scholarly journals Genome of the parasitoid wasp Diachasma alloeum, an emerging model for ecological speciation and transitions to asexual reproduction

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric S. Tvedte ◽  
Kimberly K.O. Walden ◽  
Kyle E. McElroy ◽  
John H. Werren ◽  
Andrew A. Forbes ◽  
...  

AbstractParasitoid wasps are among the most speciose animals, yet have relatively few available genomic resources. We report a draft genome assembly of the wasp Diachasma alloeum (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), a host-specific parasitoid of the apple maggot fly Rhagoletis pomonella (Diptera: Tephritidae) and a developing model for understanding how ecological speciation can “cascade” across trophic levels. Identification of gene content confirmed the overall quality of the draft genome, and we manually annotated ∼400 genes as part of this study, including those involved in oxidative phosphorylation, chemosensation, and reproduction. Through comparisons to model hymenopterans such as the European honeybee Apis mellifera and parasitoid wasp Nasonia vitripennis, as well as a more closely related braconid parasitoid Microplitis demolitor, we identified a proliferation of transposable elements in the genome, an expansion of chemosensory genes in D. alloeum and other parasitoid wasps, and the maintenance of several key genes with known roles in sexual reproduction and sex determination. The D. alloeum genome will provide a valuable resource for comparative genomics studies in Hymenoptera as well as specific investigations into the genomic changes associated with ecological speciation and transitions to asexuality.

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 2767-2773 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric S Tvedte ◽  
Kimberly K O Walden ◽  
Kyle E McElroy ◽  
John H Werren ◽  
Andrew A Forbes ◽  
...  

Abstract Parasitoid wasps are among the most speciose animals, yet have relatively few available genomic resources. We report a draft genome assembly of the wasp Diachasma alloeum (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), a host-specific parasitoid of the apple maggot fly Rhagoletis pomonella (Diptera: Tephritidae), and a developing model for understanding how ecological speciation can “cascade” across trophic levels. Identification of gene content confirmed the overall quality of the draft genome, and we manually annotated ∼400 genes as part of this study, including those involved in oxidative phosphorylation, chemosensation, and reproduction. Through comparisons to model hymenopterans such as the European honeybee Apis mellifera and parasitoid wasp Nasonia vitripennis, as well as a more closely related braconid parasitoid Microplitis demolitor, we identified a proliferation of transposable elements in the genome, an expansion of chemosensory genes in parasitoid wasps, and the maintenance of several key genes with known roles in sexual reproduction and sex determination. The D. alloeum genome will provide a valuable resource for comparative genomics studies in Hymenoptera as well as specific investigations into the genomic changes associated with ecological speciation and transitions to asexuality.


GigaScience ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xin Jiang ◽  
Qian Zhang ◽  
Yaoguo Qin ◽  
Hang Yin ◽  
Siyu Zhang ◽  
...  

AbstractBackgroundSitobion miscanthi is an ideal model for studying host plant specificity, parthenogenesis-based phenotypic plasticity, and interactions between insects and other species of various trophic levels, such as viruses, bacteria, plants, and natural enemies. However, the genome information for this species has not yet to be sequenced and published. Here, we analyzed the entire genome of a parthenogenetic female aphid colony using Pacific Biosciences long-read sequencing and Hi-C data to generate chromosome-length scaffolds and a highly contiguous genome assembly.ResultsThe final draft genome assembly from 33.88 Gb of raw data was ∼397.90 Mb in size, with a 2.05 Mb contig N50. Nine chromosomes were further assembled based on Hi-C data to a 377.19 Mb final size with a 36.26 Mb scaffold N50. The identified repeat sequences accounted for 26.41% of the genome, and 16,006 protein-coding genes were annotated. According to the phylogenetic analysis, S. miscanthi is closely related to Acyrthosiphon pisum, with S. miscanthi diverging from their common ancestor ∼25.0–44.9 million years ago.ConclusionsWe generated a high-quality draft of the S. miscanthi genome. This genome assembly should help promote research on the lifestyle and feeding specificity of aphids and their interactions with each other and species at other trophic levels. It can serve as a resource for accelerating genome-assisted improvements in insecticide-resistant management and environmentally safe aphid management.


BMC Genomics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Huai-Jun Xue ◽  
Yi-Wei Niu ◽  
Kari A. Segraves ◽  
Rui-E Nie ◽  
Ya-Jing Hao ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Altica (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) is a highly diverse and taxonomically challenging flea beetle genus that has been used to address questions related to host plant specialization, reproductive isolation, and ecological speciation. To further evolutionary studies in this interesting group, here we present a draft genome of a representative specialist, Altica viridicyanea, the first Alticinae genome reported thus far. Results The genome is 864.8 Mb and consists of 4490 scaffolds with a N50 size of 557 kb, which covered 98.6% complete and 0.4% partial insect Benchmarking Universal Single-Copy Orthologs. Repetitive sequences accounted for 62.9% of the assembly, and a total of 17,730 protein-coding gene models and 2462 non-coding RNA models were predicted. To provide insight into host plant specialization of this monophagous species, we examined the key gene families involved in chemosensation, detoxification of plant secondary chemistry, and plant cell wall-degradation. Conclusions The genome assembled in this work provides an important resource for further studies on host plant adaptation and functionally affiliated genes. Moreover, this work also opens the way for comparative genomics studies among closely related Altica species, which may provide insight into the molecular evolutionary processes that occur during ecological speciation.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shimaa A. M. Ebrahim ◽  
Gaëlle J. S. Talross ◽  
John R. Carlson

AbstractParasitoid wasps inflict widespread death upon the insect world. Hundreds of thousands of parasitoid wasp species kill a vast range of insect species. Insects have evolved defensive responses to the threat of wasps, some cellular and some behavioral. Here we find an unexpected response of adult Drosophila to the presence of certain parasitoid wasps: accelerated mating behavior. Flies exposed to certain wasp species begin mating more quickly. The effect is mediated via changes in the behavior of the female fly and depends on visual perception. The sight of wasps induces the dramatic upregulation in the fly nervous system of a gene that encodes a 41-amino acid micropeptide. Mutational analysis reveals that the gene is essential to the behavioral response of the fly. Our work provides a foundation for further exploration of how the activation of visual circuits by the sight of a wasp alters both sexual behavior and gene expression.


2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bhavani Manivannan ◽  
Niranjana Mahalingam ◽  
Sudhir Jadhao ◽  
Amrita Mishra ◽  
Pravin Nilawe ◽  
...  

We present the draft genome assembly of an extensively drug-resistant (XDR) Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain isolated from a patient with a history of genito urinary tuberculosis. The draft genome is 7,022,546 bp with a G+C content of 65.48%. It carries 7 phage genomes, genes for quorum sensing, biofilm formation, virulence, and antibiotic resistance.


2014 ◽  
Vol 104 (3) ◽  
pp. 307-313 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Tsutsui ◽  
K. Maeto ◽  
K. Hamaguchi ◽  
Y. Isaki ◽  
Y. Takami ◽  
...  

AbstractAlthough apomixis is the most common form of parthenogenesis in diplodiploid arthropods, it is uncommon in the haplodiploid insect order Hymenoptera. We found a new type of spontaneous apomixis in the Hymenoptera, completely lacking meiosis and the expulsion of polar bodies in egg maturation division, on the thelytokous strain of a parasitoid waspMeteorus pulchricornis(Wesmael) (Braconidae, Euphorinae) on pest lepidopteran larvaeSpodoptera litura(Fabricius) (Noctuidae). The absence of the meiotic process was consistent with a non-segregation pattern in the offspring of heterozygous females, and no positive evidence was obtained for the induction of thelytoky by any bacterial symbionts. We discuss the conditions that enable the occurrence of such rare cases of apomictic thelytoky in the Hymenoptera, suggesting the significance of fixed heterosis caused by hybridization or polyploidization, symbiosis with bacterial agents, and occasional sex. Our finding will encourage further genetic studies on parasitoid wasps to use asexual lines more wisely for biological control.


2012 ◽  
Vol 71 (6) ◽  
pp. 895-906 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luming Yang ◽  
Dal-Hoe Koo ◽  
Yuhong Li ◽  
Xuejiao Zhang ◽  
Feishi Luan ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhijin Liu ◽  
Xuekun Qian ◽  
Ziming Wang ◽  
Huamei Wen ◽  
Ling Han ◽  
...  

Abstract BcakgroundLoaches of the superfamily Cobitoidea (Cypriniformes, Nemacheilidae) are small elongated bottom-dwelling freshwater fishes with several barbels near the mouth. The genus Oreonectes with 18 currently recognized species contains representatives for all three key stages of the evolutionary process (a surface-dwelling lifestyle, facultative cave persistence, and permanent cave dwelling). Some Oreonectes species show typical cave dwelling-related traits, such as partial or complete leucism and regression of the eyes, rendering them as suitable study objects of micro-evolution. Genome information of Oreonectes species is therefore an indispensable resource for research into the evolution of cavefishes.ResultsHere we assembled the genome sequence of O. shuilongensis, a surface-dwelling species, using an integrated approach that combined PacBio single-molecule real-time sequencing and Illumina X-ten paired-end sequencing. Based on in total 50.9 Gb of sequencing data, our genome assembly from Canu and Pilon spans approximately 515.64 Mb (estimated coverage of 100 ×), containing 803 contigs with N50 values of 5.58 Mb. 25,247 protein-coding genes were predicted, of which 95.65% have been functionally annotated. We also performed genome re-sequencing of three additional cave-dwelling Oreonectes fishes. Twenty-nine pseudogenes annotated using DAVID showed significant enrichment for the GO terms of “eye development” and “retina development in camera-type eye”. It is presumed that these pseudogenes might lead to eye degeneration of semi/complete cave-dwelling Oreonectes species. Furthermore, Mc1r (melanocortin-1 receptor) is a pseudogenization by a deletion in O. daqikongensis, likely blocking biosynthesis of melanin and leading to the albino phenotype.ConclusionsWe here report the first draft genome assembly of Oreonectes fishes, which is also the first genome reference for Cobitidea fishes. Pseudogenization of genes related to body color and eye development may be responsible for loss of pigmentation and vision deterioration in cave-dwelling species. This genome assembly will contribute to the study of the evolution and adaptation of fishes within Oreonectes and beyond (Cobitidea).


Author(s):  
Jian-Zhi Huang ◽  
Chih-Peng Lin ◽  
Ting-Chi Cheng ◽  
Ya-Wen Huang ◽  
Yi-Jung Tsai ◽  
...  

Phalaenopsis orchid is an important potted flower with high economic value around the world. We report the 3.1 Gb draft genome assembly of an important winter flowering Phalaenopsis ‘KHM190’ cultivar. We generated 89.5 Gb RNA-seq and 113 million sRNA-seq reads to use these data to identify 41,153 protein-coding genes and 188 miRNA families. We also generated a draft genome for Phalaenopsis pulcherrima ‘B8802’, a summer flowering species, via resequencing. Comparison of genome data between the two Phalaenopsis cultivars allowed the identification of 691,532 single-nucleotide polymorphisms. In this study, we reveal the key role of PhAGL6b in the regulation of flower organ development involves alternative splicing. We also show gibberellin pathways that regulate the expression of genes control flowering time during the stage in reproductive phase change induced by cool temperature. Our work should contribute a valuable resource for the flowering control, flower architecture development, and breeding of the Phalaenopsis orchids.


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