scholarly journals Evolution and genetic basis of the plant-penetrating ovipositor, a key adaptation in the transition to herbivory within the Drosophilidae

Author(s):  
Julianne N. Pelaez ◽  
Andrew D. Gloss ◽  
Julianne F. Ray ◽  
Noah K. Whiteman

AbstractHerbivorous insects are extraordinarily diverse, yet are found in only one-third of insect orders. This skew may be driven by barriers to plant colonization coupled with phylogenetic constraint on plant-colonizing adaptations. Physical barriers can be surmounted by key innovations like the plant-penetrating ovipositor. Within Drosophilidae, ovipositor margins densely adorned with hard bristles used to cut into plants evolved repeatedly, but their evolutionary, developmental and genomic basis has only been explored in Drosophila suzukii. Here, we addressed this gap using Scaptomyza, an herbivorous radiation nested in a detritivorous clade. First, we found that ovipositor bristle number increased markedly as herbivory evolved in Scaptomyza. We then dissected the genomic architecture of variation in ovipositor bristle number within S. flava using a pooled genome wide association study (pool-GWAS). Variation in ovipositor bristle number in S. flava was heritable and associated with single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within non-coding regions involved in neural development. Genotyping of individual flies replicated the association at a candidate SNP upstream of Gai, a neural development gene, and estimated that it contributes to an average gain of ∼0.58 bristles/ovipositor in S. flava. Neural developmental genes thus underlie variation in this key morphological adaptation, possibly facilitating the evolution of this trait and the colonization of tough tissue of living plants.

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Waldiodio Seck ◽  
Davoud Torkamaneh ◽  
François Belzile

Increasing the understanding genetic basis of the variability in root system architecture (RSA) is essential to improve resource-use efficiency in agriculture systems and to develop climate-resilient crop cultivars. Roots being underground, their direct observation and detailed characterization are challenging. Here, were characterized twelve RSA-related traits in a panel of 137 early maturing soybean lines (Canadian soybean core collection) using rhizoboxes and two-dimensional imaging. Significant phenotypic variation (P < 0.001) was observed among these lines for different RSA-related traits. This panel was genotyped with 2.18 million genome-wide single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) using a combination of genotyping-by-sequencing and whole-genome sequencing. A total of 10 quantitative trait locus (QTL) regions were detected for root total length and primary root diameter through a comprehensive genome-wide association study. These QTL regions explained from 15 to 25% of the phenotypic variation and contained two putative candidate genes with homology to genes previously reported to play a role in RSA in other species. These genes can serve to accelerate future efforts aimed to dissect genetic architecture of RSA and breed more resilient varieties.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (11) ◽  
pp. eabd1239
Author(s):  
Mark Simcoe ◽  
Ana Valdes ◽  
Fan Liu ◽  
Nicholas A. Furlotte ◽  
David M. Evans ◽  
...  

Human eye color is highly heritable, but its genetic architecture is not yet fully understood. We report the results of the largest genome-wide association study for eye color to date, involving up to 192,986 European participants from 10 populations. We identify 124 independent associations arising from 61 discrete genomic regions, including 50 previously unidentified. We find evidence for genes involved in melanin pigmentation, but we also find associations with genes involved in iris morphology and structure. Further analyses in 1636 Asian participants from two populations suggest that iris pigmentation variation in Asians is genetically similar to Europeans, albeit with smaller effect sizes. Our findings collectively explain 53.2% (95% confidence interval, 45.4 to 61.0%) of eye color variation using common single-nucleotide polymorphisms. Overall, our study outcomes demonstrate that the genetic complexity of human eye color considerably exceeds previous knowledge and expectations, highlighting eye color as a genetically highly complex human trait.


Agronomy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 27
Author(s):  
Archana Khadgi ◽  
Courtney A. Weber

Red raspberry (Rubus idaeus L.) is an expanding high-value berry crop worldwide. The presence of prickles, outgrowths of epidermal tissues lacking vasculature, on the canes, petioles, and undersides of leaves complicates both field management and harvest. The utilization of cultivars with fewer prickles or prickle-free canes simplifies production. A previously generated population segregating for prickles utilizing the s locus between the prickle-free cultivar Joan J (ss) and the prickled cultivar Caroline (Ss) was analyzed to identify the genomic region associated with prickle development in red raspberry. Genotype by sequencing (GBS) was combined with a genome-wide association study (GWAS) using fixed and random model circulating probability unification (FarmCPU) to analyze 8474 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and identify significant markers associated with the prickle-free trait. A total of four SNPs were identified on chromosome 4 that were associated with the phenotype and were located near or in annotated genes. This study demonstrates how association genetics can be used to decipher the genetic control of important horticultural traits in Rubus, and provides valuable information about the genomic region and potential genes underlying the prickle-free trait.


Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 192
Author(s):  
Xinghai Duan ◽  
Bingxing An ◽  
Lili Du ◽  
Tianpeng Chang ◽  
Mang Liang ◽  
...  

The objective of the present study was to perform a genome-wide association study (GWAS) for growth curve parameters using nonlinear models that fit original weight–age records. In this study, data from 808 Chinese Simmental beef cattle that were weighed at 0, 6, 12, and 18 months of age were used to fit the growth curve. The Gompertz model showed the highest coefficient of determination (R2 = 0.954). The parameters’ mature body weight (A), time-scale parameter (b), and maturity rate (K) were treated as phenotypes for single-trait GWAS and multi-trait GWAS. In total, 9, 49, and 7 significant SNPs associated with A, b, and K were identified by single-trait GWAS; 22 significant single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified by multi-trait GWAS. Among them, we observed several candidate genes, including PLIN3, KCNS3, TMCO1, PRKAG3, ANGPTL2, IGF-1, SHISA9, and STK3, which were previously reported to associate with growth and development. Further research for these candidate genes may be useful for exploring the full genetic architecture underlying growth and development traits in livestock.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaakko Laaksonen ◽  
Pashupati P. Mishra ◽  
Ilkka Seppälä ◽  
Leo-Pekka Lyytikäinen ◽  
Emma Raitoharju ◽  
...  

AbstractHigh blood pressure (BP) is a major risk factor for many noncommunicable diseases. The effect of mitochondrial DNA single-nucleotide polymorphisms (mtSNPs) on BP is less known than that of nuclear SNPs. We investigated the mitochondrial genetic determinants of systolic, diastolic, and mean arterial BP. MtSNPs were determined from peripheral blood by sequencing or with genome-wide association study SNP arrays in two independent Finnish cohorts, the Young Finns Study and the Finnish Cardiovascular Study, respectively. In total, over 4200 individuals were included. The effects of individual common mtSNPs, with an additional focus on sex-specificity, and aggregates of rare mtSNPs grouped by mitochondrial genes were evaluated by meta-analysis of linear regression and a sequence kernel association test, respectively. We accounted for the predicted pathogenicity of the rare variants within protein-encoding and the tRNA regions. In the meta-analysis of 87 common mtSNPs, we did not observe significant associations with any of the BP traits. Sex-specific and rare-variant analyses did not pinpoint any significant associations either. Our results are in agreement with several previous studies suggesting that mtDNA variation does not have a significant role in the regulation of BP. Future studies might need to reconsider the mechanisms thought to link mtDNA with hypertension.


Blood ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 112 (7) ◽  
pp. 2709-2712 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria E. Sarasquete ◽  
Ramon García-Sanz ◽  
Luis Marín ◽  
Miguel Alcoceba ◽  
Maria C. Chillón ◽  
...  

Abstract We have explored the potential role of genetics in the development of osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) in multiple myeloma (MM) patients under bisphosphonate therapy. A genome-wide association study was performed using 500 568 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 2 series of homogeneously treated MM patients, one with ONJ (22 MM cases) and another without ONJ (65 matched MM controls). Four SNPs (rs1934951, rs1934980, rs1341162, and rs17110453) mapped within the cytochrome P450-2C gene (CYP2C8) showed a different distribution between cases and controls with statistically significant differences (P = 1.07 × 10−6, P = 4.231 × 10−6, P = 6.22 × 10−6, and P = 2.15 × 10−6, respectively). SNP rs1934951 was significantly associated with a higher risk of ONJ development even after Bonferroni correction (P corrected value = .02). Genotyping results displayed an overrepresentation of the T allele in cases compared with controls (48% vs 12%). Thus, individuals homozygous for the T allele had an increased likelihood of developing ONJ (odds ratio 12.75, 95% confidence interval 3.7-43.5).


Author(s):  
Mohamed Elrayess ◽  
Fatima Al-Khelaifi ◽  
Noha Yousri ◽  
Omar Al-Bagha

Research into the genetic predisposition to superior athletic performance has been a hindered by the underpowered studies and the small effect size of identified genetic variants. The aims of this study were to investigate the association of common single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with endurance athlete status in a large cohort of elite European athletes using GWAS approach, followed by replication studies in Russian and Japanese elite athletes and functional validation using metabolomics analysis. Results: The association of 476,728 SNPs of Illumina DrugCore Gene chip and endurance athlete status was investigated in 796 European international-level athletes (645 males, 151 females) by comparing allelic frequencies between athletes specialized in sports with high (n=662) and low/moderate (n=134) aerobic component. Validation of results was performed by comparing the frequencies of the most significant SNPs between 242 and 168 elite Russian high and low/moderate aerobic athletes, respectively, and between 60 elite Japanese endurance athletes and 406 controls. A meta-analysis has identified rs1052373 (GG homozygotes) in Myosin Binding Protein (MYBPC3; implicated in cardiac hypertrophic myopathy) gene to be associated with endurance athlete status (P=1.43E-08, odd ratio 2.2). Homozygotes carriers of rs1052373 G allele in Russian athletes had significantly greater VO2max than carriers of the AA+AG (P = 0.005). Subsequent metabolomics analysis revealed several amino acids and lipids associated with rs1052373 G allele (1.82x10-05) including the testosterone precursor androstenediol (3beta, 17beta) disulfate. Conclusion: This is the first report of genome-wide significant SNP and related metabolites associated with elite athlete status. Further investigations of the functional relevance of the identified SNPs and metabolites in relation to enhanced athletic performance are warranted.


Genes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 1897
Author(s):  
Endale G. Tafesse ◽  
Krishna K. Gali ◽  
V. B. Reddy Lachagari ◽  
Rosalind Bueckert ◽  
Thomas D. Warkentin

Heat and drought, individually or in combination, limit pea productivity. Fortunately, substantial genetic diversity exists in pea germplasm for traits related to abiotic stress resistance. Understanding the genetic basis of resistance could accelerate the development of stress-adaptive cultivars. We conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) in pea on six stress-adaptive traits with the aim to detect the genetic regions controlling these traits. One hundred and thirty-five genetically diverse pea accessions were phenotyped in field studies across three or five environments under stress and control conditions. To determine marker trait associations (MTAs), a total of 16,877 valuable single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were used in association analysis. Association mapping detected 15 MTAs that were significantly (p ≤ 0.0005) associated with the six stress-adaptive traits averaged across all environments and consistent in multiple individual environments. The identified MTAs were four for lamina wax, three for petiole wax, three for stem thickness, two for the flowering duration, one for the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and two for the normalized pigment and chlorophyll index (NPCI). Sixteen candidate genes were identified within a 15 kb distance from either side of the markers. The detected MTAs and candidate genes have prospective use towards selecting stress-hardy pea cultivars in marker-assisted selection.


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