Search results for " Development"

2017

Targeted high-throughput sequencing using hybrid-enrichment offers a promising source of data for inferring multiple, meaningfully resolved, independent gene trees suitable to address challenging phylogenetic problems in species complexes and rapid radiations. The targets in question can either be adopted directly from more or less universal tools, or custom made for particular clades at considerably greater effort. We applied custom made scripts to select sets of homologous sequence markers from transcriptome and WGS data for use in the flowering plant genus Erica (Ericaceae). We compared the resulting targets to those that would be selected both using different available tools (Hyb-Seq; M…

A microarray analysis highlights the role of tetrapyrrole pathways in grapevine responses to “stolbur” phytoplasma, phloem virus infections and recov…

2016

Abstract After providing a picture of the global transcriptomic changes of grapevine responses to “stolbur” phytoplasma, the recovery status and molecular responses to the phytoplasma and virus co-presence were analyzed. NimbleGen ® Vitis vinifera genome arrays were used. Lower transcript abundance of the genes involved in photosynthesis, trehalose, phospholipids was observed in response to the presence of “stolbur” phytoplasma. The expression of the genes involved in tetrapyrrole increased. The recovered plants showed that the transcripts involved in ATP synthesis and amino acid metabolism, secondary metabolism and biotic stress-related pathways increased. Recovery was associated with tetr…

HERITABILITIES OF DOMINANCE-RELATED TRAITS IN MALE BANK VOLES (CLETHRIONOMYS GLAREOLUS)

1998

A number of studies have shown that in several animal species females prefer dominant males as mating partners, but fewer attempts have been made to measure possible indirect benefits of this choice. One reason for this may be that, even though dominance is a widely used concept, the definition of dominance still remains controversial. Furthermore, defining and measuring the heritability of social behaviors is problematic because they are not individual traits but, by definition, involve interactions between at least two individuals. In this study we estimated heritabilities and coefficients of additive genetic variances (CVA) for male traits that are closely associated with dominance and f…

The exceptionality of stress response in Magnaporthe oryzae: a set of “salt stress-induced” genes unique to the rice blast fungus

2017

The ability of pathogens to signal perception and adaptation to environmental changes is an important prerequisite for successful colonization of the host organism. Filamentous phytopathogenic fungi, for example, have to cope with rapid changes in the environment during invasive growth in planta. Consequently, they have evolved a range of specific factors contributing to environmental adaptation facilitating host invasion. In addition to conserved pathways, including genes participating in stress response, unique/individual genes within the pathogens might represent determinants of pathogenicity. Therefore, identification of unique genes could provide a set of excellent candidates for novel…

cDNA sequences of two arylphorin subunits of an insect biliprotein: phylogenetic differences and gene duplications during evolution of hexamerins-imp…

2016

Arylphorins represent a conserved class of hexameric ∼500 kDa insect hemolymph glycoproteins, rich in aromatic amino acids, which are produced in large quantities at the larval stage as reserves for metamorphosis and egg development. The recently isolated arylphorin from the moth Cerura vinula is unique in being complexed to a novel farnesylated bilin. Protein sequencing suggested the presence of two different ∼85 kDa subunits. Here, we report the complete coding sequences of two cDNAs encoding two arylphorins subunits with 67% identity and calculated physicochemical characteristics in agreement with the isolated holoprotein. Our phylogenetic analyses of the hexamerins revealed monophyletic…

C 3 –C 4 intermediates may be of hybrid origin – a reminder

2017

Summary The currently favoured model of the evolution of C4 photosynthesis relies heavily on the interpretation of the broad phenotypic range of naturally growing C3–C4 intermediates as proxies for evolutionary intermediate steps. On the other hand, C3–C4 intermediates had earlier been interpreted as hybrids or hybrid derivates. By first comparing experimentally generated with naturally growing C3–C4 intermediates, and second summarising either direct or circumstantial evidence for hybridisation in lineages comprising C3, C4 and C3–C4 intermediates, we conclude that a possible hybrid origin of C3–C4 intermediates deserves careful examination. While we acknowledge that the current model of C…

2017

C4 photosynthesis is a carbon-concentrating mechanism that evolved independently more than 60 times in a wide range of angiosperm lineages. Among other alterations, the evolution of C4 from ancestral C3 photosynthesis requires changes in the expression of a vast number of genes. Differential gene expression analyses between closely related C3 and C4 species have significantly increased our understanding of C4 functioning and evolution. In Chenopodiaceae, a family that is rich in C4 origins and photosynthetic types, the anatomy, physiology and phylogeny of C4, C2, and C3 species of Salsoleae has been studied in great detail, which facilitated the choice of six samples of five representative …

Experimental contact zones reveal causes and targets of sexual selection in hybridizing lizards

2016

Divergence in sexually selected traits in allopatry should affect the degree and direction of hybridization. However, few studies have established the causes and targets of sexual selection during secondary contact. Common wall lizards (Podarcis muralis) from north-central Italy have highly exaggerated male sexual traits compared to populations in Western Europe. Using experimental populations, we show that this creates asymmetries in male dominance, spatial habitat use and reproductive success upon secondary contact. Hybridization occurred almost exclusively between males of the Italian lineage and females of the Western European lineage. We provide evidence to suggest stronger ongoing sel…

2021

Most species are either parasites or exploited by parasites, making parasite–host interactions a driver of evolution. Parasites with complex life cycles often evolve strategies to facilitate transmission to the definitive host by manipulating their intermediate host. Such manipulations could explain phenotypic changes in the ant Temnothorax nylanderi, the intermediate host of the cestode Anomotaenia brevis. In addition to behavioral and morphological alterations, infected workers exhibit prolonged lifespans, comparable to that of queens, which live up to two decades. We used transcriptomic data from cestodes and ants of different castes and infection status to investigate the molecular unde…

Adaptive Evolution and Epigenetics

2023

Epigenetic changes, such as DNA methylation and certain histone modifications, can be inherited but in many cases they do not follow Mendelian inheritance patterns and their stability appears to be lower than for changes in DNA sequence. Adaptive evolution by natural selection requires that differences among individuals are heritable to some degree. Epigenetic changes can be incorporated into evolutionary theory, and given that properties of epigenetic variation are distinct from genetic variation, spontaneous epigenetic changes can affect evolutionary dynamics in interesting ways. In this chapter, I review the properties of epigenetic variation and how they relate to the main parameters of…