scholarly journals Evolution of the insect PPK gene family

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jose Manuel Latorre-Estivalis ◽  
Francisca Cunha Almeida ◽  
Gina Pontes ◽  
Hernán Dopazo ◽  
Romina Barrozo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Phylogenetic Analysis ◽  
Gene Family ◽  
Transmembrane Domain ◽  
Purifying Selection ◽  
Calmodulin Binding ◽  
Pediculus Humanus ◽  
Relevant Role ◽  
Specific Expansion ◽  
High Gene ◽  
Sensory Responses

ABSTRACTInsect Pickpocket (PPK) receptors mediate the detection of stimuli of diverse sensory modalities, therefore having a relevant role for environmental sounding. Notwithstanding their relevance, studies on their evolution are scarce. We have analyzed the genomes of 26 species belonging to 8 insect orders (Blattodea, Orthoptera, Hemiptera, Phthiraptera, Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, and Diptera) to identify their PPK repertoires and study the evolution of this gene family. PPKs were detected in all genomes analyzed, with a total of 578 genes identified that distributed in 7 subfamilies. Our phylogenetic analysis allowed clarifying that the ppk17 gene appears to be the most divergent family member, composing a new group designed as subfamily VII. According to our analysis, PPKs evolved under a birth-and-death model that generated lineage-specific expansions usually located in clusters and the effect of strong purifying selection was seen for several orthogroups. Subfamily V was the largest one, presenting half of all PPKs studied, including a mosquito-specific expansion that can be considered a new target for pest control. Consistently with their sensory role, PPKs present a high gene turnover that generated considerable variation in the size of insect repertoires: Musca domestica (59), Blattella germanica (41), Culex quinquefasciatus (48), and Aedes albopictus (51) presented the largest PPK repertoires, while Pediculus humanus (only ppk17), bees and ants (6-9) had the smallest ones. The expansions identified in M. domestica and Bl. germanica also show promise as specific targets for controlling these nuisance insects. Our phylogenetic analysis revealed a subset of prevalent PPKs across insect genomes, suggesting a very conserved function that resembles the case of antennal ionotropic receptors. Finally, we identified new highly conserved residues in the second transmembrane domain that may be key for receptor function. Besides, more than a hundred PPK sequences presented calmodulin binding motifs, suggesting that at least some members of this family may amplify sensory responses as previously proposed for D. melanogaster ppk25. Overall, our study is a first attempt to characterize the evolutionary history of this family of sensory receptors, revealing relevant unknown features and clade-specific expansions.

scholarly journals Cricket genomes: the genomes of future food

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guillem Ylla ◽  
Taro Nakamura ◽  
Takehiko Itoh ◽  
Rei Kajitani ◽  
Atsushi Toyoda ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Family ◽  
Courtship Behavior ◽  
Purifying Selection ◽  
Field Cricket ◽  
Laboratory Research ◽  
Human Consumption ◽  
Class V ◽  
Relevant Role ◽  
Element Activity ◽  
Multiple Health

AbstractCrickets are currently in focus as a possible source of animal protein for human consumption as an alternative to protein from vertebrate livestock. This practice could ease some of the challenges both of a worldwide growing population and of environmental issues. The two-spotted Mediterranean field cricket Gryllus bimaculatus has traditionally been consumed by humans in different parts of the world. Not only is this considered generally safe for human consumption, several studies also suggest that introducing crickets into one’s diet may confer multiple health benefits. Moreover, G. bimaculatus has been widely used as a laboratory research model for decades in multiple scientific fields including evolution, developmental biology, neurobiology, and regeneration. Here we report the sequencing, assembly and annotation of the G. bimaculatus genome, and the annotation of the genome of the Hawaiian cricket Laupala kohalensis. The comparison of these two cricket genomes with those of 14 additional insects supports the hypothesis that a relatively small ancestral insect genome expanded to large sizes in many hemimetabolous lineages due to transposable element activity. Based on the ratio of observed versus expected CpG sites (CpGo/e), we find higher conservation and stronger purifying selection of typically methylated genes than of non-methylated genes. Finally, our gene family expansion analysis reveals an expansion of the pickpocket class V gene family in the lineage leading to crickets, which we speculate might play a relevant role in cricket courtship behavior, including their characteristic chirping.

scholarly journals Genome-Wide Analysis of the R2R3-MYB Gene Family in Fragaria × ananassa and Its Function Identification During Anthocyanins Biosynthesis in Pink-Flowered Strawberry

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiaxin Liu ◽  
Jian Wang ◽  
Mingqian Wang ◽  
Jun Zhao ◽  
Yang Zheng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Phylogenetic Analysis ◽  
Gene Family ◽  
Developmental Stages ◽  
Anthocyanin Biosynthesis ◽  
Functional Divergence ◽  
Purifying Selection ◽  
Leaf Petiole ◽  
Genome Wide Analysis ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
R2r3 Myb

The strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa) is an economically important fruit throughout the world. The large R2R3-MYB gene family participates in a variety of plant functions, including anthocyanin biosynthesis. The present study is the first genome-wide analysis of the MYB gene family in the octoploid strawberry and describes the identification and characterization of the family members using the recently sequenced F. × ananassa genome. Specifically, we aimed to identify the key MYBs involved in petal coloration in the pink-flowered strawberry, which increases its ornamental value. A comprehensive, genome-wide analysis of F. × ananassa R2R3-FaMYBs was performed, investigating gene structures, phylogenic relationships, promoter regions, chromosomal locations, and collinearity. A total of 393 R2R3-FaMYB genes were identified in the F. × ananassa genome and divided into 36 subgroups based on phylogenetic analysis. Most genes with similar functions in the same subgroup exhibited similar exon-intron structures and motif compositions. These R2R3-FaMYBs were unevenly distributed over 28 chromosomes. The expansion of the R2R3-FaMYB gene family in the F. × ananassa genome was found to be caused mainly by segmental duplication. The Ka/Ks analysis indicated that duplicated R2R3-FaMYBs mostly experienced purifying selection and showed limited functional divergence after the duplication events. To elucidate which R2R3-FaMYB genes were associated with anthocyanin biosynthesis in the petals of the pink-flowered strawberry, we compared transcriptional changes in different flower developmental stages using RNA-seq. There were 131 differentially expressed R2R3-FaMYB genes identified in the petals, of which three genes, FaMYB28, FaMYB54, and FaMYB576, appeared likely, based on the phylogenetic analysis, to regulate anthocyanin biosynthesis. The qRT-PCR showed that these three genes were more highly expressed in petals than in other tissues (fruit, leaf, petiole and stolon) and their expressions were higher in red compared to pink and white petals. These results facilitate the clarification on the roles of the R2R3-FaMYB genes in petal coloration in the pink-flowered strawberry. This work provides useful information for further functional analysis on the R2R3-FaMYB gene family in F. × ananassa.

scholarly journals Molecular Phylogenetic Analysis of the AIG Family in Vertebrates

Genes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 1190
Author(s):  
Yuqi Huang ◽  
Minghao Sun ◽  
Lenan Zhuang ◽  
Jin He
Keyword(s):  
Phylogenetic Analysis ◽  
Gene Family ◽  
Functional Characterization ◽  
Vertebrate Evolution ◽  
Molecular Phylogenetic Analysis ◽  
Whole Genome Duplications ◽  
Genome Duplications ◽  
Molecular Phylogenetic ◽  
Duplication Events ◽  
Inducible Genes

Androgen-inducible genes (AIGs), which can be regulated by androgen level, constitute a group of genes characterized by the presence of the AIG/FAR-17a domain in its protein sequence. Previous studies on AIGs demonstrated that one member of the gene family, AIG1, is involved in many biological processes in cancer cell lines and that ADTRP is associated with cardiovascular diseases. It has been shown that the numbers of AIG paralogs in humans, mice, and zebrafish are 2, 2, and 3, respectively, indicating possible gene duplication events during vertebrate evolution. Therefore, classifying subgroups of AIGs and identifying the homologs of each AIG member are important to characterize this novel gene family further. In this study, vertebrate AIGs were phylogenetically grouped into three major clades, ADTRP, AIG1, and AIG-L, with AIG-L also evident in an outgroup consisting of invertebrsate species. In this case, AIG-L, as the ancestral AIG, gave rise to ADTRP and AIG1 after two rounds of whole-genome duplications during vertebrate evolution. Then, the AIG family, which was exposed to purifying forces during evolution, lost or gained some of its members in some species. For example, in eutherians, Neognathae, and Percomorphaceae, AIG-L was lost; in contrast, Salmonidae and Cyprinidae acquired additional AIG copies. In conclusion, this study provides a comprehensive molecular phylogenetic analysis of vertebrate AIGs, which can be employed for future functional characterization of AIGs.

scholarly journals Genome-Wide Analysis of Terpene Synthase Gene Family in Mentha longifolia and Catalytic Activity Analysis of a Single Terpene Synthase

Genes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 518
Author(s):  
Zequn Chen ◽  
Xiwu Qi ◽  
Xu Yu ◽  
Ying Zheng ◽  
Zhiqi Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Catalytic Activity ◽  
Essential Oils ◽  
Gene Family ◽  
Genome Sequence ◽  
Sequence Assembly ◽  
Terpene Synthase ◽  
Genome Sequence Assembly ◽  
Mentha Longifolia ◽  
Specific Expansion ◽  
Species Specific

Terpenoids are a wide variety of natural products and terpene synthase (TPS) plays a key role in the biosynthesis of terpenoids. Mentha plants are rich in essential oils, whose main components are terpenoids, and their biosynthetic pathways have been basically elucidated. However, there is a lack of systematic identification and study of TPS in Mentha plants. In this work, we genome-widely identified and analyzed the TPS gene family in Mentha longifolia, a model plant for functional genomic research in the genus Mentha. A total of 63 TPS genes were identified in the M. longifolia genome sequence assembly, which could be divided into six subfamilies. The TPS-b subfamily had the largest number of genes, which might be related to the abundant monoterpenoids in Mentha plants. The TPS-e subfamily had 18 members and showed a significant species-specific expansion compared with other sequenced Lamiaceae plant species. The 63 TPS genes could be mapped to nine scaffolds of the M. longifolia genome sequence assembly and the distribution of these genes is uneven. Tandem duplicates and fragment duplicates contributed greatly to the increase in the number of TPS genes in M. longifolia. The conserved motifs (RR(X)8W, NSE/DTE, RXR, and DDXXD) were analyzed in M. longifolia TPSs, and significant differentiation was found between different subfamilies. Adaptive evolution analysis showed that M. longifolia TPSs were subjected to purifying selection after the species-specific expansion, and some amino acid residues under positive selection were identified. Furthermore, we also cloned and analyzed the catalytic activity of a single terpene synthase, MlongTPS29, which belongs to the TPS-b subfamily. MlongTPS29 could encode a limonene synthase and catalyze the biosynthesis of limonene, an important precursor of essential oils from the genus Mentha. This study provides useful information for the biosynthesis of terpenoids in the genus Mentha.

scholarly journals The evolution of the metazoan Toll receptor family and its expression during protostome development

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Orús-Alcalde ◽  
Tsai-Ming Lu ◽  
Andreas Hejnol
Keyword(s):  
Phylogenetic Analysis ◽  
Transmembrane Domain ◽  
Leucine Rich Repeat ◽  
Animal Development ◽  
Phylogenetic Studies ◽  
Repeat Domain ◽  
Toll Receptor ◽  
P Type

Abstract Background: Toll-like receptors (TLRs) play a crucial role in immunity and development. They contain leucine-rich repeat domains, one transmembrane domain, and one Toll/IL-1 receptor domain. TLRs have been classified into V-type/scc and P-type/mcc TLRs, based on differences in the leucine-rich repeat domain region. Although TLRs are widespread in animals, detailed phylogenetic studies of this gene family are lacking. Here we aim to uncover TLR evolution by conducting a survey and a phylogenetic analysis in species across Bilateria. To discriminate between their role in development and immunity we furthermore analyzed stage-specific transcriptomes of the ecdysozoans Priapulus caudatus and Hypsibius exemplaris, and the spiralians Crassostrea gigas and Terebratalia transversa.Results: We detected a low number of TLRs in ecdysozoan species, and multiple independent radiations within the Spiralia. V-type/scc and P-type/mcc type-receptors are present in cnidarians, protostomes and deuterostomes, and therefore they emerged early in TLR evolution, followed by a loss in xenacoelomorphs. Our phylogenetic analysis shows that TLRs cluster into three major clades: clade α is present in cnidarians, ecdysozoans, and spiralians; clade β in deuterostomes, ecdysozoans, and spiralians; and clade γ is only found in spiralians. Our stage-specific transcriptome and in situ hybridization analyses show that TLRs are expressed during development in all species analyzed, which indicates a broad role of TLRs during animal development.Conclusions: Our findings suggest that the bilaterian TLRs likely emerged by duplication from a single TLR encoding gene (proto-TLR) present in the last common cnidarian-bilaterian ancestor. This proto-TLR gene duplicated before the split of protostomes and deuterostomes; a second duplication occurred in the lineage to the Trochozoa. While all three clades further radiated in several spiralian lineages, specific TLRs clades have been presumably lost in others. Furthermore, the expression of the majority of these genes during protostome ontogeny suggests their involvement in immunity and development.

scholarly journals Genome-Wide Identification and Characterization of the RCI2 Gene Family in Allotetraploid Brassica napus Compared with Its Diploid Progenitors

2022 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 614
Author(s):  
Weiqi Sun ◽  
Mengdi Li ◽  
Jianbo Wang
Keyword(s):  
Brassica Napus ◽  
Gene Family ◽  
Gene Structure ◽  
Stress Responses ◽  
Stress Protein ◽  
Purifying Selection ◽  
Cis Acting ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
Duplication Events

Brassica napus and its diploid progenitors (B. rapa and B. oleracea) are suitable for studying the problems associated with polyploidization. As an important anti-stress protein, RCI2 proteins widely exist in various tissues of plants, and are crucial to plant growth, development, and stress response. In this study, the RCI2 gene family was comprehensively identified and analyzed, and 9, 9, and 24 RCI2 genes were identified in B. rapa, B. oleracea, and B. napus, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis showed that all of the identified RCI2 genes were divided into two groups, and further divided into three subgroups. Ka/Ks analysis showed that most of the identified RCI2 genes underwent a purifying selection after the duplication events. Moreover, gene structure analysis showed that the structure of RCI2 genes is largely conserved during polyploidization. The promoters of the RCI2 genes in B. napus contained more cis-acting elements, which were mainly involved in plant development and growth, plant hormone response, and stress responses. Thus, B. napus might have potential advantages in some biological aspects. In addition, the changes of RCI2 genes during polyploidization were also discussed from the aspects of gene number, gene structure, gene relative location, and gene expression, which can provide reference for future polyploidization analysis.

scholarly journals The BAHD Gene Family in Cacao (Theobroma cacao, Malvaceae): Genome-Wide Identification and Expression Analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdullah ◽  
Sahar Faraji ◽  
Parviz Heidari ◽  
Péter Poczai
Keyword(s):  
Gene Family ◽  
Theobroma Cacao ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Divergence Time ◽  
Purifying Selection ◽  
Plant Metabolites ◽  
Corchorus Capsularis ◽  
Cell Stability ◽  
Duplication Events ◽  
And Function

The benzyl alcohol O-acetyl transferase, anthocyanin O-hydroxycinnamoyl transferase, N-hydroxycinnamoyl anthranilate benzoyl transferase, and deacetylvindoline 4-O-acetyltransferase (BAHD) enzymes play a critical role in regulating plant metabolites and affecting cell stability. In the present study, members of the BAHD gene family were recognized in the genome of Theobroma cacao and characterized using various bioinformatics tools. We found 27 non-redundant putative tcBAHD genes in cacao for the first time. Our findings indicate that tcBAHD genes are diverse based on sequence structure, physiochemical properties, and function. When analyzed with BAHDs of Gossypium raimondii and Corchorus capsularis clustered into four main groups. According to phylogenetic analysis, BAHD genes probably evolved drastically after their divergence. The divergence time of duplication events with purifying selection pressure was predicted to range from 1.82 to 15.50 MYA. Pocket analysis revealed that serine amino acid is more common in the binding site than other residuals, reflecting its key role in regulating the activity of tcBAHDs. Furthermore, cis-acting elements related to the responsiveness of stress and hormone, particularly ABA and MeJA, were frequently observed in the promoter region of tcBAHD genes. RNA-seq analysis further illustrated that tcBAHD13 and tcBAHD26 are involved in response to Phytophthora megakarya fungi. In conclusion, it is likely that evolutionary processes, such as duplication events, have caused high diversity in the structure and function of tcBAHD genes.

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