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Smith CH, Mejia-Trujillo R, Breton S, Pinto BJ, Kirkpatrick M, Havird JC. Mitonuclear Sex Determination? Empirical Evidence from Bivalves. Mol Biol Evol 2023; 40:msad240. [PMID: 37935058 PMCID: PMC10653589 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msad240] [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: 06/28/2023] [Revised: 10/04/2023] [Accepted: 10/26/2023] [Indexed: 11/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Genetic elements encoded in nuclear DNA determine the sex of an individual in many animals. In certain bivalve lineages that possess doubly uniparental inheritance (DUI), mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) has been hypothesized to contribute to sex determination. In these cases, females transmit a female mtDNA to all offspring, while male mtDNA (M mtDNA) is transmitted only from fathers to sons. Because M mtDNA is inherited in the same way as Y chromosomes, it has been hypothesized that mtDNA may be responsible for sex determination. However, the role of mitochondrial and nuclear genes in sex determination has yet to be validated in DUI bivalves. In this study, we used DNA, RNA, and mitochondrial short noncoding RNA (sncRNA) sequencing to explore the role of mitochondrial and nuclear elements in the sexual development pathway of the freshwater mussel Potamilus streckersoni (Bivalvia: Unionida). We found that the M mtDNA sheds a sncRNA partially within a male-specific mitochondrial gene that targets a pathway hypothesized to be involved in female development and mitophagy. RNA-seq confirmed the gene target was significantly upregulated in females, supporting a direct role of mitochondrial sncRNAs in gene silencing. These findings support the hypothesis that M mtDNA inhibits female development. Genome-wide patterns of genetic differentiation and heterozygosity did not support a nuclear sex-determining region, although we cannot reject that nuclear factors are involved with sex determination. Our results provide further evidence that mitochondrial loci contribute to diverse, nonrespiratory functions and additional insights into an unorthodox sex-determining system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chase H Smith
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | | | - Sophie Breton
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Montreal, Montreal, Canada
| | - Brendan J Pinto
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
- Department of Zoology, Milwaukee Public Museum, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Mark Kirkpatrick
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Justin C Havird
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
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2
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Smith CH, Mejia-Trujillo R, Breton S, Pinto BJ, Kirkpatrick M, Havird JC. Mitonuclear sex determination? Empirical evidence from bivalves. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.07.05.547839. [PMID: 37461691 PMCID: PMC10349986 DOI: 10.1101/2023.07.05.547839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/24/2023]
Abstract
Genetic elements encoded in nuclear DNA determine the sex of an individual in many animals. In bivalves, however, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) has been hypothesized to contribute to sex determination in lineages that possess doubly uniparental inheritance (DUI). In these cases, females transmit a female mtDNA (F mtDNA) to all offspring, while male mtDNA (M mtDNA) is transmitted only from fathers to sons. Because M mtDNA is inherited in the same way as Y chromosomes, it has been hypothesized that mtDNA may be responsible for sex determination. However, the role of mitochondrial and nuclear genes in sex determination has yet to be validated in DUI bivalves. In this study, we used DNA, RNA, and mitochondrial short non-coding RNA (sncRNA) sequencing to explore the role of mitochondrial and nuclear elements in the sexual development pathway of the freshwater mussel Potamilus streckersoni (Bivalvia: Unionida). We found that the M mtDNA shed a sncRNA partially within a male-specific mitochondrial gene that targeted pathways hypothesized to be involved in female development and mitophagy. RNA-seq confirmed the gene target was significantly upregulated in females, supporting a direct role of mitochondrial sncRNAs in gene silencing. These findings support the hypothesis that M mtDNA inhibits female development. Genome-wide patterns of genetic differentiation and heterozygosity did not support a nuclear sex determining region, although we cannot reject that nuclear factors are involved with sex determination. Our results provide further evidence that mitochondrial loci contribute to diverse, non-respiratory functions and provide a first glimpse into an unorthodox sex determining system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chase H. Smith
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | | | - Sophie Breton
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Montreal, Montreal, Canada
| | - Brendan J. Pinto
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ USA
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ USA
- Department of Zoology, Milwaukee Public Museum, Milwaukee, WI USA
| | - Mark Kirkpatrick
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Justin C. Havird
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
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3
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Smith CH, Pinto BJ, Kirkpatrick M, Hillis DM, Pfeiffer JM, Havird JC. A tale of two paths: The evolution of mitochondrial recombination in bivalves with doubly uniparental inheritance. J Hered 2023; 114:199-206. [PMID: 36897956 PMCID: PMC10212130 DOI: 10.1093/jhered/esad004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2022] [Accepted: 01/19/2023] [Indexed: 03/12/2023] Open
Abstract
In most animals, mitochondrial DNA is strictly maternally inherited and non-recombining. One exception to this pattern is called doubly uniparental inheritance (DUI), a phenomenon involving the independent transmission of female and male mitochondrial genomes. DUI is known only from the molluskan class Bivalvia. The phylogenetic distribution of male-transmitted mitochondrial DNA (M mtDNA) in bivalves is consistent with several evolutionary scenarios, including multiple independent gains, losses, and varying degrees of recombination with female-transmitted mitochondrial DNA (F mtDNA). In this study, we use phylogenetic methods to test M mtDNA origination hypotheses and infer the prevalence of mitochondrial recombination in bivalves with DUI. Phylogenetic modeling using site concordance factors supported a single origin of M mtDNA in bivalves coupled with recombination acting over long evolutionary timescales. Ongoing mitochondrial recombination is present in Mytilida and Venerida, which results in a pattern of concerted evolution of F mtDNA and M mtDNA. Mitochondrial recombination could be favored to offset the deleterious effects of asexual inheritance and maintain mitonuclear compatibility across tissues. Cardiida and Unionida have gone without recent recombination, possibly due to an extension of the COX2 gene in male mitochondrial DNA. The loss of recombination could be connected to the role of M mtDNA in sex determination or sexual development. Our results support that recombination events may occur throughout the mitochondrial genomes of DUI species. Future investigations may reveal more complex patterns of inheritance of recombinants, which could explain the retention of signal for a single origination of M mtDNA in protein-coding genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chase H Smith
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas, Austin, TX, United States
| | - Brendan J Pinto
- Center for Evolutionary Medicine & Public Health, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States
- Department of Zoology, Milwaukee Public Museum, Milwaukee, WI, United States
| | - Mark Kirkpatrick
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas, Austin, TX, United States
| | - David M Hillis
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas, Austin, TX, United States
| | - John M Pfeiffer
- Department of Invertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, United States
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas, Austin, TX, United States
| | - Justin C Havird
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas, Austin, TX, United States
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4
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Tassé M, Choquette T, Angers A, Stewart DT, Pante E, Breton S. The longest mitochondrial protein in metazoans is encoded by the male-transmitted mitogenome of the bivalve Scrobicularia plana. Biol Lett 2022; 18:20220122. [PMID: 35673874 PMCID: PMC9174706 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2022.0122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Cytochrome c oxidase subunit II (COX2) is one of the three mitochondrially encoded proteins of the complex IV of the respiratory chain that catalyses the reduction of oxygen to water. The cox2 gene spans about 690 base pairs in most animal species and produces a protein composed of approximately 230 amino acids. We discovered an extreme departure from this pattern in the male-transmitted mitogenome of the bivalve Scrobicularia plana with doubly uniparental inheritance (DUI) of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), which possesses an important in-frame insertion of approximately 4.8 kb in its cox2 gene. This feature—an enlarged male cox2 gene—is found in many species with DUI; the COX2 protein can be up to 420 amino acids long. Through RT-PCRs, immunoassays and comparative genetics, the evolution and functionality of this insertion in S. plana were characterized. The in-frame insertion is conserved among individuals from different populations and bears the signature of purifying selection seemingly indicating maintenance of functionality. Its transcription and translation were confirmed: this gene produces a polypeptide of 1892 amino acids, making it the largest metazoan COX2 protein known to date. We hypothesize that these extreme modifications in the COX2 protein affect the metabolism of mitochondria containing the male-transmitted mtDNA in Scrobicularia plana.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mélanie Tassé
- Département de sciences biologiques, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Thierry Choquette
- Département de sciences biologiques, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Annie Angers
- Département de sciences biologiques, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | | | - Eric Pante
- Littoral, Environnement et Sociétés (LIENSs), UMR 7266 CNRS-La Rochelle Université, 2 rue Olympe de Gouges, 17000 La Rochelle, France
| | - Sophie Breton
- Département de sciences biologiques, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
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Breton S, Stewart DT, Brémaud J, Havird JC, Smith CH, Hoeh WR. Did doubly uniparental inheritance (DUI) of mtDNA originate as a cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) system? Bioessays 2022; 44:e2100283. [PMID: 35170770 PMCID: PMC9083018 DOI: 10.1002/bies.202100283] [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: 12/06/2021] [Revised: 01/26/2022] [Accepted: 01/31/2022] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Animal and plant species exhibit an astonishing diversity of sexual systems, including environmental and genetic determinants of sex, with the latter including genetic material in the mitochondrial genome. In several hermaphroditic plants for example, sex is determined by an interaction between mitochondrial cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) genes and nuclear restorer genes. Specifically, CMS involves aberrant mitochondrial genes that prevent pollen development and specific nuclear genes that restore it, leading to a mixture of female (male-sterile) and hermaphroditic individuals in the population (gynodioecy). Such a mitochondrial-nuclear sex determination system is thought to be rare outside plants. Here, we present one possible case of CMS in animals. We hypothesize that the only exception to the strict maternal mtDNA inheritance in animals, the doubly uniparental inheritance (DUI) system in bivalves, might have originated as a mitochondrial-nuclear sex-determination system. We document and explore similarities that exist between DUI and CMS, and we propose various ways to test our hypothesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie Breton
- Département des sciences biologiques, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Donald T Stewart
- Department of Biology, Acadia University, Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Julie Brémaud
- Département des sciences biologiques, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Justin C Havird
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Chase H Smith
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Walter R Hoeh
- Department of Biological Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio, USA
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6
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Dégletagne C, Abele D, Glöckner G, Alric B, Gruber H, Held C. Presence of male mitochondria in somatic tissues and their functional importance at the whole animal level in the marine bivalve Arctica islandica. Commun Biol 2021; 4:1104. [PMID: 34545198 PMCID: PMC8452683 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-02593-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2020] [Accepted: 08/16/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Metazoans normally possess a single lineage of mitochondria inherited from the mother (♀-type mitochondria) while paternal mitochondria are absent or eliminated in fertilized eggs. In doubly uniparental inheritance (DUI), which is specific to the bivalve clade including the ocean quahog, Arctica islandica, ♂-type mitochondria are retained in male gonads and, in a few species, small proportions of ♂-type mitochondria co-exist with ♀-type in somatic tissues. To the best of our knowledge, we report, for the first time in metazoan, the natural occurrence of male and female individuals with exclusively ♂-type mitochondria in somatic tissues of the bivalve A. islandica. Mitochondrial genomes differ by ~5.5% at DNA sequence level. Exclusive presence of ♂-type mitochondria affects mitochondrial complexes partially encoded by mitochondrial genes and leads to a sharp drop in respiratory capacity. Through a combination of whole mitochondrial genome sequencing and molecular assays (gene presence and expression), we demonstrate that 1) 11% of individuals of an Icelandic population appear homoplasmic for ♂-type mitochondria in somatic tissues, 2) ♂-type mitochondrial genes are transcribed and 3) individuals with ♂-type mitochondria in somatic cells lose 30% of their wild-type respiratory capacity. This mitochondrial pattern in A. islandica is a special case of DUI, highlighted in individuals from both sexes with functional consequences at cellular and conceivably whole animal level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cyril Dégletagne
- grid.10894.340000 0001 1033 7684Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung, Bremerhaven, Germany ,grid.7849.20000 0001 2150 7757Univ Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, ENTPE, UMR5023 LEHNA, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Doris Abele
- grid.10894.340000 0001 1033 7684Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung, Bremerhaven, Germany
| | - Gernot Glöckner
- grid.6190.e0000 0000 8580 3777Institute for Biochemistry I, Medical Faculty, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Benjamin Alric
- grid.7849.20000 0001 2150 7757Univ Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, ENTPE, UMR5023 LEHNA, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Heike Gruber
- grid.419520.b0000 0001 2222 4708Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, Department of Evolutionary Theory, Plön, Germany
| | - Christoph Held
- grid.10894.340000 0001 1033 7684Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung, Bremerhaven, Germany
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7
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Bettinazzi S, Milani L, Blier PU, Breton S. Bioenergetic consequences of sex-specific mitochondrial DNA evolution. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20211585. [PMID: 34403637 PMCID: PMC8370797 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.1585] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2021] [Accepted: 07/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Doubly uniparental inheritance (DUI) represents a notable exception to the general rule of strict maternal inheritance (SMI) of mitochondria in metazoans. This system entails the coexistence of two mitochondrial lineages (F- and M-type) transmitted separately through oocytes and sperm, thence providing an unprecedented opportunity for the mitochondrial genome to evolve adaptively for male functions. In this study, we explored the impact of a sex-specific mitochondrial evolution upon gamete bioenergetics of DUI and SMI bivalve species, comparing the activity of key enzymes of glycolysis, fermentation, fatty acid metabolism, tricarboxylic acid cycle, oxidative phosphorylation and antioxidant metabolism. Our findings suggest reorganized bioenergetic pathways in DUI gametes compared to SMI gametes. This generally results in a decreased enzymatic capacity in DUI sperm with respect to DUI oocytes, a limitation especially prominent at the terminus of the electron transport system. This bioenergetic remodelling fits a reproductive strategy that does not require high energy input and could potentially link with the preservation of the paternally transmitted mitochondrial genome in DUI species. Whether this phenotype may derive from positive or relaxed selection acting on DUI sperm is still uncertain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefano Bettinazzi
- Département de sciences biologiques, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Quebec, Canada H2V 2S9
| | - Liliana Milani
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biologiche, Geologiche e Ambientali, Università di Bologna, Bologna 40126, Italia
| | - Pierre U. Blier
- Département de biologie, Université du Québec à Rimouski, Rimouski, Quebec, Canada G5 L 3A1
| | - Sophie Breton
- Département de sciences biologiques, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Quebec, Canada H2V 2S9
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8
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Porto-Hannes I, Burlakova LE, Zanatta DT, Lasker HR. Boundaries and hybridization in a secondary contact zone between freshwater mussel species (Family:Unionidae). Heredity (Edinb) 2021; 126:955-973. [PMID: 33883699 PMCID: PMC8178349 DOI: 10.1038/s41437-021-00424-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2020] [Revised: 03/02/2021] [Accepted: 03/02/2021] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Correct species identification and delineation are crucial for effective conservation and management. However, species delineation can be problematic in the presence of morphological ambiguities due to phenotypic plasticity, convergence, and/or interspecific hybridization. Here, we investigated the degree of hybridization between two closely related freshwater mussel species [Bivalvia: Unionidae; Lampsilis siliquoidea (Barnes) and L. radiata (Gmelin)] that present intermediate forms in areas of sympatry. Unionids have a distinct form of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) inheritance, termed doubly uniparental inheritance (DUI) where female mtDNA (F-type) is transmitted to all progeny but male mtDNA (M-type) is mostly inherited by the males resulting in mostly homoplasmic females and heteroplasmic males. An individual was identified as hybrid when F-type and M-type mtDNA of the two different species were found in the same individual. Twelve out of 116 sequenced males were identified as hybrids indicating that these species hybridize where their geographic range overlaps in the lower Great Lakes and St. Lawrence basins. Microsatellite analyses further support the occurrence of hybridization but at a larger spatial scale than indicated by the mitochondrial analyses. We also found that strong within-species population genetic structure affects the detection of purebred individuals overestimating the number of hybrids. Given the large geographic scale and proportion of hybrids found in this study, natural hybridization and introgression need to be considered when implementing local biodiversity inventories, identifying waterbodies as source of organisms for relocation and restoration projects and when setting appropriate conservation policies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabel Porto-Hannes
- Graduate Program in Evolution, Ecology and Behavior, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA.
| | | | - David T Zanatta
- Institute for Great Lakes Research, Biology Department, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI, USA
| | - Howard R Lasker
- Graduate Program in Evolution, Ecology and Behavior, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
- Department of Environment and Sustainability, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
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9
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Stewart DT, Stephenson CM, Stanton LM, Chase EE, Robicheau BM, Hoeh WR, Breton S. A proposed method for analyzing molecular signatures to detect hermaphroditism in freshwater mussels: a case study using the eastern floater (Pyganodon cataracta). CAN J ZOOL 2021. [DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2020-0166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Many freshwater mussels (order Unionida) have an unusual system of doubly uniparental inheritance (DUI) of mitochondrial (mt) DNA. In species with DUI, males possess a female-transmitted (F-type) mt genome and a male-transmitted (M-type) mt genome. These genomes contain non-canonical open reading frame (orf) genes, referred to as f-orf and m-orf, present in F and M mt genomes, respectively. These genes have been implicated in sexual development in Unionida. When gonochoric species become hermaphroditic, which has happened several times in Unionida, they lose their M-type mt genome and f-orf genes evolve dramatically. Resulting F-ORF proteins are highly divergent in terms of primary nucleotide sequence, inferred amino acids, and hydrophobic properties; these genes (and proteins) are referred to as hermaphroditic orfs or h-orfs (and H-ORFs). We investigated patterns of hydrophobicity divergence for H-ORF proteins in hermaphrodites versus F-ORF proteins in closely related gonochoric species against cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) divergences. This approach was used to assess whether cryptic hermaphrodites can be detected. Although we did not detect evidence for the recent transition of any populations of eastern floaters (Pyganodon cataracta (Say, 1817)) to hermaphroditism, our analyses demonstrate that molecular signatures in mtDNA can be used to detect hermaphroditism in freshwater mussels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donald T. Stewart
- Department of Biology, Acadia University, Wolfville, NS B4P 2R6, Canada
| | | | | | - Emily E. Chase
- Department of Biology, Acadia University, Wolfville, NS B4P 2R6, Canada
| | | | - W. Randolph Hoeh
- Department of Biological Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242, USA
| | - Sophie Breton
- Département de sciences biologiques, Université de Montréal, QC H2V 0B3, Canada
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10
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Ghiselli F, Iannello M, Piccinini G, Milani L. Bivalve molluscs as model systems for studying mitochondrial biology. Integr Comp Biol 2021; 61:1699-1714. [PMID: 33944910 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icab057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The class Bivalvia is a highly successful and ancient taxon including ∼25,000 living species. During their long evolutionary history bivalves adapted to a wide range of physicochemical conditions, habitats, biological interactions, and feeding habits. Bivalves can have strikingly different size, and despite their apparently simple body plan, they evolved very different shell shapes, and complex anatomic structures. One of the most striking features of this class of animals is their peculiar mitochondrial biology: some bivalves have facultatively anaerobic mitochondria that allow them to survive prolonged periods of anoxia/hypoxia. Moreover, more than 100 species have now been reported showing the only known evolutionarily stable exception to the strictly maternal inheritance of mitochondria in animals, named doubly uniparental inheritance. Mitochondrial activity is fundamental to eukaryotic life, and thanks to their diversity and uncommon features, bivalves represent a great model system to expand our knowledge about mitochondrial biology, so far limited to a few species. We highlight recent works studying mitochondrial biology in bivalves at either genomic or physiological level. A link between these two approaches is still missing, and we believe that an integrated approach and collaborative relationships are the only possible ways to be successful in such endeavour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabrizio Ghiselli
- Department of Biological, Geological, and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, Italy
| | - Mariangela Iannello
- Department of Biological, Geological, and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, Italy
| | - Giovanni Piccinini
- Department of Biological, Geological, and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, Italy
| | - Liliana Milani
- Department of Biological, Geological, and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, Italy
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11
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Ghiselli F, Gomes-Dos-Santos A, Adema CM, Lopes-Lima M, Sharbrough J, Boore JL. Molluscan mitochondrial genomes break the rules. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2021; 376:20200159. [PMID: 33813887 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The first animal mitochondrial genomes to be sequenced were of several vertebrates and model organisms, and the consistency of genomic features found has led to a 'textbook description'. However, a more broad phylogenetic sampling of complete animal mitochondrial genomes has found many cases where these features do not exist, and the phylum Mollusca is especially replete with these exceptions. The characterization of full mollusc mitogenomes required considerable effort involving challenging molecular biology, but has created an enormous catalogue of surprising deviations from that textbook description, including wide variation in size, radical genome rearrangements, gene duplications and losses, the introduction of novel genes, and a complex system of inheritance dubbed 'doubly uniparental inheritance'. Here, we review the extraordinary variation in architecture, molecular functioning and intergenerational transmission of molluscan mitochondrial genomes. Such features represent a great potential for the discovery of biological history, processes and functions that are novel for animal mitochondrial genomes. This provides a model system for studying the evolution and the manifold roles that mitochondria play in organismal physiology, and many ways that the study of mitochondrial genomes are useful for phylogeny and population biology. This article is part of the Theo Murphy meeting issue 'Molluscan genomics: broad insights and future directions for a neglected phylum'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabrizio Ghiselli
- Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, Italy
| | - André Gomes-Dos-Santos
- CIIMAR, Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, and Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, Portugal
| | - Coen M Adema
- Center for Evolutionary and Theoretical Immunology, Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, USA
| | - Manuel Lopes-Lima
- CIBIO/InBIO, Research Center in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, University of Porto, Vairão, Portugal
| | - Joel Sharbrough
- Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, USA
| | - Jeffrey L Boore
- Providence St Joseph Health and the Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle, USA
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12
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Iannello M, Bettinazzi S, Breton S, Ghiselli F, Milani L. A Naturally Heteroplasmic Clam Provides Clues about the Effects of Genetic Bottleneck on Paternal mtDNA. Genome Biol Evol 2021; 13:6130822. [PMID: 33555290 PMCID: PMC7936021 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evab022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is present in multiple copies within an organism. Since these copies are not identical, a single individual carries a heterogeneous population of mtDNAs, a condition known as heteroplasmy. Several factors play a role in the dynamics of the within-organism mtDNA population: among them, genetic bottlenecks, selection, and strictly maternal inheritance are known to shape the levels of heteroplasmy across mtDNAs. In Metazoa, the only evolutionarily stable exception to the strictly maternal inheritance of mitochondria is the doubly uniparental inheritance (DUI), reported in 100+ bivalve species. In DUI species, there are two highly divergent mtDNA lineages, one inherited through oocyte mitochondria (F-type) and the other through sperm mitochondria (M-type). Having both parents contributing to the mtDNA pool of the progeny makes DUI a unique system to study the dynamics of mtDNA populations. Since, in bivalves, the spermatozoon has few mitochondria (4–5), M-type mtDNA faces a tight bottleneck during embryo segregation, one of the narrowest mitochondrial bottlenecks investigated so far. Here, we analyzed the F- and M-type mtDNA variability within individuals of the DUI species Ruditapes philippinarum and investigated for the first time the effects of such a narrow bottleneck affecting mtDNA populations. As a potential consequence of this narrow bottleneck, the M-type mtDNA shows a large variability in different tissues, a condition so pronounced that it leads to genotypes from different tissues of the same individual not to cluster together. We believe that such results may help understanding the effect of low population size on mtDNA bottleneck.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariangela Iannello
- Department of Biological, Geological, and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, Italy
| | - Stefano Bettinazzi
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Sophie Breton
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Fabrizio Ghiselli
- Department of Biological, Geological, and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, Italy
| | - Liliana Milani
- Department of Biological, Geological, and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, Italy
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13
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Soroka M. Doubly uniparental inheritance of mitochondrial DNA in freshwater mussels: History and status of the European species. J ZOOL SYST EVOL RES 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/jzs.12381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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14
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Bettinazzi S, Rodríguez E, Milani L, Blier PU, Breton S. Metabolic remodelling associated with mtDNA: insights into the adaptive value of doubly uniparental inheritance of mitochondria. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 286:20182708. [PMID: 30963924 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.2708] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Mitochondria produce energy through oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS), which depends on the expression of both nuclear and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). In metazoans, a striking exception from strictly maternal inheritance of mitochondria is doubly uniparental inheritance (DUI). This unique system involves the maintenance of two highly divergent mtDNAs (F- and M-type, 8-40% of nucleotide divergence) associated with gametes, and occasionally coexisting in somatic tissues. To address whether metabolic differences underlie this condition, we characterized the OXPHOS activity of oocytes, spermatozoa, and gills of different species through respirometry. DUI species express different gender-linked mitochondrial phenotypes in gametes and partly in somatic tissues. The M-phenotype is specific to sperm and entails (i) low coupled/uncoupled respiration rates, (ii) a limitation by the phosphorylation system, and (iii) a null excess capacity of the final oxidases, supporting a strong control over the upstream complexes. To our knowledge, this is the first example of a phenotype resulting from direct selection on sperm mitochondria. This metabolic remodelling suggests an adaptive value of mtDNA variations and we propose that bearing sex-linked mitochondria could assure the energetic requirements of different gametes, potentially linking male-energetic adaptation, mitotype preservation and inheritance, as well as resistance to both heteroplasmy and ageing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefano Bettinazzi
- 1 Département de Sciences Biologiques, Université de Montréal , Montréal, QC, Canada H2V 2S9
| | - Enrique Rodríguez
- 2 Département de Biologie, Université du Québec , Rimouski, QC, Canada G5L 3A1
| | - Liliana Milani
- 3 Dipartimento di Scienze Biologiche, Geologiche e Ambientali, Università di Bologna , Bologna 40126 , Italia
| | - Pierre U Blier
- 2 Département de Biologie, Université du Québec , Rimouski, QC, Canada G5L 3A1
| | - Sophie Breton
- 1 Département de Sciences Biologiques, Université de Montréal , Montréal, QC, Canada H2V 2S9
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15
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Capt C, Bouvet K, Guerra D, Robicheau BM, Stewart DT, Pante E, Breton S. Unorthodox features in two venerid bivalves with doubly uniparental inheritance of mitochondria. Sci Rep 2020; 10:1087. [PMID: 31974502 PMCID: PMC6978325 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-57975-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2019] [Accepted: 01/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
In animals, strictly maternal inheritance (SMI) of mitochondria is the rule, but one exception (doubly uniparental inheritance or DUI), marked by the transmission of sex-specific mitogenomes, has been reported in bivalves. Associated with DUI is a frequent modification of the mitochondrial cox2 gene, as well as additional sex-specific mitochondrial genes not involved in oxidative phosphorylation. With the exception of freshwater mussels (for 3 families of the order Unionida), these DUI-associated features have only been shown in few species [within Mytilidae (order Mytilida) and Veneridae (order Venerida)] because of the few complete sex-specific mitogenomes published for these orders. Here, we present the complete sex-specific mtDNAs of two recently-discovered DUI species in two families of the order Venerida, Scrobicularia plana (Semelidae) and Limecola balthica (Tellinidae). These species display the largest differences in genome size between sex-specific mitotypes in DUI species (>10 kb), as well as the highest mtDNA divergences (sometimes reaching >50%). An important in-frame insertion (>3.5 kb) in the male cox2 gene is partly responsible for the differences in genome size. The S. plana cox2 gene is the largest reported so far in the Kingdom Animalia. The mitogenomes may be carrying sex-specific genes, indicating that general mitochondrial features are shared among DUI species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte Capt
- Department of Biological Sciences, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada.
| | - Karim Bouvet
- Department of Biological Sciences, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Davide Guerra
- Department of Biological Sciences, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | | | - Donald T Stewart
- Department of Biology, Acadia University, Wolfville, NS, B4P 2R6, Canada
| | - Eric Pante
- Littoral, Environnement et Sociétés (LIENSs), UMR 7266 CNRS-La Rochelle Université, 2 rue Olympe de Gouges, 17000, La Rochelle, France
| | - Sophie Breton
- Department of Biological Sciences, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada.
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16
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Guerra D, Lopes-Lima M, Froufe E, Gan HM, Ondina P, Amaro R, Klunzinger MW, Callil C, Prié V, Bogan AE, Stewart DT, Breton S. Variability of mitochondrial ORFans hints at possible differences in the system of doubly uniparental inheritance of mitochondria among families of freshwater mussels (Bivalvia: Unionida). BMC Evol Biol 2019; 19:229. [PMID: 31856711 PMCID: PMC6923999 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-019-1554-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2019] [Accepted: 12/09/2019] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Supernumerary ORFan genes (i.e., open reading frames without obvious homology to other genes) are present in the mitochondrial genomes of gonochoric freshwater mussels (Bivalvia: Unionida) showing doubly uniparental inheritance (DUI) of mitochondria. DUI is a system in which distinct female-transmitted and male-transmitted mitotypes coexist in a single species. In families Unionidae and Margaritiferidae, the transition from dioecy to hermaphroditism and the loss of DUI appear to be linked, and this event seems to affect the integrity of the ORFan genes. These observations led to the hypothesis that the ORFans have a role in DUI and/or sex determination. Complete mitochondrial genome sequences are however scarce for most families of freshwater mussels, therefore hindering a clear localization of DUI in the various lineages and a comprehensive understanding of the influence of the ORFans on DUI and sexual systems. Therefore, we sequenced and characterized eleven new mitogenomes from poorly sampled freshwater mussel families to gather information on the evolution and variability of the ORFan genes and their protein products. RESULTS We obtained ten complete plus one almost complete mitogenome sequence from ten representative species (gonochoric and hermaphroditic) of families Margaritiferidae, Hyriidae, Mulleriidae, and Iridinidae. ORFan genes are present only in DUI species from Margaritiferidae and Hyriidae, while non-DUI species from Hyriidae, Iridinidae, and Mulleriidae lack them completely, independently of their sexual system. Comparisons among the proteins translated from the newly characterized ORFans and already known ones provide evidence of conserved structures, as well as family-specific features. CONCLUSIONS The ORFan proteins show a comparable organization of secondary structures among different families of freshwater mussels, which supports a conserved physiological role, but also have distinctive family-specific features. Given this latter observation and the fact that the ORFans can be either highly mutated or completely absent in species that secondarily lost DUI depending on their respective family, we hypothesize that some aspects of the connection among ORFans, sexual systems, and DUI may differ in the various lineages of unionids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Davide Guerra
- Département de Sciences Biologiques, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC Canada
| | - Manuel Lopes-Lima
- CIBIO/InBIO - Research Center in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, University of Porto, Campus Agrário de Vairão, Vairão, Portugal
- CIIMAR - Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto, Matosinhos, Portugal
| | - Elsa Froufe
- CIIMAR - Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto, Matosinhos, Portugal
| | - Han Ming Gan
- Deakin Genomics Centre, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria Australia
| | - Paz Ondina
- Departamento de Zooloxía, Xenética e Antropoloxía Física, Facultade de Veterinaria, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Campus de Lugo, Lugo, Spain
| | - Rafaela Amaro
- Departamento de Zooloxía, Xenética e Antropoloxía Física, Facultade de Veterinaria, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Campus de Lugo, Lugo, Spain
| | - Michael W. Klunzinger
- BWG Environmental, Brisbane, QLD Australia
- Mollusca, Department of Aquatic Zoology, Western Australian Museum, Welshpool, WA Australia
- School of Veterinary and Biological Sciences, Murdoch University, Perth, WA Australia
| | - Claudia Callil
- ECOBiv - Ecology and Conservation of Bivalves Research Group, Department of Biology and Zoology, Federal University of Mato Grosso, Cuiabá, MT Brazil
| | - Vincent Prié
- Institut Systématique Evolution Biodiversité ISYEB - Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, Université des Antilles, Paris, France
| | | | | | - Sophie Breton
- Département de Sciences Biologiques, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC Canada
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17
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Capt C, Renaut S, Stewart DT, Johnson NA, Breton S. Putative Mitochondrial Sex Determination in the Bivalvia: Insights From a Hybrid Transcriptome Assembly in Freshwater Mussels. Front Genet 2019; 10:840. [PMID: 31572447 PMCID: PMC6754070 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2019.00840] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2019] [Accepted: 08/13/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Bivalves exhibit an astonishing diversity of sexual systems, with genetic and environmental determinants of sex, and possibly the only example of mitochondrial genes influencing sex determination pathways in animals. In contrast to all other animal species in which strict maternal inheritance (SMI) of mitochondria is the rule, bivalves possess a system known as doubly uniparental inheritance (DUI) of mitochondria in which maternal and paternal mitochondria (and their corresponding female-transmitted or F mtDNA and male-transmitted or M mtDNA genomes) are transmitted within a species. Species with DUI also possess sex-associated mtDNA-encoded proteins (in addition to the typical set of 13), which have been hypothesized to play a role in sex determination. In this study, we analyzed the sex-biased transcriptome in gonads of two closely-related freshwater mussel species with different reproductive and mitochondrial transmission modes: the gonochoric, DUI species, Utterbackia peninsularis, and the hermaphroditic, SMI species, Utterbackia imbecillis. Through comparative analysis with other DUI and non-DUI bivalve transcriptomes already available, we identify common male and female-specific genes, as well as SMI and DUI-related genes, that are probably involved in sex determination and mitochondrial inheritance in this animal group. Our results contribute to the understanding of what could be the first animal sex determination system involving the mitochondrial genome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte Capt
- Department of Biological Sciences, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Sébastien Renaut
- Department of Biological Sciences, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada.,Centre de la Science de la Biodiversité du Québec, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | | | - Nathan A Johnson
- Wetland and Aquatic Research Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Sophie Breton
- Department of Biological Sciences, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
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