scholarly journals Convergent evolution in Arabidopsis halleri and Arabidopsis arenosa on calamine metalliferous soils

2019 ◽  
Vol 374 (1777) ◽  
pp. 20180243 ◽  
Author(s):  
Veronica Preite ◽  
Christian Sailer ◽  
Lara Syllwasschy ◽  
Sian Bray ◽  
Hassan Ahmadi ◽  
...  

It is a plausible hypothesis that parallel adaptation events to the same environmental challenge should result in genetic changes of similar or identical effects, depending on the underlying fitness landscapes. However, systematic testing of this is scarce. Here we examine this hypothesis in two closely related plant species, Arabidopsis halleri and Arabidopsis arenosa , which co-occur at two calamine metalliferous (M) sites harbouring toxic levels of the heavy metals zinc and cadmium. We conduct individual genome resequencing alongside soil elemental analysis for 64 plants from eight populations on M and non-metalliferous (NM) soils, and identify genomic footprints of selection and local adaptation. Selective sweep and environmental association analyses indicate a modest degree of gene as well as functional network convergence, whereby the proximal molecular factors mediating this convergence mostly differ between site pairs and species. Notably, we observe repeated selection on identical single nucleotide polymorphisms in several A. halleri genes at two independently colonized M sites. Our data suggest that species-specific metal handling and other biological features could explain a low degree of convergence between species. The parallel establishment of plant populations on calamine M soils involves convergent evolution, which will probably be more pervasive across sites purposely chosen for maximal similarity in soil composition. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Convergent evolution in the genomics era: new insights and directions’.

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Veronica Preite ◽  
Christian Sailer ◽  
Lara Syllwasschy ◽  
Sian Bray ◽  
Ute Krämer ◽  
...  

AbstractIt is a plausible hypothesis that parallel adaptation events to the same environmental challenge should result in genetic changes of similar or identical effects, depending on the underlying fitness landscapes. However, systematic testing of this is scarce. Here we examine this hypothesis in two closely related plant species, Arabidopsis halleri and Arabidopsis arenosa, which co-occur at two calamine metalliferous sites harbouring toxic levels of the heavy metals zinc and cadmium. We conduct individual genome resequencing alongside soil elemental analysis for 64 plants from 8 populations on metalliferous and non-metalliferous soils, and identify genomic footprints of selection and local adaptation. Selective sweep and environmental association analyses indicate a modest degree of gene as well as functional network convergence, whereby the proximal molecular factors mediating this convergence mostly differ between site pairs and species. Notably, we observe repeated selection on identical SNPs in several A. halleri genes at two independently colonized metalliferous sites. Our data suggest that species-specific metal handling and other biological features could explain a low degree of convergence between species. The parallel establishment of plant populations on calamine metalliferous soils involves convergent evolution, which will likely be more pervasive across sites purposely chosen for maximal similarity in soil composition.


Genes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 686
Author(s):  
Alireza Nazarian ◽  
Alexander M. Kulminski

Almost all complex disorders have manifested epidemiological and clinical sex disparities which might partially arise from sex-specific genetic mechanisms. Addressing such differences can be important from a precision medicine perspective which aims to make medical interventions more personalized and effective. We investigated sex-specific genetic associations with colorectal (CRCa) and lung (LCa) cancers using genome-wide single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) data from three independent datasets. The genome-wide association analyses revealed that 33 SNPs were associated with CRCa/LCa at P < 5.0 × 10−6 neither males or females. Of these, 26 SNPs had sex-specific effects as their effect sizes were statistically different between the two sexes at a Bonferroni-adjusted significance level of 0.0015. None had proxy SNPs within their ±1 Mb regions and the closest genes to 32 SNPs were not previously associated with the corresponding cancers. The pathway enrichment analyses demonstrated the associations of 35 pathways with CRCa or LCa which were mostly implicated in immune system responses, cell cycle, and chromosome stability. The significant pathways were mostly enriched in either males or females. Our findings provided novel insights into the potential sex-specific genetic heterogeneity of CRCa and LCa at SNP and pathway levels.


Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 571
Author(s):  
Fengyan Wang ◽  
Mingxing Chu ◽  
Linxiang Pan ◽  
Xiangyu Wang ◽  
Xiaoyun He ◽  
...  

Litter size is one of the most important economic traits in sheep. GDF9 and BMPR1B are major genes affecting the litter size of sheep. In this study, the whole coding region of GDF9 was sequenced and all the SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) were determined in Luzhong mutton ewes. The FecB mutation was genotyped using the Sequenom MassARRAY®SNP assay technology. Then, the association analyses between polymorphic loci of GDF9 gene, FecB, and litter size were performed using a general linear model procedure. The results showed that eight SNPs were detected in GDF9 of Luzhong mutton sheep, including one novel mutation (g.41769606 T > G). The g.41768501A > G, g.41768485 G > A in GDF9 and FecB were significantly associated with litter size in Luzhong mutton ewes. The g.41768485 G > A is a missense mutation in the mature GDF9 protein region and is predicted to affect the tertiary structure of the protein. The results preliminarily demonstrated that GDF9 was a major gene affecting the fecundity of Luzhong mutton sheep and the two loci g.41768501A > G and g.41768485 G > A may be potential genetic markers for improving litter size.


2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xuan Cai ◽  
Jun Dong ◽  
Teng Lu ◽  
Liqiang Zhi ◽  
Xijing He

Abstract Background Osteoporosis (OP) is a complex bone metabolism disorder characterized by the loss of bone minerals and an increased risk of bone fracture. A recent study reported the relationship of the macrophage erythroblast attacher gene (MAEA) with low bone mineral density in postmenopausal Japanese women. Our study aimed to investigate the association of MAEA with postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMOP) in Han Chinese individuals. Methods A total of 968 unrelated postmenopausal Chinese women comprising 484 patients with PMOP and 484 controls were recruited. Four tag single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that covered the gene region of MAEA were chosen for genotyping. Single SNP and haplotypic association analyses were performed, and analysis of variance was conducted to test the correlation between blood MAEA protein level and genotypes of associated SNPs. Results SNP rs6815464 was significantly associated with the risk of PMOP. The C allele of rs6815464 was strongly correlated with the decreased risk of PMOP in our study subjects (OR[95% CI]=0.75[0.63-0.89], P=0.0015). Significant differences in MAEA protein blood levels among genotypes of SNP rs6815464 were identified in both the PMOP (F=6.82, P=0.0012) and control groups (F=11.5, P=0.00001). The C allele was positively associated with decreased MAEA protein levels in blood. Conclusion This case-control study on Chinese postmenopausal women suggested an association between SNP rs6815464 of MAEA and PMOP. Further analyses showed that genotypes of SNP rs6815464 were also associated with the blood level of MAEA protein.


2019 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
pp. 117693431988994
Author(s):  
Shulin Zhang ◽  
Yaling Cai ◽  
Jinggong Guo ◽  
Kun Li ◽  
Renhai Peng ◽  
...  

Determining the genetic rearrangement and domestication footprints in Gossypium hirsutum cultivars and primitive race genotypes are essential for effective gene conservation efforts and the development of advanced breeding molecular markers for marker-assisted breeding. In this study, 94 accessions representing the 7 primitive races of G hirsutum, along with 9 G hirsutum and 12 Gossypium barbadense cultivated accessions were evaluated. The genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) approach was employed and 146 558 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) were generated. Distinct SNP signatures were identified through the combination of selection scans and association analyses. Phylogenetic analyses were also conducted, and we concluded that the Latifolium, Richmondi, and Marie-Galante race accessions were more genetically related to the G hirsutum cultivars and tend to cluster together. Fifty-four outlier SNP loci were identified by selection-scan analysis, and 3 SNPs were located in genes related to the processes of plant responding to stress conditions and confirmed through further genome-wide signals of marker-phenotype association analysis, which indicate a clear selection signature for such trait. These results identified useful candidate gene locus for cotton breeding programs.


Cephalalgia ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 36 (11) ◽  
pp. 1028-1037 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jong-Ling Fuh ◽  
Ming-Yi Chung ◽  
Shu-Chih Yao ◽  
Ping-Kun Chen ◽  
Yi-Chu Liao ◽  
...  

Objective Several genetic variants have been found to increase the risk of restless legs syndrome (RLS). The aim of the present study was to determine if these genetic variants were also associated with the comorbidity of RLS and migraine in patients. Methods Thirteen single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at six RLS risk loci ( MEIS1, BTBD9, MAP2K5, PTPRD, TOX3, and an intergenic region on chromosome 2p14) were genotyped in 211 migraine patients with RLS and 781 migraine patients without RLS. Association analyses were performed for the overall cohort, as well as for the subgroups of patients who experienced migraines with and without aura and episodic migraines (EMs) vs. chronic migraines (CMs). In order to verify which genetic markers were potentially related to the incidence of RLS in migraine patients, multivariate regression analyses were also performed. Results Among the six tested loci, only MEIS1 was significantly associated with RLS. The most significant SNP of MEIS1, rs2300478, increased the risk of RLS by 1.42-fold in the overall cohort ( p = 0.0047). In the subgroup analyses, MEIS1 augmented the risk of RLS only in the patients who experienced EMs (odds ratio (OR) = 1.99, p = 0.0004) and not those experiencing CMs. Multivariate regression analyses further showed that rs2300478 in MEIS1 (OR = 1.39, p = 0.018), a CM diagnosis (OR = 1.52, p = 0.022), and depression (OR = 1.86, p = 0.005) were independent predictors of RLS in migraine. Conclusions MEIS1 variants were associated with an increased risk of RLS in migraine patients. It is possible that an imbalance in iron homeostasis and the dopaminergic system may represent a link between RLS incidence and migraines.


Cephalalgia ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 36 (7) ◽  
pp. 624-639 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Francke Christensen ◽  
Ann-Louise Esserlind ◽  
Thomas Werge ◽  
Hreinn Stefánsson ◽  
Kári Stefánsson ◽  
...  

Objective Specific acute treatments of migraine are 5HT1B/D receptor agonists; triptans and ergotamine, but only two-thirds of patients respond well without side effects. No migraine-prophylactic drugs are specific to migraine. Prophylactic drugs are selected by time-consuming “trial and error.” Personalized treatment is therefore much needed. The objective of this study was to test the effect of 12 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) significantly associated with migraine on migraine drug responses. Methods Semi-structured migraine interviews including questions on drug responses, blood samples and genotyping were performed on 1806 unrelated migraine cases recruited from the Danish Headache Center. Association analyses were carried out using logistic regression, assuming an additive model for the genetic effect. The effect on drug responses was tested for a combined genetic score and for each of the 12 SNPs. Significant findings were subsequently tested in an independent replication sample of 392 unrelated Danish migraine cases. Results A single risk variant, rs2651899 in PRDM16, was significantly associated with efficacy of triptans with an odds ratio (OR) of treatment success of 1.3, and a higher combined genetic score was significantly associated with efficacy of triptans with an OR of success of up to 2.6. A number of SNPs showed nominal preferential association with the efficacy of triptans and others with prophylactic drugs. Analyses of triptans and ergotamine complemented each other and gave a stronger signal when analyzed together. The associations between response to triptans and genetic load and rs2651899 were partially confirmed in the independent sample. Conclusion We show for the first time an association between genetic constitution and migraine drug response. This is a first step toward future individualized medicine.


2019 ◽  
Vol 62 (1) ◽  
pp. 125-133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mengli Zhao ◽  
Huitong Zhou ◽  
Jon G. H. Hickford ◽  
Hua Gong ◽  
Jiqing Wang ◽  
...  

Abstract. Keratin-associated proteins (KAPs) are a structural component of cashmere fibre, and variation in some KAP genes (KRTAPs) has been associated with a number of caprine fibre traits. In this study, we report the identification of KRTAP15-1 in goats. Sequence variation in the gene was detected using the polymerase chain reaction single-strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) technique in 250 Longdong goats, and six variants (named A to F) containing eight single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified. Five of the SNPs were non-synonymous and would lead to putative amino acid changes. Reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis revealed that KRTAP15-1 was expressed in secondary hair follicles but not in heart tissue, liver tissue, lung tissue, kidney tissue or the longissimus dorsi muscle. Despite being rich in cysteine, the caprine KAP15-1 protein possesses a high content of serine and moderate content of glycine and phenylalanine. Association analyses revealed that KRTAP15-1 variant A was associated with decreased mean fibre diameter (MFD), and this effect appeared to be dominant; while variant C was found to be associated with increased MFD, the effect being recessive. The findings suggest that caprine KRTAP15-1 is highly polymorphic and that variation in this gene affects cashmere MFD.


Author(s):  
Gary C. Longo ◽  
John Harms ◽  
John R. Hyde ◽  
Matthew T. Craig ◽  
Ana Ramón-Laca ◽  
...  

AbstractThe vermilion rockfish complex, which consists of the cryptic sister species vermilion and sunset rockfish, is one of the most valuable recreational fisheries on the U.S. West Coast. These species are currently managed as a single complex, and because of uncertainty surrounding the relative contribution of each species within existing data sources, the stock status of each species is not fully known. A reliable and cost-effective method is needed to disentangle these species that will allow for the development of abundance indices, life history profiles, and catch histories that may potentially support species-specific stock assessments. Using restriction-site associated DNA sequence (RADseq) markers we generated 10,003 polymorphic loci to characterize the vermilion rockfish complex. PCA and Bayesian clustering approaches based on these loci clearly distinguished between sunset and vermilion rockfishes and identified hybrid individuals. These loci included 203 highly differentiated (FST ≥ 0.99) single nucleotide polymorphisms, which we consider candidates in the planned development of a diagnostic assay capable of distinguishing between these cryptic species. In addition to clearly delineating to species, subsets of the interspecific markers allowed for insight into intraspecific differentiation in both species. Population genetic analyses for sunset rockfish identified two weakly divergent genetic groups with similar levels of genetic diversity. Vermilion rockfish, however, were characterized by three distinct genetic groups with much stronger signals of differentiation and significantly different genetic diversities. Collectively, these data will contribute to well-informed, species-specific management strategies to protect this valuable species complex.


Stroke ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 47 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ludmila Pawlikowska ◽  
Jeffrey Nelson ◽  
Diana E Guo ◽  
Charles E McCulloch ◽  
Michael T Lawton ◽  
...  

Introduction: Brain arteriovenous malformations (AVM) are an important cause of intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) in young adults. Most are sporadic, but also occur in inherited diseases such as hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT). ICH presentation of brain AVM in both sporadic and HHT cases is a marker of high ICH risk. In order to investigate whether the same genetic modifiers influence sporadic and HHT brain AVM, we evaluated candidate genetic polymorphisms reported as associated with sporadic brain AVM, with ICH presentation or ICH during clinical course, in HHT patients. Methods: We genotyped 8 polymorphisms ( APOE E2/3/4 [rs7412, rs429358], ANGPTL rs116724, EPHB4 rs314308, IL6 -174G>C [rs1800795], IL1B -31T>C [rs1143627], ITGB8 rs10486391, TNF -238G>A[rs361525]) in 753 Caucasian HHT patients enrolled by the Brian Vascular Malformation Consortium (BVMC). Genotypes were collapsed into risk allele carriers vs. other for analysis, as published for sporadic AVM. APOE E2/3/4 haplotypes were assigned based on genotypes of the 2 APOE polymorphisms. Association of genotype with phenotype was evaluated by multivariable logistic regression adjusted for age, gender and accounting for family clustering. We used a nominal significance threshold of p=0.05, requiring the same direction of effect as in sporadic brain AVM (odds ratio for risk genotype [OR]>1). Results: Among 753 HHT patients, 155 (21%) had brain AVM, of whom 26 (17%) presented with ICH. Two additional brain AVM patients had ICH during follow-up. None of the 7 variants (6 single nucleotide polymorphisms and APOE haplotype) were significantly associated with brain AVM (OR=0.6-1.3), with ICH presentation of brain AVM (OR=0.4-1.9), or with any brain AVM ICH in HHT patients (OR=0.5-2.1). Conclusions: Common genetic variants previously reported to be associated with sporadic brain AVM were not associated with brain AVM nor with ICH in the BVMC HHT cohort, suggesting different genetic modifiers may influence sporadic and HHT brain AVM. However, the number of ICH cases in the cohort is small, so the confidence intervals are wide and we cannot rule out clinically important associations. The BVMC is enrolling additional HHT patients to expand the cohort and increase power for association analyses.


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