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Blackburn GS, Keeling CI, Prunier J, Keena MA, Béliveau C, Hamelin R, Havill NP, Hebert FO, Levesque RC, Cusson M, Porth I. Genetics of flight in spongy moths (Lymantria dispar ssp.): functionally integrated profiling of a complex invasive trait. BMC Genomics 2024; 25:541. [PMID: 38822259 PMCID: PMC11140922 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-023-09936-8] [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: 03/03/2023] [Accepted: 12/22/2023] [Indexed: 06/02/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Flight can drastically enhance dispersal capacity and is a key trait defining the potential of exotic insect species to spread and invade new habitats. The phytophagous European spongy moths (ESM, Lymantria dispar dispar) and Asian spongy moths (ASM; a multi-species group represented here by L. d. asiatica and L. d. japonica), are globally invasive species that vary in adult female flight capability-female ASM are typically flight capable, whereas female ESM are typically flightless. Genetic markers of flight capability would supply a powerful tool for flight profiling of these species at any intercepted life stage. To assess the functional complexity of spongy moth flight and to identify potential markers of flight capability, we used multiple genetic approaches aimed at capturing complementary signals of putative flight-relevant genetic divergence between ESM and ASM: reduced representation genome-wide association studies, whole genome sequence comparisons, and developmental transcriptomics. We then judged the candidacy of flight-associated genes through functional analyses aimed at addressing the proximate demands of flight and salient features of the ecological context of spongy moth flight evolution. RESULTS Candidate gene sets were typically non-overlapping across different genetic approaches, with only nine gene annotations shared between any pair of approaches. We detected an array of flight-relevant functional themes across gene sets that collectively suggest divergence in flight capability between European and Asian spongy moth lineages has coincided with evolutionary differentiation in multiple aspects of flight development, execution, and surrounding life history. Overall, our results indicate that spongy moth flight evolution has shaped or been influenced by a large and functionally broad network of traits. CONCLUSIONS Our study identified a suite of flight-associated genes in spongy moths suited to exploration of the genetic architecture and evolution of flight, or validation for flight profiling purposes. This work illustrates how complementary genetic approaches combined with phenotypically targeted functional analyses can help to characterize genetically complex traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gwylim S Blackburn
- Natural Resources Canada, Pacific Forestry Centre, Canadian Forest Service, 506 Burnside Road West, Victoria, BC, V8Z 1M5, Canada.
- Natural Resources Canada, Laurentian Forestry Centre, Canadian Forest Service, 1055 Rue du PEPS, Quebec City, Québec, G1V 4C7, Canada.
- Department of Wood and Forest Sciences, Laval University, 1030 Avenue de La Médecine, Québec, QC, G1V 0A6, Canada.
| | - Christopher I Keeling
- Natural Resources Canada, Laurentian Forestry Centre, Canadian Forest Service, 1055 Rue du PEPS, Quebec City, Québec, G1V 4C7, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Bioinformatics, Laval University, Québec, QC, G1V 0A6, Canada
| | - Julien Prunier
- Department of Wood and Forest Sciences, Laval University, 1030 Avenue de La Médecine, Québec, QC, G1V 0A6, Canada
- Institute of Integrative Biology and Systems, Laval University, Québec, QC, Canada
| | - Melody A Keena
- United States Department of Agriculture, Northern Research Station, Forest Service, 51 Mill Pond Road, Hamden, CT, 06514, USA
| | - Catherine Béliveau
- Natural Resources Canada, Laurentian Forestry Centre, Canadian Forest Service, 1055 Rue du PEPS, Quebec City, Québec, G1V 4C7, Canada
| | - Richard Hamelin
- Forest Sciences Centre, University of British Columbia, 2424 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC, 3032V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Nathan P Havill
- United States Department of Agriculture, Northern Research Station, Forest Service, 51 Mill Pond Road, Hamden, CT, 06514, USA
| | | | - Roger C Levesque
- Institute of Integrative Biology and Systems, Laval University, Québec, QC, Canada
| | - Michel Cusson
- Natural Resources Canada, Laurentian Forestry Centre, Canadian Forest Service, 1055 Rue du PEPS, Quebec City, Québec, G1V 4C7, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Bioinformatics, Laval University, Québec, QC, G1V 0A6, Canada
| | - Ilga Porth
- Department of Wood and Forest Sciences, Laval University, 1030 Avenue de La Médecine, Québec, QC, G1V 0A6, Canada
- Institute of Integrative Biology and Systems, Laval University, Québec, QC, Canada
- Centre for Forest Research, Laval University, 2405 Rue de La Terrasse, Québec, QC, G1V 0A6, Canada
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Matsumura K, Onuma T, Kondo S, Noguchi H, Uchiyama H, Yajima S, Sasaki K, Miyatake T. Transcriptomic comparison between populations selected for higher and lower mobility in the red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum. Sci Rep 2024; 14:67. [PMID: 38167631 PMCID: PMC10762016 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-50923-6] [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: 10/07/2023] [Accepted: 12/28/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Movement is an important behavior observed in a wide range of taxa. Previous studies have examined genes controlling movement using wing polymorphic insects and genes controlling wing size. However, few studies have investigated genes controlling movement activity rather than morphological traits. In the present study, we conducted RNA sequencing using populations with higher (WL) and lower (WS) mobility established by artificial selection in the red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum and compared gene expression levels between selected populations with two replicate lines. As a result, we found significant differences between the selected populations in 677 genes expressed in one replicate line and 1198 genes expressed in another replicate line, of which 311 genes were common to the two replicate lines. Furthermore, quantitative PCR focusing on 6 of these genes revealed that neuropeptide F receptor gene (NpF) was significantly more highly expressed in the WL population than in the WS population, which was common to the two replicate lines. We discuss differences in genes controlling movement between walking activity and wing polymorphism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kentarou Matsumura
- Graduate School of Environment, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan.
| | - Takafumi Onuma
- Graduate School of Agriculture, Tamagawa University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Shinji Kondo
- Center for Genome Informatics, Research Organization of Information and Systems, Joint Support-Center for Data Science Research, 1111 Yata, Mishima, Shizuoka, 411-8540, Japan
| | - Hideki Noguchi
- Center for Genome Informatics, Research Organization of Information and Systems, Joint Support-Center for Data Science Research, 1111 Yata, Mishima, Shizuoka, 411-8540, Japan
| | - Hironobu Uchiyama
- NODAI Genome Research Center, Tokyo University of Agriculture, 1-1-1 Sakuragaoka, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, 156-8502, Japan
| | - Shunsuke Yajima
- NODAI Genome Research Center, Tokyo University of Agriculture, 1-1-1 Sakuragaoka, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, 156-8502, Japan
- Department of Bioscience, Tokyo University of Agriculture, 1-1-1 Sakuragaoka, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, 156-8502, Japan
| | - Ken Sasaki
- Graduate School of Agriculture, Tamagawa University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Takahisa Miyatake
- Graduate School of Environment, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan
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Matsumura K, Miyatake T. Dominance and inheritance patterns of mobility and death feigning in beetle strains selected for moving activity. Genetica 2023; 151:1-10. [PMID: 36401717 DOI: 10.1007/s10709-022-00174-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2022] [Accepted: 11/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Reciprocal crossing of different strains is a suitable method to investigate the dominance and inheritance of a focal trait. Herein, we performed reciprocal crossing among strains of Tribolium castaneum exhibiting a genetically high (H strain) and low (L strain) moving activity and investigated the related heritable factors in the F1 and F2 generations. We also evaluated death-feigning behavior, which negatively responded to artificial selection for moving activity in T. castaneum. The results obtained for the F1 generation suggest that low moving activity and short duration of death feigning were dominant. In the F2 generation, movement and death feigning exhibited continuous segregation. The distribution of each trait value in the F2 generation differed from that in the parental generation, and no individuals transgressing the distribution of trait values in the parental generation emerged in the F2 generation. These results suggest that the genetic correlation between movement and death-feigning behavior is controlled in a polygenic manner. Moreover, the examination of the proportions of both behaviors (high vs. low moving activity and long vs. short death-feigning duration) in the F1 generation revealed that the two behaviors may be controlled by the maternal genotype, suggesting that the gene(s) that control movement and death feigning are located on the sex chromosome in T. castaneum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kentarou Matsumura
- Graduate School of Environmental and Life Science, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan.
| | - Takahisa Miyatake
- Graduate School of Environmental and Life Science, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan
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Zhao Y, Hu J, Wu J, Li Z. ChIP-seq profiling of H3K4me3 and H3K27me3 in an invasive insect, Bactrocera dorsalis. Front Genet 2023; 14:1108104. [PMID: 36911387 PMCID: PMC9996634 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2023.1108104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2022] [Accepted: 02/10/2023] [Indexed: 02/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction: While it has been suggested that histone modifications can facilitate animal responses to rapidly changing environments, few studies have profiled whole-genome histone modification patterns in invasive species, leaving the regulatory landscape of histone modifications in invasive species unclear. Methods: Here, we screen genome-wide patterns of two important histone modifications, trimethylated Histone H3 Lysine 4 (H3K4me3) and trimethylated Histone H3 Lysine 27 (H3K27me3), in adult thorax muscles of a notorious invasive pest, the Oriental fruit fly Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) (Diptera: Tephritidae), using Chromatin Immunoprecipitation with high-throughput sequencing (ChIP-seq). Results: We identified promoters featured by the occupancy of H3K4me3, H3K27me3 or bivalent histone modifications that were respectively annotated with unique genes key to muscle development and structure maintenance. In addition, we found H3K27me3 occupied the entire body of genes, where the average enrichment was almost constant. Transcriptomic analysis indicated that H3K4me3 is associated with active gene transcription, and H3K27me3 is mostly associated with transcriptional repression. Importantly, we identified genes and putative motifs modified by distinct histone modification patterns that may possibly regulate flight activity. Discussion: These findings provide the first evidence of histone modification signature in B. dorsalis, and will be useful for future studies of epigenetic signature in other invasive insect species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Surveillance and Management for Plant Quarantine Pests, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Plant Protection, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Juntao Hu
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, Institute of Biodiversity Science, Center of Evolutionary Biology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jiajiao Wu
- Technology Center of Guangzhou Customs, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zhihong Li
- Key Laboratory of Surveillance and Management for Plant Quarantine Pests, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Plant Protection, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
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Transcriptome analysis of aphids exposed to glandular trichomes in tomato reveals stress and starvation related responses. Sci Rep 2022; 12:20154. [PMID: 36418431 PMCID: PMC9684535 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-24490-1] [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: 11/18/2021] [Accepted: 11/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding the responses of insect herbivores to plant chemical defences is pivotal for the management of crops and pests. However, the mechanisms of interaction are not entirely understood. In this study, we compared the whole transcriptome gene expression of the aphid Macrosiphum euphorbiae grown on two different varieties of tomato that differ in their inducible chemical defences. We used two isogenic lines of tomato with a shared genetic background that only differ in the presence of type IV glandular trichomes and their associated acylsucrose excretions. This works also reports a de novo transcriptome of the aphid M. euphorbiae. Subsequently, we identified a unique and distinct gene expression profile for the first time corresponding to aphid´s exposure to type IV glandular trichomes and acylsugars. The analysis of the aphid transcriptome shows that tomato glandular trichomes and their associated secretions are highly efficient in triggering stress-related responses in the aphid, and demonstrating that their role in plant defence goes beyond the physical impediment of herbivore activity. Some of the differentially expressed genes were associated with carbohydrate, lipid and xenobiotic metabolisms, immune system, oxidative stress response and hormone biosynthesis pathways. Also, the observed responses are compatible with a starvation syndrome. The transcriptome analysis puts forward a wide range of genes involved in the synthesis and regulation of detoxification enzymes that reveal important underlying mechanisms in the interaction of the aphid with its host plant and provides a valuable genomic resource for future study of biological processes at the molecular level using this aphid.
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Tian S, Monteiro A. A transcriptomic atlas underlying developmental plasticity of seasonal forms of Bicyclus anynana butterflies. Mol Biol Evol 2022; 39:msac126. [PMID: 35679434 PMCID: PMC9218548 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msac126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2022] [Revised: 05/10/2022] [Accepted: 05/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Organisms residing in regions with alternating seasons often develop different phenotypes, or forms, in each season. These forms are often adaptations to each season and result from an altered developmental response to specific environmental cues such as temperature. While multiple studies have examined form-specific gene expression profiles in a diversity of species, little is known about how environments and developmental transitions, cued by hormone pulses, alter post-transcriptional patterns. In this study, we examine how gene expression, alternative splicing, and miRNA-mediated gene silencing in Bicyclus anynana butterfly hindwing tissue, varies across two rearing temperatures at four developmental timepoints. These timepoints flank two temperature-sensitive periods that coincide with two pulses of the insect hormone 20E. Our results suggest that developmental transitions, coincident with 20E pulses, elicit a greater impact on all these transcriptomic patterns than rearing temperatures per se. More similar transcriptomic patterns are observed pre-20E pulses than those observed post-20E pulses. We also found functionally distinct sets of differentially expressed and differentially spliced genes in the seasonal forms. Furthermore, around 10% of differentially expressed genes are predicted to be direct targets of, and regulated by, differentially expressed miRNAs between the seasonal forms. Many differentially expressed genes, miRNAs, or differentially spliced genes potentially regulate eyespot size plasticity, and we validated the differential splicing pattern of one such gene, daughterless. We present a comprehensive and interactive transcriptomic atlas of the hindwing tissue of both seasonal forms of B. anynana throughout development, a model organism of seasonal plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shen Tian
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Antónia Monteiro
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
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Li X, Zhao MH, Tian MM, Zhao J, Cai WL, Hua HX. An InR/mir-9a/NlUbx regulatory cascade regulates wing diphenism in brown planthoppers. INSECT SCIENCE 2021; 28:1300-1313. [PMID: 32935926 DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.12872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2020] [Revised: 08/09/2020] [Accepted: 08/26/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Wing polymorphism significantly contributes to the ecological success of some insect species. For example, the brown planthopper (BPH) Nilaparvata lugens, which is one of the most destructive rice pests in Asia, can develop into either highly mobile long-winged or highly fecund short-winged adult morphs. A recent study reported a highly provocative result that the Hox gene Ultrabithorax (Ubx) is expressed in BPH forewings and showed that this wing development gene is differentially expressed in nymphs that develop into long-winged versus short-winged morphs. Here, we found that Ubx may be a mir-9a target, and used dual luciferase reporter assays and injected micro RNA (miRNA) mimics and inhibitors to confirm the interactions between mir-9a and NlUbx. We measured the mir-9a and NlUbx expression profiles in nymphs and found that the expression of these two biomolecules was negatively correlated. By rearing BPH nymphs on host rice plants with different nutritional status, we were able to characterize a regulatory cascade between insulin receptor genes, mir-9a, and NlUbx that regulate wing length in BPHs. When host quality was low, NlInR1 expression in the nymph terga increased and NlInR2 expression decreased; this led to a higher mir-9a level, which in turn reduced the NlUbx transcript level and ultimately resulted in longer wing lengths. Beyond extending our understanding of the interplay between host plant status and genetic events that modulate polymorphism, we demonstrated both the upstream signal and miRNA-based regulatory mechanism that control Ubx expression in BPH forewings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiang Li
- Hubei Insect Resources Utilization and Sustainable Pest Management Key Laboratory, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Mu-Hua Zhao
- Hubei Insect Resources Utilization and Sustainable Pest Management Key Laboratory, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Miao-Miao Tian
- Hubei Insect Resources Utilization and Sustainable Pest Management Key Laboratory, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Jing Zhao
- Hubei Insect Resources Utilization and Sustainable Pest Management Key Laboratory, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Wan-Lun Cai
- Hubei Insect Resources Utilization and Sustainable Pest Management Key Laboratory, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Hong-Xia Hua
- Hubei Insect Resources Utilization and Sustainable Pest Management Key Laboratory, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
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Xin ZZ, Hou HX, Wei XQ, Xiao JH, Huang DW. Transcriptome analysis of the male polymorphisms of fig wasp species Philotrypesis tridentata. Int J Biol Macromol 2020; 164:1665-1674. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2020.07.294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2020] [Revised: 07/26/2020] [Accepted: 07/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Yang Y, Liu D, Liu X, Wang B, Shi X. Divergence of Desiccation-Related Traits in Sitobion avenae from Northwestern China. INSECTS 2020; 11:insects11090626. [PMID: 32932880 PMCID: PMC7565472 DOI: 10.3390/insects11090626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2020] [Revised: 09/10/2020] [Accepted: 09/10/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The impact of drought on insects has become increasingly evident in the context of global climate change, but the physiological mechanisms of aphids' responses to desiccating environments are still not well understood. We sampled the wheat aphid Sitobion avenae (Fabricius) (Hemiptera: Aphididae) from arid areas of northwestern China. Both desiccation-resistant and -nonresistant genotypes were identified, providing direct evidence of genetic divergence in desiccation resistance of S. avenae. Resistant genotypes of wingless S. avenae showed longer survival time and LT50 under the desiccation stress (i.e., 10% relative humidity) than nonresistant genotypes, and wingless individuals tended to have higher desiccation resistance than winged ones. Both absolute and relative water contents did not differ between the two kinds of genotypes. Resistant genotypes had lower water loss rates than nonresistant genotypes for both winged and wingless individuals, suggesting that modulation of water loss rates could be the primary strategy in resistance of this aphid against desiccation stress. Contents of cuticular hydrocarbons (CHC) (especially methyl-branched alkanes) showed significant increase for both resistant and nonresistant genotypes after exposure to the desiccation stress for 24 h. Under desiccation stress, survival time was positively correlated with contents of methyl-branched alkanes for resistant genotypes. Thus, the content of methyl-branched alkanes and their high plasticity could be closely linked to water loss rate and desiccation resistance in S. avenae. Our results provide insights into fundamental aspects and underlying mechanisms of desiccation resistance in aphids, and have significant implications for the evolution of aphid populations in the context of global warming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yujing Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China; (Y.Y.); (X.L.); (B.W.); (X.S.)
- College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
| | - Deguang Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China; (Y.Y.); (X.L.); (B.W.); (X.S.)
- College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
| | - Xiaoming Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China; (Y.Y.); (X.L.); (B.W.); (X.S.)
- College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
| | - Biyao Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China; (Y.Y.); (X.L.); (B.W.); (X.S.)
- College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
| | - Xiaoqin Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China; (Y.Y.); (X.L.); (B.W.); (X.S.)
- College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
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Liu PC, Hao DJ, Hu HY, Wei JR. Sexual dimorphism and sex-biased gene expression in an egg parasitoid species, Anastatus disparis. BMC Genomics 2020; 21:492. [PMID: 32682391 PMCID: PMC7368684 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-020-06903-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2020] [Accepted: 07/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Differences in the expression of genes present in both sexes are assumed to contribute to sex differences including behavioural, physiological and morphological dimorphisms. For enriching our knowledge of gender differences in an important egg parasitoid wasp, Anastatus disparis (Hymenoptera: Eupelmidae), sex-biased differences in gene expression were investigated using Illumina-based transcriptomic analysis. Results A total of 15,812 resulting unigenes were annotated, and a large set of genes accounting for 50.09% of the total showed sex-biased expression and included 630 sex-specific genes. Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analyses showed that the functional categories associated with sex-biased genes were mainly related to reproduction. In addition, the transcriptome data provided evidence that sex pheromones in A. disparis are produced by the female, and activity of Δ12-desaturases appear to have been replaced by Δ9-desaturases playing roles in sex pheromone production. The large set of sex-biased genes identified in this study provide a molecular background for sexually dimorphic traits such as flyability, longevity, and aggression in this species and suggests candidate venom proteins expressed only in females that could be used for biological control. Conclusions This study provides comprehensive insight into sexually dimorphic traits of a parasitoid wasp and can inform future research into the molecular mechanisms underlying such traits and the application of parasitoids to the biological control of pest species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng-Cheng Liu
- The College of Ecology and Environment, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu, Anhui Province, China.
| | - De-Jun Hao
- The College of Forestry, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Hao-Yuan Hu
- The College of Ecology and Environment, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu, Anhui Province, China
| | - Jian-Rong Wei
- The College of Life Science, Hebei University, Baoding, Hebei Province, China
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Kanturski M, Świątek P, Trela J, Borowiak-Sobkowiak B, Wieczorek K. Micromorphology of the model species pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum (Hemiptera, Aphididae) with special emphasis on the sensilla structure. THE EUROPEAN ZOOLOGICAL JOURNAL 2020. [DOI: 10.1080/24750263.2020.1779827] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- M. Kanturski
- Institute of Biology, Biotechnology and Environmental Protection, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Silesia in Katowice, Katowice, Poland
| | - P. Świątek
- Institute of Biology, Biotechnology and Environmental Protection, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Silesia in Katowice, Katowice, Poland
| | - J. Trela
- Institute of Biology, Biotechnology and Environmental Protection, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Silesia in Katowice, Katowice, Poland
| | - B. Borowiak-Sobkowiak
- Department of Entomology and Environmental Protection, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Poznań, Poland
| | - K. Wieczorek
- Institute of Biology, Biotechnology and Environmental Protection, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Silesia in Katowice, Katowice, Poland
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Chang H, Qiu Z, Yuan H, Wang X, Li X, Sun H, Guo X, Lu Y, Feng X, Majid M, Huang Y. Evolutionary rates of and selective constraints on the mitochondrial genomes of Orthoptera insects with different wing types. Mol Phylogenet Evol 2020; 145:106734. [PMID: 31972240 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2020.106734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2019] [Revised: 01/08/2020] [Accepted: 01/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Orthoptera is the most diverse order of polyneopterans, and the forewing and hindwing of its members exhibit extremely variability from full length to complete loss in many groups; thus, this order provides a good model for studying the effects of insect flight ability on the evolutionary constraints on and evolutionary rate of the mitochondrial genome. Based on a data set of mitochondrial genomes from 171 species, including 43 newly determined, we reconstructed Orthoptera phylogenetic relationships and estimated the divergence times of this group. The results supported Caelifera and Ensifera as two monophyletic groups, and revealed that Orthoptera originated in the Carboniferous (298.997 Mya). The date of divergence between the suborders Caelifera and Ensifera was 255.705 Mya, in the late Permian. The major lineages of Acrididae seemed to have radiated in the Cenozoic, and the six patterns of rearrangement of 171 Orthoptera mitogenomes mostly occurred in the Cretaceous and Cenozoic. Based on phylogenetic relationships and ancestral state reconstruction, we analysed the evolutionary selection pressure on and evolutionary rate of mitochondrial protein-coding genes (mPCGs). The results indicated that during approximately 300 Mya of evolution, these genes experienced purifying selection to maintain their function. Flightless orthopteran insects accumulated more non-synonymous mutations than flying species and experienced more relaxed evolutionary constraints. The different wing types had different evolutionary rates, and the mean evolutionary rate of Orthoptera mitochondrial mPCGs was 13.554 × 10-9 subs/s/y. The differences in selection pressures and evolutionary rates observed between the mitochondrial genomes suggested that functional constraints due to locomotion play an important role in the evolution of mitochondrial DNA in orthopteran insects with different wing types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huihui Chang
- College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710119, China.
| | - Zhongying Qiu
- School of Basic Medical Sciences & Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Brain Disorders, Xi'an Medical University, Xi'an 710021, China
| | - Hao Yuan
- College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710119, China.
| | - Xiaoyang Wang
- College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710119, China.
| | - Xuejuan Li
- College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710119, China.
| | - Huimin Sun
- College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710119, China.
| | - Xiaoqiang Guo
- College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710119, China
| | - Yingchun Lu
- College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710119, China
| | - Xiaolei Feng
- College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710119, China.
| | - Muhammad Majid
- College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710119, China
| | - Yuan Huang
- College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710119, China.
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13
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Zhang C, Liu XD. Transcriptomic Analysis Suggests Genes Expressed Stage-Independently and Stage-Dependently Modulating the Wing Dimorphism of the Brown Planthopper. Genes (Basel) 2019; 11:E19. [PMID: 31878073 PMCID: PMC7017061 DOI: 10.3390/genes11010019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2019] [Revised: 12/17/2019] [Accepted: 12/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Wing dimorphism is considered as an adaptive trait of insects. Brown planthoppers (BPHs) Nilaparvata lugens, a serious pest of rice, are either macropterous or brachypterous. Genetic and environmental factors are both likely to control wing morph determination in BPHs, but the hereditary law and genes network are still unknown. Here, we investigated changes in gene expression levels between macropterous and brachypterous BPHs by creating artificially bred morphotype lines. The nearly pure-bred strains of macropterous and brachypterous BPHs were established, and their transcriptomes and gene expression levels were compared. Over ten-thousand differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between macropterous and brachypterous strains were found in the egg, nymph, and adult stages, and the three stages shared 6523 DEGs. The regulation of actin cytoskeleton, focal adhesion, tight junction, and adherens junction pathways were consistently enriched with DEGs across the three stages, whereas insulin signaling pathway, metabolic pathways, vascular smooth muscle contraction, platelet activation, oxytocin signaling pathway, sugar metabolism, and glycolysis/gluconeogenesis were significantly enriched by DEGs in a specific stage. Gene expression trend profiles across three stages were different between the two strains. Eggs, nymphs, and adults from the macropterous strain were distinguishable from the brachypterous based on gene expression levels, and genes that were related to wing morphs were differentially expressed between wing strains or strain × stage. A proposed mode based on genes and environments to modulate the wing dimorphism of BPHs was provided.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Xiang-Dong Liu
- Department of Entomology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China;
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14
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Hu L, Gui W, Chen B, Chen L. Transcriptome profiling of maternal stress-induced wing dimorphism in pea aphids. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:11848-11862. [PMID: 31695892 PMCID: PMC6822051 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2019] [Revised: 07/29/2019] [Accepted: 08/27/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Wing dimorphism, that is, wingless and winged forms, can be induced by maternal stress signals and is an adaptive response of aphids to environmental changes. Here, we investigated the ecological and molecular effects of three kinds of stress, namely crowding, predation, and aphid alarm pheromone, on wing dimorphism. These three stressors induced high proportion of up to 60% of winged morphs in offspring. Transcriptome analysis of stress-treated female aphids revealed different changes in maternal gene expression induced by the three stressors. Crowding elicited widespread changes in the expression of genes involved in nutrient accumulation and energy mobilization. Distinct from crowding, predation caused dramatic expression changes in cuticle protein (CP) genes. Twenty-three CP genes that belong to CP RR2 subfamily and are highly expressed in legs and embryos were greatly repressed by the presence of ladybird. By contrast, application of alarm pheromone, E-β-farnesene, caused slight changes in gene expression. The three factors shared a responsive gene, cuticle protein 43. This study reveals the adaptive response of aphids to environmental stresses and provides a rich resource on genome-wide expression genes for exploring molecular mechanisms of ecological adaptation in aphids. OPEN RESEARCH BADGES This article has earned an Open Data Badge for making publicly available the digitally-shareable data necessary to reproduce the reported results. The data is available at https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.55b2b15.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and RodentsInstitute of ZoologyChinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
- Key Laboratory of Beibu Gulf Environment Change and Resources Utilization of Ministry of EducationNanning Normal UniversityNanningChina
| | - Wanying Gui
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and RodentsInstitute of ZoologyChinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
- University of Chinese Academy of ScienceBeijingChina
| | - Bing Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and RodentsInstitute of ZoologyChinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
- College of Life ScienceHebei UniversityBaodingChina
| | - Li Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and RodentsInstitute of ZoologyChinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
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15
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Wieczorek K, Kanturski M, Sempruch C, Świątek P. The reproductive system of the male and oviparous female of a model organism-the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum (Hemiptera, Aphididae). PeerJ 2019; 7:e7573. [PMID: 31534847 PMCID: PMC6727839 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.7573] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2019] [Accepted: 07/29/2019] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
The structure of the reproductive system of the sexual generation-males and oviparous females-of the pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum (Harris) (Hemiptera, Aphididae), a serious pest of cultivated plants of Fabaceae, was investigated. For the first time we describe the morphology, histology and ultrastructure of the reproductive system in both morphs of the sexual generation of aphids within one species, using light and fluorescent microscopy, as well as transmission and scanning electron microscopy. The results revealed that males have testes composed of three follicles fused by the upper ends of the vasa efferentia, the vasa deferentia run independently, the accessory glands are asymmetric and the ejaculatory duct shortened. Oviparous females have ovaries composed of seven ovarioles each. The lateral oviducts join to a short common oviduct connected with the unpaired spermatheca and paired accessory glands. Yolky eggs with an aggregation of symbiotic bacteria at the posterior pole are produced. Histologically, the components of genital tracts are broadly similar: the epithelial cells of the walls of the vasa deferentia and accessory glands of the male and oviparous female have secretory functions which correlate with the age of the studied morphs. We also found symbiotic bacteria within the vasa deferentia epithelial cells in males and within the cells of the lateral oviducts of females. Because the pea aphid is listed among the 14 species that are of the greatest economic importance, our results will be useful for managing aphid populations, protecting plants and ensuring global food security.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karina Wieczorek
- Department of Zoology, University of Silesia in Katowice, Katowice, Poland
| | - Mariusz Kanturski
- Department of Zoology, University of Silesia in Katowice, Katowice, Poland
| | - Cezary Sempruch
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Siedlce University of Natural Sciences and Humanities, Siedlce, Poland
| | - Piotr Świątek
- Department of Animal Histology and Embryology, University of Silesia in Katowice, Katowice, Poland
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16
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Gao X, Fu Y, Ajayi OE, Guo D, Zhang L, Wu Q. Identification of genes underlying phenotypic plasticity of wing size via insulin signaling pathway by network-based analysis in Sogatella furcifera. BMC Genomics 2019; 20:396. [PMID: 31113376 PMCID: PMC6528338 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-019-5793-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2018] [Accepted: 05/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Phenotypic plasticity is a common and highly adaptive phenomenon where the same genotype produces different phenotypes in response to environmental cues. Sogatella furcifera, a migratory pest of rice exhibits wing dimorphism, is a model insect for studying phenotypic plasticity of wing size. The Insullin-PI3K-Akt-FOXO signaling pathway plays a crucial role in the manipulation of wing size in the migratory insects. However, the regulatory mechanism via the pathway involved in wing dimorphism are still unexplored. Results Accompanied by special alternative splicing, genes involved in muscle contraction and energy metabolism were highly expressed in the wing hinges of macropters, demonstrating their adaptation for energy-demanding long-distance flights. Based on FOXO ChIP-Seq analysis, a total of 1259 putative target genes were observed in the wing hinges, including wing morph development, flight muscle and energy metabolism genes. An integrated gene interaction network was built by combining four heterogeneous datasets, and the IIS-PI3K-Akt-FOXO pathway was clustered in a divided functional module. In total, 45 genes in the module directly interacting with the IIS-PI3K-Akt-FOXO pathway showed differential expression levels between the two wing hinges, thus are regarded as potential Insulin pathway mediated wing dimorphism related genes (IWDRGs). Of the 45 IWDRGs, 5 were selected for verification by gene knockdown experiments, and played significant roles in the insect wing size regulation. Conclusions We provided valuable insights on the genetic basis of wing dimorphism, and also demonstrated that network analysis is a powerful approach to identify new genes regulating wing dimorphic development via insulin signaling pathway in the migratory insect. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12864-019-5793-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinlei Gao
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale, School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027, China
| | - Yating Fu
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale, School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027, China
| | - Olugbenga Emmanuel Ajayi
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale, School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027, China
| | - Dongyang Guo
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale, School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027, China
| | - Liqin Zhang
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale, School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027, China
| | - Qingfa Wu
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale, School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027, China. .,CAS Key Laboratory of Innate Immunity and Chronic Disease, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027, China.
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17
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The genes expression difference between winged and wingless bird cherry-oat aphid Rhopalosiphum padi based on transcriptomic data. Sci Rep 2019; 9:4754. [PMID: 30894649 PMCID: PMC6426873 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-41348-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2018] [Accepted: 01/23/2019] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Aphids produce wing and wingless morphs, depending on the environmental conditions during their complex life cycles. Wing and wingless variations play an important role in migration and host alternation, affecting the migration and host alternation processes. Several transcriptional studies have concentrated on aphids and sought to determine how an organism perceives environmental cues and responds in a plastic manner, but the underlying mechanisms have remained unclear. Therefore, to better understand the molecular mechanisms underlying the wing polyphenism of this fascinating phenomenon, we provide the first report concerning the wing development of aphids in bird cherry-oat aphid Rhopalosiphum padi with comparative transcriptional analysis of all the developmental stages by RNA-Seq. We identified several candidate genes related to biogenic amines and hormones that may be specifically involved in wing development. Moreover, we found that the third instar stage might be a critical stage for visibility of alternative morphs as well as changes in the expression of thirty-three genes associated with wing development. Several genes, i.e., Wnt2, Fng, Uba1, Hh, Foxo, Dpp, Brk, Ap, Dll, Hth, Tsh, Nub, Scr, Antp, Ubx, Asc, Srf and Fl, had different expression levels in different developmental stages and may play important roles in regulating wing polyphenism.
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18
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Armenta TC, Cole SW, Geschwind DH, Blumstein DT, Wayne RK. Gene expression shifts in yellow-bellied marmots prior to natal dispersal. Behav Ecol 2019; 30:267-277. [PMID: 30971856 PMCID: PMC6450206 DOI: 10.1093/beheco/ary175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2018] [Revised: 11/12/2018] [Accepted: 11/26/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The causes and consequences of vertebrate natal dispersal have been studied extensively, yet little is known about the molecular mechanisms involved. We used RNA-seq to quantify transcriptomic gene expression in blood of wild yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventer) prior to dispersing from or remaining philopatric to their natal colony. We tested 3 predictions. First, we hypothesized dispersers and residents will differentially express genes and gene networks since dispersal is physiologically demanding. Second, we expected differentially expressed genes to be involved in metabolism, circadian processes, and immune function. Finally, in dispersing individuals, we predicted differentially expressed genes would change as a function of sampling date relative to dispersal date. We detected 150 differentially expressed genes, including genes that have critical roles in lipid metabolism and antigen defense. Gene network analysis revealed a module of 126 coexpressed genes associated with dispersal that was enriched for extracellular immune function. Of the dispersal-associated genes, 22 altered expression as a function of days until dispersal, suggesting that dispersal-associated genes do not initiate transcription on the same time scale. Our results provide novel insights into the fundamental molecular changes required for dispersal and suggest evolutionary conservation of functional pathways during this behavioral process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiffany C Armenta
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, CO, USA
| | - Steve W Cole
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology-Oncology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Daniel H Geschwind
- Department of Psychiatry and Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Daniel T Blumstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, CO, USA
| | - Robert K Wayne
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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19
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Abstract
Many insects are capable of developing into either long-winged or short-winged (or wingless) morphs, which enables them to rapidly match heterogeneous environments. Thus, the wing polymorphism is an adaptation at the root of their ecological success. Wing polymorphism is orchestrated at various levels, starting with the insect's perception of environmental cues, then signal transduction and signal execution, and ultimately the transmitting of signals into physiological adaption in accordance with the particular morph produced. Juvenile hormone and ecdysteroid pathways have long been proposed to regulate wing polymorphism in insects, but rigorous experimental evidence is lacking. The breakthrough findings of ecdysone receptor regulation on transgenerational wing dimorphism in the aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum and of insulin signaling in the planthopper Nilaparvata lugens greatly broaden our understanding of wing polymorphism at the molecular level. Recently, the advent of high-throughput sequencing coupled with functional genomics provides powerful genetic tools for future insights into the molecular bases underlying wing polymorphism in insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chuan-Xi Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
- Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insect Pests, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
- Institute of Insect Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; ,
| | - Jennifer A Brisson
- Department of Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627, USA;
| | - Hai-Jun Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
- Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insect Pests, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
- Institute of Insect Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; ,
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20
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Song L, Gao Y, Li J, Ban L. iTRAQ-Based Comparative Proteomic Analysis Reveals Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Wing Dimorphism of the Pea Aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum. Front Physiol 2018; 9:1016. [PMID: 30131706 PMCID: PMC6090017 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2018.01016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2018] [Accepted: 07/09/2018] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Wing dimorphism is a widespread phenomenon in insects with an associated trade-off between flight capability and fecundity. Despite the molecular underpinnings of phenotypic plasticity that has already been elucidated, it is still not fully understood. In this study, we focused on the differential proteomics profiles between alate and apterous morphs of the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum at the fourth instar nymph and adult stages, using isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ) in a proteomic-based approach. A total of 5,116 protein groups were identified and quantified in the three biological replicates, of which 836 were differentially expressed between alate and apterous morphs. A bioinformatics analysis of differentially expressed protein groups (DEPGs) was performed based on gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG). KEGG enrichment analysis showed that DEPGs mainly participated in energy metabolism, amino acid biosynthesis and metabolism, and signal sensing and transduction. To verify the reliability of proteomics data, the transcriptional expression of 29 candidates of differentially expressed proteins were analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), showing that 26 genes were consistent with those at proteomic levels. In addition, differentially expressed proteins between winged and wingless morphs that were linked to olfactory sense were investigated. Quantitative real-time PCR revealed the tissue- and morph-biased expression profiles. These results suggested that olfactory sense plays a key role in wing dimorphism of aphids. The comparative proteomic analysis between alate and apterous morphs of the pea aphid provides a novel insight into wing development and dimorphism in aphids and will help facilitate our understanding of these concepts at molecular levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Limei Song
- State Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
- Department of Grassland Science, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Yuhao Gao
- Affiliated High School of Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Jindong Li
- State Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
- Department of Grassland Science, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Liping Ban
- State Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
- Department of Grassland Science, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
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21
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Grantham ME, Brisson JA. Extensive Differential Splicing Underlies Phenotypically Plastic Aphid Morphs. Mol Biol Evol 2018; 35:1934-1946. [PMID: 29722880 PMCID: PMC6063273 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msy095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Phenotypic plasticity results in a diversity of phenotypes from a single genotype in response to environmental cues. To understand the molecular basis of phenotypic plasticity, studies have focused on differential gene expression levels between environmentally determined phenotypes. The extent of alternative splicing differences among environmentally determined phenotypes has largely been understudied. Here, we study alternative splicing differences among plastically produced morphs of the pea aphid using RNA-sequence data. Pea aphids express two separate polyphenisms (plasticity with discrete phenotypes): a wing polyphenism consisting of winged and wingless females and a reproduction polyphenism consisting of asexual and sexual females. We find that pea aphids alternatively splice 34% of their genes, a high percentage for invertebrates. We also find that there is extensive use of differential spliced events between genetically identical, polyphenic females. These differentially spliced events are enriched for exon skipping and mutually exclusive exon events that maintain the open reading frame, suggesting that polyphenic morphs use alternative splicing to produce phenotype-biased proteins. Many genes that are differentially spliced between polyphenic morphs have putative functions associated with their respective phenotypes. We find that the majority of differentially spliced genes is not differentially expressed genes. Our results provide a rich candidate gene list for future functional studies that would not have been previously considered based solely on gene expression studies, such as ensconsin in the reproductive polyphenism, and CAKI in the wing polyphenism. Overall, this study suggests an important role for alternative splicing in the expression of environmentally determined phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary E Grantham
- Department of Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY
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22
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Mitterboeck TF, Liu S, Adamowicz SJ, Fu J, Zhang R, Song W, Meusemann K, Zhou X. Positive and relaxed selection associated with flight evolution and loss in insect transcriptomes. Gigascience 2018; 6:1-14. [PMID: 29020740 PMCID: PMC5632299 DOI: 10.1093/gigascience/gix073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2017] [Accepted: 08/01/2017] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
The evolution of powered flight is a major innovation that has facilitated the success of insects. Previously, studies of birds, bats, and insects have detected molecular signatures of differing selection regimes in energy-related genes associated with flight evolution and/or loss. Here, using DNA sequences from more than 1000 nuclear and mitochondrial protein-coding genes obtained from insect transcriptomes, we conduct a broader exploration of which gene categories display positive and relaxed selection at the origin of flight as well as with multiple independent losses of flight. We detected a number of categories of nuclear genes more often under positive selection in the lineage leading to the winged insects (Pterygota), related to catabolic processes such as proteases, as well as splicing-related genes. Flight loss was associated with relaxed selection signatures in splicing genes, mirroring the results for flight evolution. Similar to previous studies of flight loss in various animal taxa, we observed consistently higher nonsynonymous-to-synonymous substitution ratios in mitochondrial genes of flightless lineages, indicative of relaxed selection in energy-related genes. While oxidative phosphorylation genes were not detected as being under selection with the origin of flight specifically, they were most often detected as being under positive selection in holometabolous (complete metamorphosis) insects as compared with other insect lineages. This study supports some convergence in gene-specific selection pressures associated with flight ability, and the exploratory analysis provided some new insights into gene categories potentially associated with the gain and loss of flight in insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Fatima Mitterboeck
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1 Canada.,Biodiversity Institute of Ontario, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1 Canada
| | - Shanlin Liu
- BGI-Shenzhen, Beishan Industrial Zone, Yantian District, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, 518083 China.,Centre for GeoGenetics, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Øster Voldgade 5-7, 1350 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Sarah J Adamowicz
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1 Canada.,Biodiversity Institute of Ontario, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1 Canada
| | - Jinzhong Fu
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1 Canada
| | - Rui Zhang
- BGI-Shenzhen, Beishan Industrial Zone, Yantian District, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, 518083 China
| | - Wenhui Song
- BGI-Shenzhen, Beishan Industrial Zone, Yantian District, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, 518083 China
| | - Karen Meusemann
- University of Freiburg, Department for Biology I (Zoology), Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, Hauptstr. 1, D-79104 Freiburg, Germany.,Center for Molecular Biodiversity Research, Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig, Adenauerallee 160, 53113 Bonn, Germany.,Australian National Insect Collection CSIRO, Natl Collections & Marine Infrastructure, Clunies Ross Street, ACTON, 2601 ACT, Canberra, Australia
| | - Xin Zhou
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Food Nutrition and Human Health, China Agricultural University, 2 West Yuanmingyuan Rd., Haidian District, Beijing 100193, China.,College of Plant Protection, China Agricultural University, 2 West Yuanmingyuan Rd., Haidian District, Beijing 100193, China
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23
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Zera AJ, Vellichirammal NN, Brisson JA. Diurnal and developmental differences in gene expression between adult dispersing and flightless morphs of the wing polymorphic cricket, Gryllus firmus: Implications for life-history evolution. JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY 2018; 107:233-243. [PMID: 29656101 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2018.04.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2017] [Revised: 03/26/2018] [Accepted: 04/05/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
The functional basis of life history adaptation is a key topic of research in life history evolution. Studies of wing-polymorphism in the cricket Gryllus firmus have played a prominent role in this field. However, prior in-depth investigations of morph specialization have primarily focused on a single hormone, juvenile hormone, and a single aspect of intermediary metabolism, the fatty-acid biosynthetic component of lipid metabolism. Moreover, the role of diurnal variation in life history adaptation in G. firmus has been understudied, as is the case for organisms in general. Here, we identify genes whose expression differs consistently between the morphs independent of time-of-day during early adulthood, as well as genes that exhibit a strong pattern of morph-specific diurnal expression. We find strong, consistent, morph-specific differences in the expression of genes involved in endocrine regulation, carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, and immunity - in particular, in the expression of an insulin-like-peptide precursor gene and genes involved in triglyceride production. We also find that the flight-capable morph exhibited a substantially greater number of genes exhibiting diurnal change in gene expression compared with the flightless morph, correlated with the greater circadian change in the hemolymph juvenile titer in the dispersing morph. In fact, diurnal differences in expression within the dispersing morph at different times of the day were significantly greater in magnitude than differences between dispersing and flightless morphs at the same time-of-day. These results provide important baseline information regarding the potential role of variable gene expression on life history specialization in morphs of G. firmus, and the first information on genetically-variable, diurnal change in gene expression, associated with a key life history polymorphism. These results also suggest the existence of prominent morph-specific circadian differences in gene expression in G. firmus, possibly caused by the morph-specific circadian rhythm in the juvenile hormone titer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony J Zera
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, NE 68588, United States.
| | | | - Jennifer A Brisson
- Department of Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, United States
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24
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Fawcett MM, Parks MC, Tibbetts AE, Swart JS, Richards EM, Vanegas JC, Cenzer M, Crowley L, Simmons WR, Hou WS, Angelini DR. Manipulation of insulin signaling phenocopies evolution of a host-associated polyphenism. Nat Commun 2018; 9:1699. [PMID: 29703888 PMCID: PMC5923257 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-04102-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2017] [Accepted: 03/29/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Plasticity, the capacity of an organism to respond to its environment, is thought to evolve through changes in development altering the integration of environmental cues. In polyphenism, a discontinuous plastic response produces two or more phenotypic morphs. Here we describe evolutionary change in wing polyphenism and its underlying developmental regulation in natural populations of the red-shouldered soapberry bug, Jadera haematoloma (Insecta: Hemiptera: Rhopalidae) that have adapted to a novel host plant. We find differences in the fecundity of morphs in both sexes and in adult expression of insulin signaling components in the gonads. Further, the plastic response of ancestral-state bugs can be shifted to resemble the reaction norm of derived bugs by the introduction of exogenous insulin or RNA interference targeting the insulin signaling component encoded by FoxO. These results suggest that insulin signaling may be one pathway involved in the evolution of this polyphenism, allowing adaptation to a novel nutritional environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meghan M Fawcett
- Department of Biology, Colby College, 5734 Mayflower Hill, Waterville, ME, 04901, USA
| | - Mary C Parks
- Department of Biology, Colby College, 5734 Mayflower Hill, Waterville, ME, 04901, USA
| | - Alice E Tibbetts
- Department of Biology, Colby College, 5734 Mayflower Hill, Waterville, ME, 04901, USA
| | - Jane S Swart
- Department of Biology, Colby College, 5734 Mayflower Hill, Waterville, ME, 04901, USA
| | - Elizabeth M Richards
- Department of Biology, Colby College, 5734 Mayflower Hill, Waterville, ME, 04901, USA
| | - Juan Camilo Vanegas
- Department of Biology, Colby College, 5734 Mayflower Hill, Waterville, ME, 04901, USA
| | - Meredith Cenzer
- Department of Entomology, University of California, Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Laura Crowley
- Department of Biology, Colby College, 5734 Mayflower Hill, Waterville, ME, 04901, USA
- Department of Genetics and Development, Columbia University Medical Center, 1130 Street Nicholas Avenue, Room 208B, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - William R Simmons
- Department of Biology, Colby College, 5734 Mayflower Hill, Waterville, ME, 04901, USA
- National Human Genome Research Institute, 49 Convent Drive, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Wenzhen Stacey Hou
- Department of Biology, Colby College, 5734 Mayflower Hill, Waterville, ME, 04901, USA
| | - David R Angelini
- Department of Biology, Colby College, 5734 Mayflower Hill, Waterville, ME, 04901, USA.
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25
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Agnel S, da Rocha M, Robichon A. Transcriptome Profiling of Neurosensory Perception Genes in Wing Tissue of Two Evolutionary Distant Insect Orders: Diptera (Drosophila melanogaster) and Hemiptera (Acyrthosiphon pisum). J Mol Evol 2017; 85:234-245. [PMID: 29075833 DOI: 10.1007/s00239-017-9814-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2017] [Accepted: 10/19/2017] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
The neurogenesis and neuronal functions in insect wing have been understudied mainly due to technical hindrances that have prevented electrophysiology studies for decades. The reason is that the nano-architecture of the wing chemosensory bristles hampers the receptors accessibility of odorants/tastants to receptors in fixed setup, whereas in nature, the wing flapping mixes these molecules in bristle lymph. In this report, we analyzed the transcriptome of the wing tissue of two species phylogenetically strongly divergent: Drosophila melanogaster a generic model for diptera order (complete metamorphosis) and the aphid acyrthosiphon pisum, representative of hemiptera order (incomplete metamorphosis) for which a conditional winged/wingless polyphenism is under control of population density and resources. The transcriptome shows that extensive gene networks involved in chemosensory perception are active in adult wing for both species. Surprisingly, the specific transcripts of genes that are commonly found in eye were present in Drosophila wing but not in aphid. The analysis reveals that in the aphid conditional wing, expressed genes show strong similarities with those in the gut epithelia. This suggests that the epithelial cell layer between the cuticle sheets is persistent at least in young aphid adult, whereas it disappears after emergence in Drosophila. Despite marked differences between the two transcriptomes, the results highlight the probable universalism of wing chemosensory function in the holometabolous and hemimetabolous orders of winged insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Agnel
- Université Côte d'Azur, INRA, CNRS, ISA, Institut Agrobiotech, 400 route des Chappes, 06903, Sophia Antipolis, France
| | - Martine da Rocha
- Université Côte d'Azur, INRA, CNRS, ISA, Institut Agrobiotech, 400 route des Chappes, 06903, Sophia Antipolis, France
| | - Alain Robichon
- Université Côte d'Azur, INRA, CNRS, ISA, Institut Agrobiotech, 400 route des Chappes, 06903, Sophia Antipolis, France.
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26
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Bharadwaj PS, Hall SE. Endogenous RNAi Pathways Are Required in Neurons for Dauer Formation in Caenorhabditis elegans. Genetics 2017; 205:1503-1516. [PMID: 28122825 PMCID: PMC5378109 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.116.195438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2016] [Accepted: 01/21/2017] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Animals can adapt to unfavorable environments through changes in physiology or behavior. In the nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans, environmental conditions perceived early in development determine whether the animal enters either the reproductive cycle, or enters into an alternative diapause stage named dauer. Here, we show that endogenous RNAi pathways play a role in dauer formation in crowding (high pheromone), starvation, and high temperature conditions. Disruption of the Mutator proteins or the nuclear Argonaute CSR-1 result in differential dauer-deficient phenotypes that are dependent upon the experienced environmental stress. We provide evidence that the RNAi pathways function in chemosensory neurons for dauer formation, upstream of the TGF-β and insulin signaling pathways. In addition, we show that Mutator MUT-16 expression in a subset of individual pheromone-sensing neurons is sufficient for dauer formation in high pheromone conditions, but not in starvation or high temperature conditions. Furthermore, we also show that MUT-16 and CSR-1 are required for expression of a subset of G proteins with functions in the detection of pheromone components. Together, our data suggest a model where Mutator-amplified siRNAs that associate with the CSR-1 pathway promote expression of genes required for the detection and signaling of environmental conditions to regulate development and behavior in C. elegans This study highlights a mechanism whereby RNAi pathways mediate the link between environmental stress and adaptive phenotypic plasticity in animals.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sarah E Hall
- Department of Biology, Syracuse University, New York 13244
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27
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Vellichirammal NN, Gupta P, Hall TA, Brisson JA. Ecdysone signaling underlies the pea aphid transgenerational wing polyphenism. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2017; 114:1419-1423. [PMID: 28115695 PMCID: PMC5307454 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1617640114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The wing polyphenism of pea aphids is a compelling laboratory model with which to study the molecular mechanisms underlying phenotypic plasticity. In this polyphenism, environmental stressors such as high aphid density cause asexual, viviparous adult female aphids to alter the developmental fate of their embryos from wingless to winged morphs. This polyphenism is transgenerational, in that the pea aphid mother experiences the environmental signals, but it is her offspring that are affected. Previous research suggested that the steroid hormone ecdysone may play a role in this polyphenism. Here, we analyzed ecdysone-related gene expression patterns and found that they were consistent with a down-regulation of the ecdysone pathway being involved in the production of winged offspring. We therefore predicted that reduced ecdysone signaling would result in more winged offspring. Experimental injections of ecdysone or its analog resulted in a decreased production of winged offspring. Conversely, interfering with ecdysone signaling using an ecdysone receptor antagonist or knocking down the ecdysone receptor gene with RNAi resulted in an increased production of winged offspring. Our results are therefore consistent with the idea that ecdysone plays a causative role in the regulation of the proportion of winged offspring produced in response to crowding in this polyphenism. Our results also show that an environmentally regulated maternal hormone can mediate phenotype production in the next generation, as well as provide significant insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying the functioning of transgenerational phenotypic plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Purba Gupta
- Department of Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627
| | - Tannice A Hall
- Department of Life Sciences, University of the West Indies, Mona, Kingston 7, Jamaica
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28
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Vellichirammal NN, Madayiputhiya N, Brisson JA. The genomewide transcriptional response underlying the pea aphid wing polyphenism. Mol Ecol 2016; 25:4146-60. [PMID: 27393739 PMCID: PMC5021599 DOI: 10.1111/mec.13749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2016] [Revised: 06/07/2016] [Accepted: 07/05/2016] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Phenotypic plasticity is a key life history strategy used by many plants and animals living in heterogeneous environments. A multitude of studies have investigated the costs and limits of plasticity, as well as the conditions under which it evolves. Much less well understood are the molecular genetic mechanisms that enable an organism to sense its environment and respond in a plastic manner. The pea aphid wing polyphenism is a compelling laboratory model to study these mechanisms. In this polyphenism, environmental stressors like high density cause asexual, viviparous adult female aphids to change the development of their embryos from wingless to winged morphs. The life history trade-offs between the two morphs have been intensively studied, but the molecular mechanisms underlying this process remain largely unknown. We therefore performed a genomewide study of the maternal transcriptome at two time points with and without a crowding stress to discover the maternal molecular changes that lead to the development of winged vs. wingless offspring. We observed significant transcriptional changes in genes associated with odorant binding, neurotransmitter transport, hormonal activity and chromatin remodelling in the maternal transcriptome. We also found that titres of serotonin, dopamine and octopamine were higher in solitary compared to crowded aphids. We use these results to posit a model for how maternal signals inform a developing embryo to be winged or wingless. Our findings add significant insights into the identity of the molecular mechanisms that underlie environmentally induced morph determination and suggest a possible role for biogenic amine regulation in polyphenisms generally.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Jennifer A. Brisson
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Nebraska, USA
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29
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Shang F, Ding BY, Xiong Y, Dou W, Wei D, Jiang HB, Wei DD, Wang JJ. Differential expression of genes in the alate and apterous morphs of the brown citrus aphid, Toxoptera citricida. Sci Rep 2016; 6:32099. [PMID: 27577531 PMCID: PMC5006003 DOI: 10.1038/srep32099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2016] [Accepted: 08/02/2016] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Winged and wingless morphs in insects represent a trade-off between dispersal ability and reproduction. We studied key genes associated with apterous and alate morphs in Toxoptera citricida (Kirkaldy) using RNAseq, digital gene expression (DGE) profiling, and RNA interference. The de novo assembly of the transcriptome was obtained through Illumina short-read sequencing technology. A total of 44,199 unigenes were generated and 27,640 were annotated. The transcriptomic differences between alate and apterous adults indicated that 279 unigenes were highly expressed in alate adults, whereas 5,470 were expressed at low levels. Expression patterns of the top 10 highly expressed genes in alate adults agreed with wing bud development trends. Silencing of the lipid synthesis and degradation gene (3-ketoacyl-CoA thiolase, mitochondrial-like) and glycogen genes (Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase [GTP]-like and Glycogen phosphorylase-like isoform 2) resulted in underdeveloped wings. This suggests that both lipid and glycogen metabolism provide energy for aphid wing development. The large number of sequences and expression data produced from the transcriptome and DGE sequencing, respectively, increases our understanding of wing development mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feng Shang
- Key Laboratory of Entomology and Pest Control Engineering, College of Plant Protection, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, China
| | - Bi-Yue Ding
- Key Laboratory of Entomology and Pest Control Engineering, College of Plant Protection, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, China
| | - Ying Xiong
- Key Laboratory of Entomology and Pest Control Engineering, College of Plant Protection, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, China
| | - Wei Dou
- Key Laboratory of Entomology and Pest Control Engineering, College of Plant Protection, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, China
| | - Dong Wei
- Key Laboratory of Entomology and Pest Control Engineering, College of Plant Protection, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, China
| | - Hong-Bo Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Entomology and Pest Control Engineering, College of Plant Protection, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, China
| | - Dan-Dan Wei
- Key Laboratory of Entomology and Pest Control Engineering, College of Plant Protection, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, China
| | - Jin-Jun Wang
- Key Laboratory of Entomology and Pest Control Engineering, College of Plant Protection, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, China
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30
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Rispe C, Legeai F, Papura D, Bretaudeau A, Hudaverdian S, Le Trionnaire G, Tagu D, Jaquiéry J, Delmotte F. De novo transcriptome assembly of the grapevine phylloxera allows identification of genes differentially expressed between leaf- and root-feeding forms. BMC Genomics 2016; 17:219. [PMID: 26968158 PMCID: PMC4787006 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-016-2530-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2015] [Accepted: 02/24/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Grapevine phylloxera, an insect related to true aphids, is a major historic pest of viticulture only controlled through the selection of resistant rootstocks or through quarantine regulations where grapevine is cultivated own-rooted. Transcriptomic data could help understand the bases of its original life-traits, including a striking case of polyphenism, with forms feeding on roots and forms feeding in leaf-galls. Comparisons with true aphids (for which complete genomes have been sequenced) should also allow to link differences in life-traits of the two groups with changes in gene repertoires or shifts in patterns of expression. Results We sequenced transcriptomes of the grapevine phylloxera (Illumina technology), choosing three life-stages (adults on roots or on leaf galls, and eggs) to cover a large catalogue of transcripts, and performed a de novo assembly. This resulted in 105,697 contigs, which were annotated: most contigs had a best blastx hit to the pea aphid (phylogenetically closest complete genome), while very few bacterial hits were recorded (except for Probionibacterium acnes). Coding sequences were predicted from this data set (17,372 sequences), revealing an extremely high AT-bias (at the third codon position). Differential expression (DE) analysis among root-feeding and gall-feeding showed that i) the root-feeding form displayed a much larger number of differentially expressed transcripts ii) root-feeding biased genes were enriched in some categories, for example cuticular proteins and genes associated with cell-cell signaling iii) leaf-galling-biased genes were enriched in genes associated with the nucleus and DNA-replication, suggesting a metabolism more oriented towards fast and active multiplication. We also identified a gene family with a very high expression level (copies totaling nearly 10 % of the reads) in the grapevine phylloxera (both in root and leaf galling forms), but usually expressed at very low levels in true aphids (except in sexual oviparous females). These transcripts thus appear to be associated with oviparity. Conclusions Our study illustrated major intraspecific changes in transcriptome profiles, related with different life-styles (and the feeding on roots versus in leaf-galls). At a different scale, we could also illustrate one major shift in expression levels associated with changes in life-traits that occurred along evolution and that respectively characterize (strictly oviparous) grapevine phylloxera and (mostly viviparous) true aphids. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-016-2530-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claude Rispe
- Present Address: BIOEPAR, INRA, Oniris, La Chantrerie, F-44307, Nantes, France. .,IGEPP, INRA, F-35653, Le Rheu cedex, France.
| | - Fabrice Legeai
- IGEPP, BIPAA, INRA, Campus Beaulieu, Rennes, France.,Institut National de Recherche en Informatique et en Automatique, Institut de Recherche en Informatique et Systèmes Aléatoires, Genscale, Campus Beaulieu, Rennes, France
| | | | - Anthony Bretaudeau
- IGEPP, BIPAA, INRA, Campus Beaulieu, Rennes, France.,Institut National de Recherche en Informatique et en Automatique, Institut de Recherche en Informatique et Systèmes Aléatoires, Genouest, Campus Beaulieu, Rennes, France
| | | | | | - Denis Tagu
- IGEPP, INRA, F-35653, Le Rheu cedex, France
| | - Julie Jaquiéry
- IGEPP, INRA, F-35653, Le Rheu cedex, France.,Present address: University of Rennes 1, UMR CNRS 6553 EcoBio, 35042, Rennes, France
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31
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Jones CM, Papanicolaou A, Mironidis GK, Vontas J, Yang Y, Lim KS, Oakeshott JG, Bass C, Chapman JW. Genomewide transcriptional signatures of migratory flight activity in a globally invasive insect pest. Mol Ecol 2016; 24:4901-11. [PMID: 26331997 PMCID: PMC5102652 DOI: 10.1111/mec.13362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2015] [Revised: 07/30/2015] [Accepted: 08/24/2015] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Migration is a key life history strategy for many animals and requires a suite of behavioural, morphological and physiological adaptations which together form the ‘migratory syndrome’. Genetic variation has been demonstrated for many traits that make up this syndrome, but the underlying genes involved remain elusive. Recent studies investigating migration‐associated genes have focussed on sampling migratory and nonmigratory populations from different geographic locations but have seldom explored phenotypic variation in a migratory trait. Here, we use a novel combination of tethered flight and next‐generation sequencing to determine transcriptomic differences associated with flight activity in a globally invasive moth pest, the cotton bollworm Helicoverpa armigera. By developing a state‐of‐the‐art phenotyping platform, we show that field‐collected H. armigera display continuous variation in flight performance with individuals capable of flying up to 40 km during a single night. Comparative transcriptomics of flight phenotypes drove a gene expression analysis to reveal a suite of expressed candidate genes which are clearly related to physiological adaptations required for long‐distance flight. These include genes important to the mobilization of lipids as flight fuel, the development of flight muscle structure and the regulation of hormones that influence migratory physiology. We conclude that the ability to express this complex set of pathways underlines the remarkable flexibility of facultative insect migrants to respond to deteriorating conditions in the form of migratory flight and, more broadly, the results provide novel insights into the fundamental transcriptional changes required for migration in insects and other taxa.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Alexie Papanicolaou
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, University of Western Sydney, Richmond, NSW, 2753, Australia
| | - George K Mironidis
- Institute of Molecular Biology & Biotechnology, Foundation for Research & Technology Hellas, 100 N. Plastira Street, GR-700 13, Heraklion Crete, Greece
| | - John Vontas
- Institute of Molecular Biology & Biotechnology, Foundation for Research & Technology Hellas, 100 N. Plastira Street, GR-700 13, Heraklion Crete, Greece.,Laboratory of Pesticide Science, Department of Crop Science, Agricultural University of Athens, 75 Iera Odos Street, GR-11855, Athens, Greece
| | - Yihua Yang
- College of Plant Protection, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Ka S Lim
- AgroEcology, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, Hertfordshire, AL5 2JQ, UK
| | - John G Oakeshott
- CSIRO Ecosystems Sciences, Black Mountain, Clunies Ross Street, Canberra, ACT, 0200, Australia
| | - Chris Bass
- Biological Chemistry and Crop Protection, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, Hertfordshire, AL5 2JQ, UK
| | - Jason W Chapman
- AgroEcology, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, Hertfordshire, AL5 2JQ, UK.,Environment and Sustainability Institute, University of Exeter, Penryn, Cornwall, TR10 9EZ, UK
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32
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Integrative Genomic Approaches to Studying Epigenetic Mechanisms of Phenotypic Plasticity in the Aphid. SHORT VIEWS ON INSECT GENOMICS AND PROTEOMICS 2015. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-24235-4_5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
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33
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Purandare SR, Bickel RD, Jaquiery J, Rispe C, Brisson JA. Accelerated evolution of morph-biased genes in pea aphids. Mol Biol Evol 2014; 31:2073-83. [PMID: 24770714 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msu149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Phenotypic plasticity, the production of alternative phenotypes (or morphs) from the same genotype due to environmental factors, results in some genes being expressed in a morph-biased manner. Theoretically, these morph-biased genes experience relaxed selection, the consequence of which is the buildup of slightly deleterious mutations at these genes. Over time, this is expected to result in increased protein divergence at these genes between species and a signature of relaxed purifying selection within species. Here we test these theoretical expectations using morph-biased genes in the pea aphid, a species that produces multiple morphs via polyphenism. We find that morph-biased genes exhibit faster rates of evolution (in terms of dN/dS) relative to unbiased genes and that divergence generally increases with increasing morph bias. Further, genes with expression biased toward rarer morphs (sexual females and males) show faster rates of evolution than genes expressed in the more common morph (asexual females), demonstrating that the amount of time a gene spends being expressed in a morph is associated with its rate of evolution. And finally, we show that genes expressed in the rarer morphs experience decreased purifying selection relative to unbiased genes, suggesting that it is a relaxation of purifying selection that contributes to their faster rates of evolution. Our results provide an important empirical look at the impact of phenotypic plasticity on gene evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Julie Jaquiery
- INRA, UMR1349, Institute of Genetics, Environment and Plant Protection, Le Rheu, France
| | - Claude Rispe
- INRA, UMR1349, Institute of Genetics, Environment and Plant Protection, Le Rheu, FranceINRA, UMR1300 Biology, Epidemiology and Risk Analysis in Animal Health, Nantes, France
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34
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Yang X, Liu X, Xu X, Li Z, Li Y, Song D, Yu T, Zhu F, Zhang Q, Zhou X. Gene expression profiling in winged and wingless cotton aphids, Aphis gossypii (Hemiptera: Aphididae). Int J Biol Sci 2014; 10:257-67. [PMID: 24644424 PMCID: PMC3957081 DOI: 10.7150/ijbs.7629] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2013] [Accepted: 01/22/2014] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
While trade-offs between flight capability and reproduction is a common phenomenon in wing dimorphic insects, the molecular basis is largely unknown. In this study, we examined the transcriptomic differences between winged and wingless morphs of cotton aphids, Aphis gossypii, using a tag-based digital gene expression (DGE) approach. Ultra high-throughput Illumina sequencing generated 5.30 and 5.39 million raw tags, respectively, from winged and wingless A. gossypii DGE libraries. We identified 1,663 differentially expressed transcripts, among which 58 were highly expressed in the winged A. gossypii, whereas 1,605 expressed significantly higher in the wingless morphs. Bioinformatics tools, including Gene Ontology, Cluster of Orthologous Groups, euKaryotic Orthologous Groups and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways, were used to functionally annotate these transcripts. In addition, 20 differentially expressed transcripts detected by DGE were validated by the quantitative real-time PCR. Comparative transcriptomic analysis of sedentary (wingless) and migratory (winged) A. gossyii not only advances our understanding of the trade-offs in wing dimorphic insects, but also provides a candidate molecular target for the genetic control of this agricultural insect pest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaowei Yang
- 1. Department of Entomology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Xiaoxia Liu
- 1. Department of Entomology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Xiangli Xu
- 1. Department of Entomology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Zhen Li
- 1. Department of Entomology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Yisong Li
- 1. Department of Entomology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Dongyan Song
- 2. Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40546-0091, USA
| | - Tian Yu
- 2. Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40546-0091, USA
| | - Fang Zhu
- 2. Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40546-0091, USA
| | - Qingwen Zhang
- 1. Department of Entomology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Xuguo Zhou
- 2. Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40546-0091, USA
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35
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Nanoth Vellichirammal N, Zera AJ, Schilder RJ, Wehrkamp C, Riethoven JJM, Brisson JA. De novo transcriptome assembly from fat body and flight muscles transcripts to identify morph-specific gene expression profiles in Gryllus firmus. PLoS One 2014; 9:e82129. [PMID: 24416137 PMCID: PMC3885399 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0082129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2013] [Accepted: 10/22/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Wing polymorphism is a powerful model for examining many aspects of adaptation. The wing dimorphic cricket species, Gryllus firmus, consists of a long-winged morph with functional flight muscles that is capable of flight, and two flightless morphs. One (obligately) flightless morph emerges as an adult with vestigial wings and vestigial flight muscles. The other (plastic) flightless morph emerges with fully-developed wings but later in adulthood histolyzes its flight muscles. Importantly both flightless morphs have substantially increased reproductive output relative to the flight-capable morph. Much is known about the physiological and biochemical differences between the morphs with respect to adaptations for flight versus reproduction. In contrast, little is known about the molecular genetic basis of these morph-specific adaptations. To address this issue, we assembled a de novo transcriptome of G. firmus using 141.5 million Illumina reads generated from flight muscles and fat body, two organs that play key roles in flight and reproduction. We used the resulting 34,411 transcripts as a reference transcriptome for differential gene expression analyses. A comparison of gene expression profiles from functional flight muscles in the flight-capable morph versus histolyzed flight muscles in the plastic flight incapable morph identified a suite of genes involved in respiration that were highly expressed in pink (functional) flight muscles and genes involved in proteolysis highly expressed in the white (histolyzed) flight muscles. A comparison of fat body transcripts from the obligately flightless versus the flight-capable morphs revealed differential expression of genes involved in triglyceride biosynthesis, lipid transport, immune function and reproduction. These data provide a valuable resource for future molecular genetics research in this and related species and provide insight on the role of gene expression in morph-specific adaptations for flight versus reproduction.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Anthony J. Zera
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, United States of America
| | - Rudolf J. Schilder
- Department of Biology, Penn State University, State College, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Cody Wehrkamp
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, United States of America
| | - Jean-Jack M. Riethoven
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, United States of America
- Bioinformatics Core Research Facility, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, United States of America
| | - Jennifer A. Brisson
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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36
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Mitterboeck TF, Adamowicz SJ. Flight loss linked to faster molecular evolution in insects. Proc Biol Sci 2013; 280:20131128. [PMID: 23884090 PMCID: PMC3735250 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2013.1128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2013] [Accepted: 07/02/2013] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The loss of flight ability has occurred thousands of times independently during insect evolution. Flight loss may be linked to higher molecular evolutionary rates because of reductions in effective population sizes (Ne) and relaxed selective constraints. Reduced dispersal ability increases population subdivision, may decrease geographical range size and increases (sub)population extinction risk, thus leading to an expected reduction in Ne. Additionally, flight loss in birds has been linked to higher molecular rates of energy-related genes, probably owing to relaxed selective constraints on energy metabolism. We tested for an association between insect flight loss and molecular rates through comparative analysis in 49 phylogenetically independent transitions spanning multiple taxa, including moths, flies, beetles, mayflies, stick insects, stoneflies, scorpionflies and caddisflies, using available nuclear and mitochondrial protein-coding DNA sequences. We estimated the rate of molecular evolution of flightless (FL) and related flight-capable lineages by ratios of non-synonymous-to-synonymous substitutions (dN/dS) and overall substitution rates (OSRs). Across multiple instances of flight loss, we show a significant pattern of higher dN/dS ratios and OSRs in FL lineages in mitochondrial but not nuclear genes. These patterns may be explained by relaxed selective constraints in FL ectotherms relating to energy metabolism, possibly in combination with reduced Ne.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Fatima Mitterboeck
- Department of Integrative Biology and Biodiversity Institute of Ontario, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 2W1.
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Bansal R, Mian MAR, Mittapalli O, Michel AP. Molecular characterization and expression analysis of soluble trehalase gene in Aphis glycines, a migratory pest of soybean. BULLETIN OF ENTOMOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2013; 103:286-95. [PMID: 23445549 DOI: 10.1017/s0007485312000697] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
In insects, the enzyme trehalase plays a crucial role in energy metabolism, chitin synthesis and possibly during plant-insect interactions. We have characterized a soluble trehalase gene (Tre-1) from cDNA of Aphis glycines, a serious migratory pest of soybean. The full-length cDNA of Tre-1 in A. glycines (AyTre-1) was 2550 bp long with an open reading frame of 1770 bp that encoded for a 589 amino acid residues protein. Sequence assessment and phylogenetic analysis of the putative protein suggested that the selected cDNA belongs to soluble trehalase group. Quantitative PCR (qPCR) analysis in different tissues and developmental stages revealed peak mRNA levels of AyTre-1 in the gut (compared with other tissues assayed) and highest expression in the second instar compared with the other developmental stages assayed. Interestingly, a significantly increased expression of AyTre-1 (1.9-fold, P < 0.05) was observed in the alate morphs compared with that in apterate morphs. However, there was no significant difference in AyTre-1 expression in A. glycines-nymphs fed with resistant and susceptible plants. Expression patterns identified in this study provide a platform to investigate the role of AyTre-1 in physiological activities such as flight and feeding in A. glycines. The characterization of soluble trehalase gene may help to develop novel strategies to manage A. glycines using trehalase inhibitors and using RNA interference for knock-down of AyTre-1 expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raman Bansal
- Department of Entomology, Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, The Ohio State University, 1680 Madison Avenue, Wooster, OH 44691, USA
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Xue J, Zhang XQ, Xu HJ, Fan HW, Huang HJ, Ma XF, Wang CY, Chen JG, Cheng JA, Zhang CX. Molecular characterization of the flightin gene in the wing-dimorphic planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens, and its evolution in Pancrustacea. INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2013; 43:433-443. [PMID: 23459170 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2013.02.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2012] [Revised: 02/14/2013] [Accepted: 02/20/2013] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Flightin was initially identified in Drosophila melanogaster. Previous work has shown that Drosophila flightin plays a key role in indirect flight muscle (IFM) function and has limited expression in the IFM. In this study, we demonstrated that flightin is conserved across the Pancrustacea species, including winged insects, non-winged insects, non-insect hexapods and several crustaceans. The brown planthopper (BPH), Nilaparvata lugens (Stål) (Hemiptera: Delphacidae), a long-distance migration insect with wing dimorphism, is the most destructive rice pest in Asia. We showed that flightin was one of the most differentially expressed genes in macropterous and brachypterous BPH adults. In female BPHs, flightin was expressed in the IFM of macropterous adults, no expression was detected in brachypterous ones; while in male BPHs, flightin was not only expressed in the IFM of macropterous adults, but also in the dorsal longitudinal muscle (DLM) in the basal two abdominal segments of both macropterous and brachypterous ones. RNAi and transmission electron microscopy results showed that flightin played key roles in maintaining IFM and male DLM structure, which drive wing movements in macropterous adults and the vibration of the male-specific tymbal, respectively. Using Daphnia magna as an example of a crustacean species, we observed that flightin was expressed in juvenile instars and adults, and was localized in the antenna muscles. These results illustrate the functional variations of flightin in insects and other arthropod species and provide clues as to how insects with flight apparatuses evolved from ancient pancrustaceans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jian Xue
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology and Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Agricultural Entomology, Institute of Insect Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
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Rabatel A, Febvay G, Gaget K, Duport G, Baa-Puyoulet P, Sapountzis P, Bendridi N, Rey M, Rahbé Y, Charles H, Calevro F, Colella S. Tyrosine pathway regulation is host-mediated in the pea aphid symbiosis during late embryonic and early larval development. BMC Genomics 2013; 14:235. [PMID: 23575215 PMCID: PMC3660198 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2164-14-235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2012] [Accepted: 03/14/2013] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Nutritional symbioses play a central role in insects' adaptation to specialized diets and in their evolutionary success. The obligatory symbiosis between the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum, and the bacterium, Buchnera aphidicola, is no exception as it enables this important agricultural pest insect to develop on a diet exclusively based on plant phloem sap. The symbiotic bacteria provide the host with essential amino acids lacking in its diet but necessary for the rapid embryonic growth seen in the parthenogenetic viviparous reproduction of aphids. The aphid furnishes, in exchange, non-essential amino acids and other important metabolites. Understanding the regulations acting on this integrated metabolic system during the development of this insect is essential in elucidating aphid biology. RESULTS We used a microarray-based approach to analyse gene expression in the late embryonic and the early larval stages of the pea aphid, characterizing, for the first time, the transcriptional profiles in these developmental phases. Our analyses allowed us to identify key genes in the phenylalanine, tyrosine and dopamine pathways and we identified ACYPI004243, one of the four genes encoding for the aspartate transaminase (E.C. 2.6.1.1), as specifically regulated during development. Indeed, the tyrosine biosynthetic pathway is crucial for the symbiotic metabolism as it is shared between the two partners, all the precursors being produced by B. aphidicola. Our microarray data are supported by HPLC amino acid analyses demonstrating an accumulation of tyrosine at the same developmental stages, with an up-regulation of the tyrosine biosynthetic genes. Tyrosine is also essential for the synthesis of cuticular proteins and it is an important precursor for cuticle maturation: together with the up-regulation of tyrosine biosynthesis, we observed an up-regulation of cuticular genes expression. We were also able to identify some amino acid transporter genes which are essential for the switch over to the late embryonic stages in pea aphid development. CONCLUSIONS Our data show that, in the development of A. pisum, a specific host gene set regulates the biosynthetic pathways of amino acids, demonstrating how the regulation of gene expression enables an insect to control the production of metabolites crucial for its own development and symbiotic metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andréane Rabatel
- Insa-Lyon, UMR203 BF2I, Biologie Fonctionnelle Insectes et Interactions, Villeurbanne, F-69621, France
- Université de Lyon, Lyon, F-69000, France
| | - Gérard Febvay
- Inra, UMR203 BF2I, Biologie Fonctionnelle Insectes et Interactions, Villeurbanne, F-69621, France
- Université de Lyon, Lyon, F-69000, France
| | - Karen Gaget
- Inra, UMR203 BF2I, Biologie Fonctionnelle Insectes et Interactions, Villeurbanne, F-69621, France
- Université de Lyon, Lyon, F-69000, France
| | - Gabrielle Duport
- Inra, UMR203 BF2I, Biologie Fonctionnelle Insectes et Interactions, Villeurbanne, F-69621, France
- Université de Lyon, Lyon, F-69000, France
| | - Patrice Baa-Puyoulet
- Inra, UMR203 BF2I, Biologie Fonctionnelle Insectes et Interactions, Villeurbanne, F-69621, France
- Université de Lyon, Lyon, F-69000, France
| | - Panagiotis Sapountzis
- Inra, UMR203 BF2I, Biologie Fonctionnelle Insectes et Interactions, Villeurbanne, F-69621, France
- Université de Lyon, Lyon, F-69000, France
| | - Nadia Bendridi
- Insa-Lyon, UMR203 BF2I, Biologie Fonctionnelle Insectes et Interactions, Villeurbanne, F-69621, France
- Université de Lyon, Lyon, F-69000, France
| | - Marjolaine Rey
- Inra, UMR203 BF2I, Biologie Fonctionnelle Insectes et Interactions, Villeurbanne, F-69621, France
- Université de Lyon, Lyon, F-69000, France
| | - Yvan Rahbé
- Inra, UMR203 BF2I, Biologie Fonctionnelle Insectes et Interactions, Villeurbanne, F-69621, France
- Université de Lyon, Lyon, F-69000, France
- Inria Rhône-Alpes, Bamboo, Monbonnot Saint-Martin, F-38330, France
| | - Hubert Charles
- Insa-Lyon, UMR203 BF2I, Biologie Fonctionnelle Insectes et Interactions, Villeurbanne, F-69621, France
- Université de Lyon, Lyon, F-69000, France
- Inria Rhône-Alpes, Bamboo, Monbonnot Saint-Martin, F-38330, France
| | - Federica Calevro
- Insa-Lyon, UMR203 BF2I, Biologie Fonctionnelle Insectes et Interactions, Villeurbanne, F-69621, France
- Université de Lyon, Lyon, F-69000, France
| | - Stefano Colella
- Inra, UMR203 BF2I, Biologie Fonctionnelle Insectes et Interactions, Villeurbanne, F-69621, France
- Université de Lyon, Lyon, F-69000, France
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Ishikawa A, Ishikawa Y, Okada Y, Miyazaki S, Miyakawa H, Koshikawa S, Brisson JA, Miura T. Screening of upregulated genes induced by high density in the vetch aphid Megoura crassicauda. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2012; 317:194-203. [PMID: 22514053 DOI: 10.1002/jez.1713] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Aphids exhibit several polyphenisms in which discontinuous, alternative phenotypes are produced depending on environmental conditions. One representative example is the wing polyphenism, where winged and wingless females are produced through parthenogenesis. Previous work has shown that, in some aphid species, the density condition sensed by the mother aphid determines the developmental fate of embryos in her ovary, with high densities leading to winged progeny and low densities to wingless progeny. However, little is known about the molecular and physiological mechanisms underlying the wing polyphenism. To identify genes involved in the wing-morph determination in the vetch aphid, Megoura crassicauda, we compared maternal and embryonic transcripts between high- and low-density conditions using differential display, followed by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). Under the high-density condition, two genes (Uba1 and Naca) were found to be upregulated in maternal tissues without ovaries, while one gene (ClpP) was upregulated in ovaries containing embryos. Uba1 and Naca encode factors that function in protein modification or transcriptional/translational regulation, respectively. In addition to differential display, candidate gene approaches focusing on morphogenetic and endocrine genes, i.e., wg, dpp, ap, hh, InR, IRS, Foxo, EcR, and USP, were also carried out. We found that wg was upregulated in maternal tissues under the high-density condition. The identified genes from both approaches are candidates for further study of their involvement in the transduction of density signals in mother aphids and/or the initial process of wing differentiation in embryos.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asano Ishikawa
- Graduate School of Environmental Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan
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Srinivasan DG, Brisson JA. Aphids: a model for polyphenism and epigenetics. GENETICS RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2012; 2012:431531. [PMID: 22567389 PMCID: PMC3335499 DOI: 10.1155/2012/431531] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2011] [Accepted: 12/01/2011] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Environmental conditions can alter the form, function, and behavior of organisms over short and long timescales, and even over generations. Aphid females respond to specific environmental cues by transmitting signals that have the effect of altering the development of their offspring. These epigenetic phenomena have positioned aphids as a model for the study of phenotypic plasticity. The molecular basis for this epigenetic inheritance in aphids and how this type of inheritance system could have evolved are still unanswered questions. With the availability of the pea aphid genome sequence, new genomics technologies, and ongoing genomics projects in aphids, these questions can now be addressed. Here, we review epigenetic phenomena in aphids and recent progress toward elucidating the molecular basis of epigenetics in aphids. The discovery of a functional DNA methylation system, functional small RNA system, and expanded set of chromatin modifying genes provides a platform for analyzing these pathways in the context of aphid plasticity. With these tools and further research, aphids are an emerging model system for studying the molecular epigenetics of polyphenisms.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jennifer A. Brisson
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588, USA
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Ogawa K, Ishikawa A, Kanbe T, Akimoto SI, Miura T. Male-specific flight apparatus development in Acyrthosiphon pisum (Aphididae, Hemiptera, Insecta): comparison with female wing polyphenism. ZOOMORPHOLOGY 2012. [DOI: 10.1007/s00435-012-0154-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Shifting from clonal to sexual reproduction in aphids: physiological and developmental aspects. Biol Cell 2012; 100:441-51. [DOI: 10.1042/bc20070135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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Duncan RP, Nathanson L, Wilson ACC. Novel male-biased expression in paralogs of the aphid slimfast nutrient amino acid transporter expansion. BMC Evol Biol 2011; 11:253. [PMID: 21917168 PMCID: PMC3231810 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2148-11-253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2011] [Accepted: 09/14/2011] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Background A major goal of molecular evolutionary biology is to understand the fate and consequences of duplicated genes. In this context, aphids are intriguing because the newly sequenced pea aphid genome harbors an extraordinary number of lineage-specific gene duplications relative to other insect genomes. Though many of their duplicated genes may be involved in their complex life cycle, duplications in nutrient amino acid transporters appear to be associated rather with their essential amino acid poor diet and the intracellular symbiosis aphids rely on to compensate for dietary deficits. Past work has shown that some duplicated amino acid transporters are highly expressed in the specialized cells housing the symbionts, including a paralog of an aphid-specific expansion homologous to the Drosophila gene slimfast. Previous data provide evidence that these bacteriocyte-expressed transporters mediate amino acid exchange between aphids and their symbionts. Results We report that some nutrient amino acid transporters show male-biased expression. Male-biased expression characterizes three paralogs in the aphid-specific slimfast expansion, and the male-biased expression is conserved across two aphid species for at least two paralogs. One of the male-biased paralogs has additionally experienced an accelerated rate of non-synonymous substitutions. Conclusions This is the first study to document male-biased slimfast expression. Our data suggest that the male-biased aphid slimfast paralogs diverged from their ancestral function to fill a functional role in males. Furthermore, our results provide evidence that members of the slimfast expansion are maintained in the aphid genome not only for the previously hypothesized role in mediating amino acid exchange between the symbiotic partners, but also for sex-specific roles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca P Duncan
- Department of Biology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33146, USA
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Simon JC, Pfrender ME, Tollrian R, Tagu D, Colbourne JK. Genomics of environmentally induced phenotypes in 2 extremely plastic arthropods. J Hered 2011; 102:512-25. [PMID: 21525179 PMCID: PMC3156564 DOI: 10.1093/jhered/esr020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2009] [Revised: 02/27/2011] [Accepted: 03/02/2011] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding how genes and the environment interact to shape phenotypes is of fundamental importance for resolving important issues in adaptive evolution. Yet, for most model species with mature genetics and accessible genomic resources, we know little about the natural environmental factors that shape their evolution. By contrast, animal species with deeply understood ecologies and well characterized responses to environmental cues are rarely subjects of genomic investigations. Here, we preview advances in genomics in aphids and waterfleas that may help transform research on the regulatory mechanisms of phenotypic plasticity. This insect and crustacean duo has the capacity to produce extremely divergent phenotypes in response to environmental stimuli. Sexual fate and reproductive mode are condition-dependent in both groups, which are also capable of altering morphology, physiology and behavior in response to biotic and abiotic cues. Recently, the genome sequences for the pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum and the waterflea Daphnia pulex were described by their respective research communities. We propose that an integrative study of genome biology focused on the condition-dependent transcriptional basis of their shared plastic traits and specialized mode of reproduction will provide broad insight into adaptive plasticity and genome by environment interactions. We highlight recent advances in understanding the genome regulation of alternative phenotypes and environmental cue processing, and we propose future research avenues to discover gene networks and epigenetic mechanisms underlying phenotypic plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean-Christophe Simon
- INRA, UMR BiO3P, Biologie des Organismes et des Populations appliquée à la Protection des Plantes, Le Rheu cedex, France.
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Castañeda LE, Figueroa CC, Bacigalupe LD, Nespolo RF. Effects of wing polyphenism, aphid genotype and host plant chemistry on energy metabolism of the grain aphid, Sitobion avenae. JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY 2010; 56:1920-1924. [PMID: 20801126 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2010.08.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2010] [Revised: 08/13/2010] [Accepted: 08/20/2010] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Wing dimorphism has been proposed as a strategy to face trade-offs between flight capability and fecundity. In aphids, individuals with functional wings have slower development and lower fecundity compared with wingless individuals. However, differential maintenance costs between winged and wingless aphids have not been deeply investigated. In the current study, we studied the combined effect of wing dimorphism with the effects of aphid genotypes and of wheat hosts having different levels of chemical defences (hydroxamic acids, Hx) on adult body mass and standard metabolic rates (SMR) of winged and wingless morphs of the grain aphid, Sitobion avenae. We found that wingless aphids had higher body mass than winged aphids and that body mass also increased towards host with high Hx levels. Furthermore, winged aphids showed a plastic SMR in terms of Hx levels, whereas wingless aphids displayed a rigid reaction norm (significant interaction between morph condition and wheat host). These findings suggest that winged aphids have reduced adult size compared to wingless aphids, likely due to costs associated to the development of flight structure in early-life stages. These costs contrast with the absence of detectable metabolic costs related to fuelling and maintenance of the flight apparatus in adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis E Castañeda
- Instituto de Ecología y Evolución, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Austral de Chile, 5110566 Valdivia, Chile.
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Hunt BG, Goodisman MAD. Evolutionary variation in gene expression is associated with dimorphism in eusocial vespid wasps. INSECT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2010; 19:641-652. [PMID: 20546040 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2583.2010.01021.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Phenotypic diversity is frequently generated by differences in gene expression. In this study, we addressed the relationship between homology in gene expression and phenotype among four species of eusocial wasps. Specifically, we investigated the evolution of caste-specific and sex-specific gene expression patterns associated with caste polyphenisms and sexual dimorphisms. We also identified several genes with functions relevant to their phenotype-specific roles. Our results suggest that gene expression profiles associated with caste polyphenisms may evolve rapidly relative to those associated with sexes. Thus, caste-biased genes may undergo less regulatory constraint or be subject to greater neutral variation in expression than sex-biased genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- B G Hunt
- School of Biology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
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Hunt BG, Brisson JA, Yi SV, Goodisman MAD. Functional conservation of DNA methylation in the pea aphid and the honeybee. Genome Biol Evol 2010; 2:719-28. [PMID: 20855427 PMCID: PMC2962555 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evq057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
DNA methylation is a fundamental epigenetic mark known to have wide-ranging effects on gene regulation in a variety of animal taxa. Comparative genomic analyses can help elucidate the function of DNA methylation by identifying conserved features of methylated genes and other genomic regions. In this study, we used computational approaches to distinguish genes marked by heavy methylation from those marked by little or no methylation in the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum. We investigated if these two classes had distinct evolutionary histories and functional roles by conducting comparative analysis with the honeybee, Apis (Ap.) mellifera. We found that highly methylated orthologs in A. pisum and Ap. mellifera exhibited greater conservation of methylation status, suggesting that highly methylated genes in ancestral species may remain highly methylated over time. We also found that methylated genes tended to show different rates of evolution than unmethylated genes. In addition, genes targeted by methylation were enriched for particular biological processes that differed from those in relatively unmethylated genes. Finally, methylated genes were preferentially ubiquitously expressed among alternate phenotypes in both species, whereas genes lacking signatures of methylation were preferentially associated with condition-specific gene regulation expression. Overall, our analyses support a conserved role for DNA methylation in insects with comparable methylation systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brendan G Hunt
- School of Biology, Georgia Institute of Technology, GA, USA
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Simon JC, Stoeckel S, Tagu D. Evolutionary and functional insights into reproductive strategies of aphids. C R Biol 2010; 333:488-96. [DOI: 10.1016/j.crvi.2010.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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