scholarly journals Variation in mtDNA haplotypes suggests a complex history of reproductive strategy in Cannabis sativa

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ziv Attia ◽  
Cloe S. Pogoda ◽  
Daniela Vergara ◽  
Nolan C. Kane

ABSTRACTCannabis is one example in angiosperms that appears to have a recent origin of dioecy and X/Y sex chromosomes. Several evolutionary explanations for this transition have been proposed, with the most parsimonious beginning with a mitochondrial mutation leading to cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS). Our study utilized 73 Cannabis sativa whole genome shotgun libraries to reveal eight different mtDNA haplotypes. The most common haplotype contained 60 of the 73 individuals studied and was composed of only dioecious individuals. However, other haplotypes contained a mix of dioecious and monoecious individuals, so haplotype alone does not predict dioecy. From these haplotype groupings we further examined the fully annotated mitochondrial genomes of four hemp individuals and looked for genetic variation affecting reproductive strategy (e.g., monoecious vs. dioecious strategies). Specifically, we searched for markers associated with CMS and for gene rearrangements within these mitochondrial genomes. Our results revealed highly syntenic mitochondrial genomes that contained approximately 60 identifiable sequences for protein coding genes, tRNAs and rRNAs and no obvious rearrangements or chimeric genes. We find no clear evidence that the different reproductive patterns are due to easily identifiable CMS mutations. Our results refute the simplest hypothesis that there was a single recent origin of dioecy in a monoecious ancestor. Instead, the story of the evolution of dioecy is likely much more complex. Further exploration of the nuclear and mitochondrial genomes and their interaction is required to fully understand Cannabis’ mating strategies and the possible existence of CMS in this species.

Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 668
Author(s):  
Tinghao Yu ◽  
Yalin Zhang

More studies are using mitochondrial genomes of insects to explore the sequence variability, evolutionary traits, monophyly of groups and phylogenetic relationships. Controversies remain on the classification of the Mileewinae and the phylogenetic relationships between Mileewinae and other subfamilies remain ambiguous. In this study, we present two newly completed mitogenomes of Mileewinae (Mileewa rufivena Cai and Kuoh 1997 and Ujna puerana Yang and Meng 2010) and conduct comparative mitogenomic analyses based on several different factors. These species have quite similar features, including their nucleotide content, codon usage of protein genes and the secondary structure of tRNA. Gene arrangement is identical and conserved, the same as the putative ancestral pattern of insects. All protein-coding genes of U. puerana began with the start codon ATN, while 5 Mileewa species had the abnormal initiation codon TTG in ND5 and ATP8. Moreover, M. rufivena had an intergenic spacer of 17 bp that could not be found in other mileewine species. Phylogenetic analysis based on three datasets (PCG123, PCG12 and AA) with two methods (maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference) recovered the Mileewinae as a monophyletic group with strong support values. All results in our study indicate that Mileewinae has a closer phylogenetic relationship to Typhlocybinae compared to Cicadellinae. Additionally, six species within Mileewini revealed the relationship (U. puerana + (M. ponta + (M. rufivena + M. alara) + (M. albovittata + M. margheritae))) in most of our phylogenetic trees. These results contribute to the study of the taxonomic status and phylogenetic relationships of Mileewinae.


Plants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 185
Author(s):  
Adrian S. Monthony ◽  
Serena R. Page ◽  
Mohsen Hesami ◽  
Andrew Maxwell P. Jones

The recent legalization of Cannabis sativa L. in many regions has revealed a need for effective propagation and biotechnologies for the species. Micropropagation affords researchers and producers methods to rapidly propagate insect-/disease-/virus-free clonal plants and store germplasm and forms the basis for other biotechnologies. Despite this need, research in the area is limited due to the long history of prohibitions and restrictions. Existing literature has multiple limitations: many publications use hemp as a proxy for drug-type Cannabis when it is well established that there is significant genotype specificity; studies using drug-type cultivars are predominantly optimized using a single cultivar; most protocols have not been replicated by independent groups, and some attempts demonstrate a lack of reproducibility across genotypes. Due to culture decline and other problems, the multiplication phase of micropropagation (Stage 2) has not been fully developed in many reports. This review will provide a brief background on the history and botany of Cannabis as well as a comprehensive and critical summary of Cannabis tissue culture. Special attention will be paid to current challenges faced by researchers, the limitations of existing Cannabis micropropagation studies, and recent developments and future directions of Cannabis tissue culture technologies.


Genetics ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 145 (3) ◽  
pp. 771-776 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy P Hutchin ◽  
Gino A Cortopassi

A point mutation (1555G) in the smaller ribosomal subunit of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) has been associated with maternally inherited traits of hypersensitivity to streptomycin and sensorineural deafness in a number of families from China, Japan, Israel, and Africa. To determine whether this distribution was the result of a single or multiple mutational events, we carried out genetic distance analysis and phylogenetic analysis of 10 independent mtDNA D-loop sequences from Africa and Asia. The mtDNA sequence diversity was high (2.21%). Phylogenetic analysis assigned 1555G-bearing haplotypes at very divergent points in the human mtDNA evolutionary tree, and the 1555G mutations occur in many cases on race-specific mtDNA haplotypes, both facts are inconsistent with a recent introgression of the mutation into these races. The simplest interpretation of the available data is that there have been multiple origins of the 1555G mutation. The genetic distance among mtDNAs bearing the pathogenic 1555G mutation is much larger than among mtDNAs bearing either evolutionarily neutral or weakly deleterious nucleotide substitutions (such as the 4336G mutation). These results are consistent with the view that pathogenic mtDNA haplotypes such as 1555G arise on disparate mtDNA lineages which because of negative natural selection leave relatively few related descendants. The co-existence of the same mutation with deafness in individuals with very different nuclear and mitochondrial genetic backgrounds confirms the pathogenicity of the 1555G mutation.


2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 20170064 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liselotte Wesley Andersen ◽  
Magnus Jacobsen ◽  
Christina Vedel-Smith ◽  
Thomas Secher Jensen

Species from the steppe region of Eastern Europe likely colonized northwestern Europe in connection with agriculture after 6500 BP. The striped field mouse ( Apodemus agrarius Pallas, 1783), is a steppe-derived species often found in human crops. It is common on the southern Danish islands of Lolland and Falster, which have been isolated from mainland Europe since approximately 10 300–8000 BP. Thus, this species could have been brought in with humans in connection with agriculture, or it could be an earlier natural invader. We sequenced 86 full mitochondrial genomes from the northwestern range of the striped field mouse, analysed phylogenetic relationships and estimated divergence time. The results supported human-induced colonization of Denmark in the Subatlantic or Subboreal period. A newly discovered population from Central Jutland in Denmark diverged from Falster approximately 100–670 years ago, again favouring human introduction. One individual from Sweden turned out to be a recent introduction from Central Jutland.


Author(s):  
Andrea Mastinu ◽  
Marika Premoli ◽  
Giulia Ferrari-Toninelli ◽  
Simone Tambaro ◽  
Giuseppina Maccarinelli ◽  
...  

Abstract The use of different natural and/or synthetic preparations of Cannabis sativa is associated with therapeutic strategies for many diseases. Indeed, thanks to the widespread diffusion of the cannabinoidergic system in the brain and in the peripheral districts, its stimulation, or inhibition, regulates many pathophysiological phenomena. In particular, central activation of the cannabinoidergic system modulates the limbic and mesolimbic response which leads to food craving. Moreover, cannabinoid agonists are able to reduce inflammatory response. In this review a brief history of cannabinoids and the protagonists of the endocannabinoidergic system, i.e. synthesis and degradation enzymes and main receptors, will be described. Furthermore, the pharmacological effects of cannabinoids will be outlined. An overview of the involvement of the endocannabinoidergic system in neuroinflammatory and metabolic pathologies will be made. Finally, particular attention will also be given to the new pharmacological entities acting on the two main receptors, cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1) and cannabinoid receptor type 2 (CB2), with particular focus on the neuroinflammatory and metabolic mechanisms involved.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Melissa Wilson ◽  
RV Lelwala ◽  
PWJ Taylor ◽  
MJ Wingfield ◽  
BD WINGFIELD

Abstract Background: Colletotrichum species are known to engage in unique sexual behaviours that differ significantly from the mating strategies of other filamentous ascomycete species. Most ascomycete fungi require the expression of both the MAT1-1-1 and MAT1-2-1 genes to regulate mating type and induce sexual reproduction. In contrast, all isolates of Colletotrichum are known to harbour only the MAT1-2-1 gene and yet, are capable of recognizing suitable mating partners and producing sexual progeny. The molecular mechanisms contributing to mating types and behaviours in Colletotrichum are thus unknown. Results: A comparative genomics approach analysing genomes from 47 Colletotrichum isolates was used to elucidate a putative molecular mechanism underlying the unique sexual behaviours observed in Colletotrichum species. The existence of only the MAT1-2 idiomorph was confirmed across all species included in this study. Comparisons at the loci harbouring the two mating pheromones and their cognate receptors revealed interesting patterns of gene presence and absence as well as gene loss. The results also showed that these genes have been lost multiple times over the evolutionary history of this genus. Conclusion: The multiple losses of the pheromone genes in these species suggest strong selection against the typical mating strategies seen in other species. This further suggests that these pheromones no longer play a role in mating type determination and that the species of this genus have undiscovered mechanisms by which to control mating type and mating partner recognition. This research thus provides a base from which further interrogation of this topic can take place.


Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 779 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ke-Ke Xu ◽  
Qing-Ping Chen ◽  
Sam Pedro Galilee Ayivi ◽  
Jia-Yin Guan ◽  
Kenneth B. Storey ◽  
...  

Insects of the order Phasmatodea are mainly distributed in the tropics and subtropics and are best known for their remarkable camouflage as plants. In this study, we sequenced three complete mitochondrial genomes from three different families: Orestes guangxiensis, Peruphasma schultei, and Phryganistria guangxiensis. The lengths of the three mitochondrial genomes were 15,896 bp, 16,869 bp, and 17,005 bp, respectively, and the gene composition and structure of the three stick insects were identical to those of the most recent common ancestor of insects. The phylogenetic relationships among stick insects have been chaotic for a long time. In order to discuss the intra- and inter-ordinal relationship of Phasmatodea, we used the 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs) of 85 species for maximum likelihood (ML) and Bayesian inference (BI) analyses. Results showed that the internal topological structure of Phasmatodea had a few differences in both ML and BI trees and long-branch attraction (LBA) appeared between Embioptera and Zoraptera, which led to a non-monophyletic Phasmatodea. Consequently, after removal of the Embioptera and Zoraptera species, we re-performed ML and BI analyses with the remaining 81 species, which showed identical topology except for the position of Tectarchus ovobessus (Phasmatodea). We recovered the monophyly of Phasmatodea and the sister-group relationship between Phasmatodea and Mantophasmatodea. Our analyses also recovered the monophyly of Heteropterygidae and the paraphyly of Diapheromeridae, Phasmatidae, Lonchodidae, Lonchodinae, and Clitumninae. In this study, Peruphasma schultei (Pseudophasmatidae), Phraortes sp. YW-2014 (Lonchodidae), and species of Diapheromeridae clustered into the clade of Phasmatidae. Within Heteropterygidae, O. guangxiensis was the sister clade to O. mouhotii belonging to Dataminae, and the relationship of (Heteropteryginae + (Dataminae + Obriminae)) was recovered.


2017 ◽  
Vol 106 ◽  
pp. 209-216 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marwa Al Arab ◽  
Christian Höner zu Siederdissen ◽  
Kifah Tout ◽  
Abdullah H. Sahyoun ◽  
Peter F. Stadler ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Solomon T C Chak ◽  
Juan Antonio Baeza ◽  
Phillip Barden

Abstract Eusociality is a highly conspicuous and ecologically impactful behavioral syndrome that has evolved independently across multiple animal lineages. So far, comparative genomic analyses of advanced sociality have been mostly limited to insects. Here, we study the only clade of animals known to exhibit eusociality in the marine realm—lineages of socially diverse snapping shrimps in the genus Synalpheus. To investigate the molecular impact of sociality, we assembled the mitochondrial genomes of eight Synalpheus species that represent three independent origins of eusociality and analyzed patterns of molecular evolution in protein-coding genes. Synonymous substitution rates are lower and potential signals of relaxed purifying selection are higher in eusocial relative to noneusocial taxa. Our results suggest that mitochondrial genome evolution was shaped by eusociality-linked traits—extended generation times and reduced effective population sizes that are hallmarks of advanced animal societies. This is the first direct evidence of eusociality impacting genome evolution in marine taxa. Our results also strongly support the idea that eusociality can shape genome evolution through profound changes in life history and demography.


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