genetic adaptations, such as hypoxia resistance, cold tolerance, and increases in metabolic capacity and body mass. As one of the most successful and dominant mammals on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QHTP), the plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae) has adapted to the extreme environments of the highest altitudes of this region and exhibits tolerance to cold and hypoxia, in contrast to closely related species that inhabit the peripheral alpine bush or forests. To explore the potential genetic mechanisms underlying the adaptation of O. curzoniae to a high-altitude environment, we sequenced the heart tissue transcriptomes of adult plateau pikas (comparing specimens from sites at two different altitudes) and Gansu pikas (O. cansus). Differential expression analysis and weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) were used to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and their primary functions. Key genes and pathways related to high-altitude adaptation were identified. In addition to the biological processes of signal transduction, energy metabolism and material transport, the identified plateau pika genes were mainly enriched in biological pathways such as the negative regulation of smooth muscle cell proliferation, the apoptosis signalling pathway, the cellular response to DNA damage stimulus, and ossification involved in bone maturation and heart development. Our results showed that the plateau pika has adapted to the extreme environments of the QHTP via protection against cardiomyopathy, tissue structure alterations and improvements in the blood circulation system and energy metabolism. These adaptations shed light on how pikas thrive on the roof of the world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danping Mu
- Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Biological Resources and Genetic Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Xinjiang University, Urumqi, China,Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xinlai Wu
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China,Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Application, School of Life Science, Institute of Life Science and Green Development, Hebei University, Baoding, Hebei, China
| | - Anderson Feijó
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Wei Wu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Zhixin Wen
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jilong Cheng
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Lin Xia
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Qisen Yang
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Wenjuan Shan
- Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Biological Resources and Genetic Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Xinjiang University, Urumqi, China,*Correspondence: Wenjuan Shan, ; Deyan Ge,
| | - Deyan Ge
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China,*Correspondence: Wenjuan Shan, ; Deyan Ge,
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Chen Z, Grossfurthner L, Loxterman JL, Masingale J, Richardson BA, Seaborn T, Smith B, Waits LP, Narum SR. Applying genomics in assisted migration under climate change: Framework, empirical applications, and case studies. Evol Appl 2022; 15:3-21. [PMID: 35126645 PMCID: PMC8792483 DOI: 10.1111/eva.13335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2021] [Revised: 11/18/2021] [Accepted: 12/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
The rate of global climate change is projected to outpace the ability of many natural populations and species to adapt. Assisted migration (AM), which is defined as the managed movement of climate-adapted individuals within or outside the species ranges, is a conservation option to improve species' adaptive capacity and facilitate persistence. Although conservation biologists have long been using genetic tools to increase or maintain diversity of natural populations, genomic techniques could add extra benefit in AM that include selectively neutral and adaptive regions of the genome. In this review, we first propose a framework along with detailed procedures to aid collaboration among scientists, agencies, and local and regional managers during the decision-making process of genomics-guided AM. We then summarize the genomic approaches for applying AM, followed by a literature search of existing incorporation of genomics in AM across taxa. Our literature search initially identified 729 publications, but after filtering returned only 50 empirical studies that were either directly applied or considered genomics in AM related to climate change across taxa of plants, terrestrial animals, and aquatic animals; 42 studies were in plants. This demonstrated limited application of genomic methods in AM in organisms other than plants, so we provide further case studies as two examples to demonstrate the negative impact of climate change on non-model species and how genomics could be applied in AM. With the rapidly developing sequencing technology and accumulating genomic data, we expect to see more successful applications of genomics in AM, and more broadly, in the conservation of biodiversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhongqi Chen
- Aquaculture Research InstituteUniversity of IdahoHagermanIdahoUSA
| | - Lukas Grossfurthner
- Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Graduate ProgramUniversity of IdahoHagermanIdahoUSA
| | - Janet L. Loxterman
- Department of Biological SciencesIdaho State UniversityPocatelloIdahoUSA
| | | | | | - Travis Seaborn
- Department of Fish and Wildlife ResourcesUniversity of IdahoMoscowIdahoUSA
| | - Brandy Smith
- Department of Biological SciencesIdaho State UniversityPocatelloIdahoUSA
| | - Lisette P. Waits
- Department of Fish and Wildlife ResourcesUniversity of IdahoMoscowIdahoUSA
| | - Shawn R. Narum
- Columbia River Inter‐Tribal Fish CommissionHagermanIdahoUSA
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Fu H, Zhang L, Fan C, Liu C, Li W, Cheng Q, Zhao X, Jia S, Zhang Y. Environment and host species identity shape gut microbiota diversity in sympatric herbivorous mammals. Microb Biotechnol 2021; 14:1300-1315. [PMID: 33369229 PMCID: PMC8313255 DOI: 10.1111/1751-7915.13687] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2020] [Accepted: 10/07/2020] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The previous studies have reported that the mammalian gut microbiota is a physiological consequence; nonetheless, the factors influencing its composition and function remain unclear. In this study, to evaluate the contributions of the host and environment to the gut microbiota, we conducted a sequencing analysis of 16S rDNA and shotgun metagenomic DNA from plateau pikas and yaks, two sympatric herbivorous mammals, and further compared the sequences in summer and winter. The results revealed that both pikas and yaks harboured considerably more distinct communities between summer and winter. We detected the over-representation of Verrucomicrobia and Proteobacteria in pikas, and Archaea and Bacteroidetes in yaks. Firmicutes and Actinobacteria, associated with energy-efficient acquisition, significantly enriched in winter. The diversity of the microbial community was determined by the interactive effects between the host and season. Metagenomic analysis revealed that methane-metabolism-related pathway of yaks was significantly enriched in summer, while some pathogenic pathways were more abundant in pikas. Both pikas and yaks had a higher capacity for lipid degradation in winter. Pika and yak shared more OTUs when food shortage occurred in winter, and this caused a convergence in gut microbial composition and function. From winter to summer, the network module number increased from one to five in pikas, which was different in yaks. Our study demonstrates that the host is a dominant factor in shaping the microbial communities and that seasonality promotes divergence or convergence based on dietary quality across host species identity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haibo Fu
- Key Laboratory of Adaptation and Evolution of Plateau BiotaNorthwest Institute of Plateau BiologyChinese Academy of SciencesXiningQinghai810008China
- Qinghai Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Ecological GenomicsXiningQinghai ProvinceChina
- University of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing100049China
| | - Liangzhi Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Adaptation and Evolution of Plateau BiotaNorthwest Institute of Plateau BiologyChinese Academy of SciencesXiningQinghai810008China
- Qinghai Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Ecological GenomicsXiningQinghai ProvinceChina
| | - Chao Fan
- Key Laboratory of Adaptation and Evolution of Plateau BiotaNorthwest Institute of Plateau BiologyChinese Academy of SciencesXiningQinghai810008China
- Qinghai Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Ecological GenomicsXiningQinghai ProvinceChina
- University of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing100049China
| | - Chuanfa Liu
- Key Laboratory of Adaptation and Evolution of Plateau BiotaNorthwest Institute of Plateau BiologyChinese Academy of SciencesXiningQinghai810008China
- Qinghai Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Ecological GenomicsXiningQinghai ProvinceChina
- University of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing100049China
| | - Wenjing Li
- Key Laboratory of Adaptation and Evolution of Plateau BiotaNorthwest Institute of Plateau BiologyChinese Academy of SciencesXiningQinghai810008China
- Qinghai Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Ecological GenomicsXiningQinghai ProvinceChina
| | - Qi Cheng
- Key Laboratory of Adaptation and Evolution of Plateau BiotaNorthwest Institute of Plateau BiologyChinese Academy of SciencesXiningQinghai810008China
- Qinghai Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Ecological GenomicsXiningQinghai ProvinceChina
- University of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing100049China
| | - Xinquan Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Adaptation and Evolution of Plateau BiotaNorthwest Institute of Plateau BiologyChinese Academy of SciencesXiningQinghai810008China
- Qinghai Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Ecological GenomicsXiningQinghai ProvinceChina
| | - Shangang Jia
- College of Grassland Science and TechnologyChina Agricultural UniversityBeijing100193China
| | - Yanming Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Adaptation and Evolution of Plateau BiotaNorthwest Institute of Plateau BiologyChinese Academy of SciencesXiningQinghai810008China
- Qinghai Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Ecological GenomicsXiningQinghai ProvinceChina
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Kakehashi R, Kurabayashi A. Patterns of Natural Selection on Mitochondrial Protein-Coding Genes in Lungless Salamanders: Relaxed Purifying Selection and Presence of Positively Selected Codon Sites in the Family Plethodontidae. Int J Genomics 2021; 2021:6671300. [PMID: 33928143 PMCID: PMC8053045 DOI: 10.1155/2021/6671300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2020] [Revised: 03/12/2021] [Accepted: 03/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
There are two distinct lungless groups in caudate amphibians (salamanders and newts) (the family Plethodontidae and the genus Onychodactylus, from the family Hynobiidae). Lunglessness is considered to have evolved in response to environmental and/or ecological adaptation with respect to oxygen requirements. We performed selection analyses on lungless salamanders to elucidate the selective patterns of mitochondrial protein-coding genes associated with lunglessness. The branch model and RELAX analyses revealed the occurrence of relaxed selection (an increase of the dN/dS ratio = ω value) in most mitochondrial protein-coding genes of plethodontid salamander branches but not in those of Onychodactylus. Additional branch model and RELAX analyses indicated that direct-developing plethodontids showed the relaxed pattern for most mitochondrial genes, although metamorphosing plethodontids had fewer relaxed genes. Furthermore, aBSREL analysis detected positively selected codons in three plethodontid branches but not in Onychodactylus. One of these three branches corresponded to the most recent common ancestor, and the others corresponded with the most recent common ancestors of direct-developing branches within Hemidactyliinae. The positive selection of mitochondrial protein-coding genes in Plethodontidae is probably associated with the evolution of direct development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryosuke Kakehashi
- Faculty of Bio-Science, Nagahama Institute of Bio-Science and Technology, Shiga 526-0829, Japan
| | - Atsushi Kurabayashi
- Faculty of Bio-Science, Nagahama Institute of Bio-Science and Technology, Shiga 526-0829, Japan
- Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University, Potchefstroom 2520, South Africa
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Solari KA, Hadly EA. Experimental study of hypoxia-induced changes in gene expression in an Asian pika, Ochotona dauurica. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0240435. [PMID: 33044983 PMCID: PMC7549823 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0240435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2019] [Accepted: 09/27/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Acclimation to environmental changes driven by alterations in gene expression will serve as an important response for some species facing rapid Anthropogenic climate change. Pikas, genus Ochotona, are particularly vulnerable to climate change and current trends suggest that only the highest, coldest elevations within their ranges may remain suitable habitat for these species. In this study we aimed to assess the role of changes in gene expression in potentially facilitating elevational movements in pikas by measuring gene expression in the only known captive pika population, Ochotona dauurica, in response to hypoxic conditions. Using a controlled experiment, we exposed four male pikas to oxygen concentrations characteristic of sea-level, 2,000 m, and 4,000 m for 5 days each. Using blood samples collected after each treatment, we used RNAseq to determine if candidate pathways were undergoing significant changes in gene expression at different levels of oxygen (~100%, ~77%, and ~61% of sea-level oxygen concentrations). Gene set enrichment analyses showed that gene sets associated with the oxidative phosphorylation pathway and electron transport chain were significantly enriched for up-regulated genes in the 4,000 m samples compared to samples from the same individuals at lower-elevation conditions. Up-regulation of these pathways is consistent with known mechanisms of oxygen compensation. Our results suggest that these pikas have the acclimation capacity to tolerate oxygen concentrations characteristic of any elevation within their species range and that gene expression can be changed in a matter of days to accommodate drastically different oxygen concentrations. Thus, rapid and radical elevational movements that may be required of some pika species to avoid warmer temperatures in the Anthropocene will likely not be limited by hypoxic stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine A. Solari
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America
- Program for Conservation Genomics, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Elizabeth A. Hadly
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America
- Program for Conservation Genomics, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America
- Woods Institute for the Environment, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America
- Center for Innovation in Global Health, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America
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Solari KA, Ramakrishnan U, Hadly EA. Gene expression is implicated in the ability of pikas to occupy Himalayan elevational gradient. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0207936. [PMID: 30540800 PMCID: PMC6291101 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0207936] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2018] [Accepted: 11/08/2018] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Species are shifting their ranges due to climate change, many moving to cooler and higher locations. However, with elevation increase comes oxygen decline, potentially limiting a species’ ability to track its environment depending on what mechanisms it has available to compensate for hypoxic stress. Pikas (Family Ochotonidae), cold-specialist small mammal species, are already undergoing elevational range shifts. We collected RNA samples from one population of Ochotona roylei in the western Himalaya at three sites– 3,600, 4,000, and 5,000 meters–and found no evidence of significant population genetic structure nor positive selection among sites. However, out of over 10,000 expressed transcripts, 26 were significantly upregulated at the 5,000 m site and were significantly enriched for pathways consistent with physiological compensation for limited oxygen. These results suggest that differences in gene expression may play a key role in enabling hypoxia tolerance on this local scale, indicating elevational flexibility that may facilitate successful range shifts in response to climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine A. Solari
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America
- Woods Institute for the Environment, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Uma Ramakrishnan
- National Centre for Biological Sciences, TIFR, Bangalore, India
- Program for Conservation Genomics, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America
| | - Elizabeth A. Hadly
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America
- Woods Institute for the Environment, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America
- Program for Conservation Genomics, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America
- Center for Innovation in Global Health, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America
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