1
|
Rehmann CT, Ralph PL, Kern AD. Evaluating evidence for co-geography in the Anopheles-Plasmodium host-parasite system. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.07.17.549405. [PMID: 37503196 PMCID: PMC10370088 DOI: 10.1101/2023.07.17.549405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
The often tight association between parasites and their hosts means that under certain scenarios, the evolutionary histories of the two species can become closely coupled both through time and across space. Using spatial genetic inference, we identify a potential signal of common dispersal patterns in the Anopheles gambiae and Plasmodium falciparum host-parasite system as seen through a between-species correlation of the differences between geographic sampling location and geographic location predicted from the genome. This correlation may be due to coupled dispersal dynamics between host and parasite, but may also reflect statistical artifacts due to uneven spatial distribution of sampling locations. Using continuous-space population genetics simulations, we investigate the degree to which uneven distribution of sampling locations leads to bias in prediction of spatial location from genetic data and implement methods to counter this effect. We demonstrate that while algorithmic bias presents a problem in inference from spatio-genetic data, the correlation structure between A. gambiae and P. falciparum predictions cannot be attributed to spatial bias alone, and is thus likely a genetic signal of co-dispersal in a host-parasite system.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Clara T Rehmann
- University of Oregon, Institute of Ecology and Evolution and Department of Biology
| | - Peter L Ralph
- University of Oregon, Institute of Ecology and Evolution and Department of Biology
- University of Oregon, Department of Mathematics
| | - Andrew D Kern
- University of Oregon, Institute of Ecology and Evolution and Department of Biology
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Angst P, Pombert JF, Ebert D, Fields PD. Near chromosome-level genome assembly of the microsporidium Hamiltosporidium tvaerminnensis. G3 (BETHESDA, MD.) 2023; 13:jkad185. [PMID: 37565496 PMCID: PMC10542269 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkad185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2023] [Accepted: 08/05/2023] [Indexed: 08/12/2023]
Abstract
Microsporidia are intracellular parasitic fungi whose genomes rank among the smallest of all known eukaryotes. A number of outstanding questions remain concerning the evolution of their large-scale variation in genome architecture, responsible for genome size variation of more than an order of magnitude. This genome report presents the first near-chromosomal assembly of a large-genome microsporidium, Hamiltosporidium tvaerminnensis. Combined Oxford Nanopore, Pacific Biosciences (PacBio), and Illumina sequencing led to a genome assembly of 17 contigs, 11 of which represent complete chromosomes. Our assembly is 21.64 Mb in length, has an N50 of 1.44 Mb, and consists of 39.56% interspersed repeats. We introduce a novel approach in microsporidia, PacBio Iso-Seq, as part of a larger annotation pipeline for obtaining high-quality annotations of 3,573 protein-coding genes. Based on direct evidence from the full-length Iso-Seq transcripts, we present evidence for alternative polyadenylation and variation in splicing efficiency, which are potential regulation mechanisms for gene expression in microsporidia. The generated high-quality genome assembly is a necessary resource for comparative genomics that will help elucidate the evolution of genome architecture in response to intracellular parasitism.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pascal Angst
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Zoology, University of Basel, Basel 4051, Switzerland
| | | | - Dieter Ebert
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Zoology, University of Basel, Basel 4051, Switzerland
| | - Peter D Fields
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Zoology, University of Basel, Basel 4051, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Angst P, Ebert D, Fields PD. Population genetic analysis of the microsporidium Ordospora colligata reveals the role of natural selection and phylogeography on its extremely compact and reduced genome. G3 (BETHESDA, MD.) 2023; 13:jkad017. [PMID: 36655395 PMCID: PMC9997559 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkad017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2022] [Revised: 01/02/2023] [Accepted: 01/11/2023] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
The determinants of variation in a species' genome-wide nucleotide diversity include historical, environmental, and stochastic aspects. This diversity can inform us about the species' past and present evolutionary dynamics. In parasites, the mode of transmission and the interactions with the host might supersede the effects of these aspects in shaping parasite genomic diversity. We used genomic samples from 10 populations of the microsporidian parasite Ordospora colligata to investigate present genomic diversity and how it was shaped by evolutionary processes, specifically, the role of phylogeography, co-phylogeography (with the host), natural selection, and transmission mode. Although very closely related microsporidia cause diseases in humans, O. colligata is specific to the freshwater crustacean Daphnia magna and has one of the smallest known eukaryotic genomes. We found an overlapping phylogeography between O. colligata and its host highlighting the long-term, intimate relationship between them. The observed geographic distribution reflects previous findings that O. colligata exhibits adaptations to colder habitats, which differentiates it from other microsporidian gut parasites of D. magna predominantly found in warmer areas. The co-phylogeography allowed us to calibrate the O. colligata phylogeny and thus estimate its mutation rate. We identified several genetic regions under potential selection. Our whole-genome study provides insights into the evolution of one of the most reduced eukaryotic genomes and shows how different processes shape genomic diversity of an obligate parasite.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pascal Angst
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Zoology, University of Basel, Basel 4051, Switzerland
| | - Dieter Ebert
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Zoology, University of Basel, Basel 4051, Switzerland
| | - Peter D Fields
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Zoology, University of Basel, Basel 4051, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
de Albuquerque NRM, Haag KL. Using average nucleotide identity (ANI) to evaluate microsporidia species boundaries based on their genetic relatedness. J Eukaryot Microbiol 2023; 70:e12944. [PMID: 36039868 DOI: 10.1111/jeu.12944] [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: 07/27/2022] [Revised: 08/26/2022] [Accepted: 08/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Microsporidia are obligatory intracellular parasites related to fungi and since their discovery their classification and origin has been controversial due to their unique morphology. Early taxonomic studies of microsporidia were based on ultrastructural spore features, characteristics of their life cycle and transmission modes. However, taxonomy and phylogeny based solely on these characteristics can be misleading. SSU rRNA is a traditional marker used in taxonomical classifications, but the power of SSU rRNA to resolve phylogenetic relationships between microsporidia is considered weak at the species level, as it may not show enough variation to distinguish closely related species. Overall genome relatedness indices (OGRI), such as average nucleotide identity (ANI), allows fast and easy-to-implement comparative measurements between genomes to assess species boundaries in prokaryotes, with a 95% cutoff value for grouping genomes of the same species. Due to the increasing availability of complete genomes, metrics of genome relatedness have been applied for eukaryotic microbes taxonomy such as microsporidia. However, the distribution of ANI values and cutoff values for species delimitation have not yet been fully tested in microsporidia. In this study we examined the distribution of ANI values for 65 publicly available microsporidian genomes and tested whether the 95% cutoff value is a good estimation for circumscribing species based on their genetic relatedness.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nathalia R M de Albuquerque
- Department of Genetics and Post-Graduation Program of Genetics and Molecular Biology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Karen L Haag
- Department of Genetics and Post-Graduation Program of Genetics and Molecular Biology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Nazarizadeh M, Nováková M, Loot G, Gabagambi NP, Fatemizadeh F, Osano O, Presswell B, Poulin R, Vitál Z, Scholz T, Halajian A, Trucchi E, Kočová P, Štefka J. Historical dispersal and host-switching formed the evolutionary history of a globally distributed multi-host parasite - The Ligula intestinalis species complex. Mol Phylogenet Evol 2023; 180:107677. [PMID: 36572162 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2022.107677] [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: 10/20/2022] [Revised: 12/06/2022] [Accepted: 12/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Studies on parasite biogeography and host spectrum provide insights into the processes driving parasite diversification. Global geographical distribution and a multi-host spectrum make the tapeworm Ligula intestinalis a promising model for studying both the vicariant and ecological modes of speciation in parasites. To understand the relative importance of host association and biogeography in the evolutionary history of this tapeworm, we analysed mtDNA and reduced-represented genomic SNP data for a total of 139 specimens collected from 18 fish-host genera across a distribution range representing 21 countries. Our results strongly supported the existence of at least 10 evolutionary lineages and estimated the deepest divergence at approximately 4.99-5.05 Mya, which is much younger than the diversification of the fish host genera and orders. Historical biogeography analyses revealed that the ancestor of the parasite diversified following multiple vicariance events and was widespread throughout the Palearctic, Afrotropical, and Nearctic between the late Miocene and early Pliocene. Cyprinoids were inferred as the ancestral hosts for the parasite. Later, from the late Pliocene to Pleistocene, new lineages emerged following a series of biogeographic dispersal and host-switching events. Although only a few of the current Ligula lineages show narrow host-specificity (to a single host genus), almost no host genera, even those that live in sympatry, overlapped between different Ligula lineages. Our analyses uncovered the impact of historical distribution shifts on host switching and the evolution of host specificity without parallel host-parasite co-speciation. Historical biogeography reconstructions also found that the parasite colonized several areas (Afrotropical and Australasian) much earlier than was suggested by only recent faunistic data.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Masoud Nazarizadeh
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic; Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre CAS, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Milena Nováková
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre CAS, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Géraldine Loot
- UMR-5174, EDB (Laboratoire Evolution and Diversité Biologique), CNRS, IRD, Université Toulouse III Paul Sabatier, France
| | | | - Faezeh Fatemizadeh
- Department of Environmental Science, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran
| | - Odipo Osano
- School of Environmental Studies, University of Eldoret, Kenya
| | | | - Robert Poulin
- Department of Zoology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Zoltán Vitál
- Research Center for Fisheries and Aquaculture, Institute of Aquaculture and Environmental Safety, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Szarvas, Hungary
| | - Tomáš Scholz
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic; Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre CAS, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Ali Halajian
- Research Administration and Development, and 2-DSI-NRF SARChI Chair (Ecosystem health), Department of Biodiversity, University of Limpopo, South Africa
| | - Emiliano Trucchi
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Marche Polytechnic University, Ancona, Italy
| | | | - Jan Štefka
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic; Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre CAS, České Budějovice, Czech Republic.
| |
Collapse
|