Find research datasets worth reusing

opencc-zeroOct 2023View details →

Data from: Pan-genome analysis highlights the role of structural variation in the evolution and environmental adaptation of Asian honeybees

The Asian honeybee, Apis cerana, is an ecologically and economically important pollinator. Mapping its genetic variation is key to understanding population-level health, histories, and potential capacities to respond to environmental changes. However, most efforts to date were focused on single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) based on a single reference genome, thereby ignoring larger-scale genomic variation. We employed long-read sequencing technologies to generate a chromosome-scale reference genome for the ancestral group of A. cerana. Integrating this with 525 resequencing datasets, we constructed the first pan-genome of A. cerana, encompassing almost the entire gene content. We found that 31.32% of genes in the pan-genome were variably present across populations, providing a broad gene pool for environmental adaptation. We identified and characterized structural variations (SVs) and found that they were not closely linked with SNP distributions, however, the formation of SVs was closely associated with transposable elements. Furthermore, phylogenetic analysis using SVs revealed a novel A. cerana ecological group not recoverable from the SNP data. Performing environmental association analysis identified a total of 44 SVs likely to be associated with environmental adaptation. Verification and analysis of one of these, a 330 bp deletion in the Atpalpha gene, indicated that this SV may promote the cold adaptation of A. cerana by altering gene expression. Taken together, our study demonstrates the feasibility and utility of applying pan-genome approaches to map and explore genetic feature variations of honeybee populations, and in particular to examine the role of SVs in the evolution and environmental adaptation of A. cerana.

opencc-zeroDec 2023View details →

Supporting data for: The de novo genome of the Black-necked Snakefly (Venustoraphidia nigricollis Albarda, 1891): A resource to study the evolution of living fossils

Snakeflies (Raphidioptera) are the smallest order of holometabolous insects that have kept their distinct and name-giving appearance since the Mesozoic, probably since the Jurassic, and possibly even since their emergence in the Carboniferous, more than 300 million years ago. Despite their interesting nature and numerous publications on their morphology, taxonomy, systematics, and biogeography, snakeflies have never received much attention from the general public, and only a few studies were devoted to their molecular biology. Due to this lack of molecular data, it is therefore unknown, if the conserved morphological nature of these living fossils translates to conserved genomic structures. Here, we present the first genome of the species and of the entire order of Raphidioptera. The final genome assembly has a total length of 669 Mbp and reached a high continuity with an N50 of 5.07 Mbp. Further quality controls also indicate a high completeness and no meaningful contamination. The newly generated data was used in a large-scaled phylogenetic analysis of snakeflies using shared orthologous sequences. Quartet score and gene-concordance analyses revealed high amounts of conflicting signals within this group that might speak for substantial incomplete lineage sorting and introgression after their presumed re-radiation after the asteroid impact 66 million years ago. Overall, this reference genome will be a door-opening dataset for many future research applications, and we demonstrated its utility in a phylogenetic analysis that provides new insights into the evolution of this group of living fossils.

opencc-by-4.0Dec 2023View details →

the supplementary of Novel plastid genome characteristics in Fugacium kawagutii and accelerated evolution of plastid proteins in dinoflagellates

Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.

opencc-zeroFeb 2024View details →

Long read genome assembly of Automeris io (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae) an emerging model for the evolution of deimatic displays

Automeris moths are a morphologically diverse group with 145 described species that have a geographic range that spans from the New World temperate zone to the Neotropics. Many Automeris have hindwing eyespots that are thought to deter or disrupt the attack of potential predators, allowing the moth time to escape. Some species in the genus have vestigial eyespots or lack them completely, suggesting that this trait may provide a selective benefit. The Io moth (Automeris io), known for its striking eyespots, is the most widely studied species within the genus and is an emerging model system to study the evolution of deimatism, a predatory defense that combines visual stimuli and movement. Here we present a high-quality, PacBio HiFi genome assembly for Io moth to aid existing research on the molecular development of eyespots. Genomic research is needed to address questions involving antipredatory defenses and eyespot pattern development. BUSCO analysis for this genome shows a completeness of 98.4%, and N50 of 15.

opencc-zeroMar 2024View details →

Genome evolution is associated with nutrition-responsive regulatory development in horned dung beetles

The Scarabaeinae, or true dung beetles, are a hyper-diverse clade of insects of ecological, evolutionary, and agricultural significance and have long served as informative models of evolutionary ecology and development. Perhaps the most conspicuous of their unique traits are head horns, novel structures that serve as secondary sexual weapons, exhibit extraordinary developmental plasticity, and have fueled one of the most dramatic morphological radiations in the animal kingdom. In this study, we investigate the evolutionary basis for dung beetle traits - including horns - via comparative genomic and developmental assays. We present chromosome-level genome assemblies of three dung beetle species in the species-rich Onthophagini tribe (> 2500 extant species) including Onthophagus taurus, Onthophagus sagittarius, and Digitonthophagus gazella. Contrasting these assemblies with seven other species across the order Coleoptera identifies rapidly evolving gene families associated with metabolic regulation of developmental plasticity and metamorphosis. Intraspecific comparisons of chromatin accessibility in developing head horns of O. taurus identify distinct cis-regulatory architectures underlying sex- and nutrition-responsive development of this novel trait, including a large proportion of recently evolved regulatory elements sensitive to horn morph determination. Binding motifs of diverse developmental transcription factors are enriched in these nutrition-responsive open chromatin regions, including the early embryonic patterning gene twist. Using RNA interference (RNAi), we show twist has been co-opted into the beetle horn regulatory network to mediate differential horn morphogenesis in alternate male morphs via its interactions with nutrition-sensitive DNA-binding sites, highlighting the utility of this approach in identifying new developmental regulators of morphological evolution. These results demonstrate gene networks are highly evolvable transducers of environmental and genetic signals critical for the formation and diversification of developmental traits, established in part by condition-responsive chromatin accessibility. Further, this work provides new reference-quality genome assemblies of three dung beetles that will bolster future developmental, ecological, and evolutionary studies of this insect group.

opencc-by-4.0Nov 2024View details →

Diverging repeatomes in holoparasitic Hydnoraceae uncover a playground of genome evolution

The present repository provides a FASTA resource with reference sequences of major repetitive DNA sequences from the genomes of Hydnora and Prosopanche species. This sequence list is complemented by a GFF file with detailed annotations for the included retrotransposons.  The nuclear genomes of parasitic plants have undergone unique evolutionary trajectories to adapt to the heterotrophic lifestyle. These adaptations often involve large genomic alterations, potentially driven by repetitive elements. Despite the well-recognized role of repetitive DNAs as evolutionary forces in shaping plant genomes, their role in genome evolution of parasitic plants remains largely unexplored. To address this knowledge gap, we conducted the first analysis of repetitive DNAs in eleven genomes of Hydnoraceae, a family of mostly non-crop parasitizing holoparasites. The observed repeat abundance profiles and presence-absence patterns align with the phylogenetic relationships, geographical distribution, and host shifts, suggesting a key role of repetitive DNAs in shaping Hydnoraceae genomes. The repetitive fraction of the two Hydnoraceae genera, Hydnora and Prosopanche, are fundamentally different: Whereas the eight analyzed Hydnora genomes are largely populated by long terminal repeat retrotransposons, particularly of the Tekay and Ogre type, the three Prosopanche repeatomes differ vastly in individual abundances, including P. bonacinae with massive amplifications of a single DNA transposon and P. panguanensis with over 15% 5S rDNA (as opposed to some Hydnoraceae with <0.1% 5S rDNA). Both extremely low and very high abundance of 5S rDNA challenges our current understanding for chromosome stabilization and rRNA transcription. These genome dynamics suggest rapidly evolving repeat profiles, potentially being enhanced by the adaptation to the parasitic lifestyle. The heterogeneous abundance of rDNAs and DNA transposons in Hydnoraceae genomes needs further attention, with regard to repeat-driven evolution. This study lays the groundwork for future genomic explorations on Hydnoraceae, as well as heterotrophic plants and their nuclear genome composition in general.

opencc-by-4.0Nov 2024View details →

GENOMIC INSIGHTS INTO THE GLOBAL EVOLUTION AND ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE OF THE MYCOBACTERIUM TUBERCULOSIS COMPLEX

Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.

opencc-zeroOct 2021View details →

Natural selection drives genome-wide evolution via chance genetic associations

Understanding selection's impact on the genome is a major theme in biology. Functionally-neutral genetic regions can be affected indirectly by natural selection, via their statistical association with genes under direct selection. The genomic extent of such indirect selection, particularly across loci not physically linked to those under direct selection, remains poorly understood, as does the time scale at which indirect selection occurs. Here we use field experiments and genomic data in stick insects, deer mice and stickleback fish to show that widespread statistical associations with genes known to affect fitness cause many genetic loci across the genome to be impacted indirectly by selection. This includes regions physically distant from those directly under selection. Then, focusing on the stick insect system, we show that statistical associations between SNPs and other unknown, causal variants result in additional indirect selection in general and specifically within genomic regions of physically linked loci. This widespread indirect selection necessarily makes aspects of evolution more predictable. Thus, natural selection combines with chance genetic associations to affect genome-wide evolution across linked and unlinked loci and even in modest-sized populations. This process has implications for the application of evolutionary principles in basic and applied science.

opencc-by-4.0Aug 2021View details →

Comparative genomics reveals evolution traits, mating strategies and pathogenicity-related genes variation of Botryosphaeriaceae

Botryosphaeriaceae, as a major family of the largest class of kingdom fungi Dothideomycetes, encompasses phytopathogens, saprobes, and endophytes. Many members of this family are opportunistic phytopathogens with a wide host range and worldwide geographical distribution, and can infect many economically important plants, including food crops and bio-material plants. To date, however, little is known about the family evolutionary characterization, mating strategies, and pathogenicity-related genes variation from a comparative genome perspective. Here, we conducted the first large-scale whole-genome comparison of 271 Dothideomycetes, including 19 species in Botryosphaeriaceae. The comparative genome analysis provided a clear classification of Botryosphaeriaceae in Dothideomycetes and indicated that Botryosphaeriaceae pathogenicity evolution undergoes multiple times. Mating strategies analysis demonstrated at least 3 transitions were found within Botryosphaeriaceae from heterothallism to homothallism. Additionally, pathogenicity-related genes contents in different species within Botryosphaeriaceae varied greatly, indicating that a secondary lineage expansion occurs in speciation. These findings cast new insights into evolution traits, mating strategies and pathogenicity-related genes variation of Botryosphaeriaceae.

opencc-by-4.0Apr 2022View details →

Supplementary Materials from the article Characterization and molecular evolution analysis of Periploca forrestii inferred from its complete chloroplast genome sequence

Table S1. Base composition of chloroplast genome in P. forrestii, Table S2. The lengths of introns and exons for the splitting genes, Table S3. The GC content of the codons from P. forrestii chloroplast genome, Table S4. Preferred codons in chloroplast genome of P. forrestii, Table S5. Long repeat sequences in the P. forrestii chloroplast genome, Figure S1. Codon bias analysis of P. forrestii chloroplast genome. (A) Neutrality plot analysis; (B) Analysis of PR2 bias plot; (C) Analysis on ENC and GC3 relationship.

opencc-zeroMay 2022View details →

Genomic insights into evolution and control of Wohlfahrtia magnifica, a widely distributed myiasis-causing fly of warm-blooded vertebrates

Wohlfahrtia magnifica is a pest fly species, invading livestock in many European, African and Asian countries, and causing heavy agro-economic losses. In the life cycle of this obligatory parasite, adult flies infect the host by depositing the first-stage larvae into body cavities or open wounds. The feeding larvae cause severe (skin) tissue damage and potentially fatal infections if untreated. Despite serious health detriments and agro-economic concerns, genomic resources for understanding the biology of W. magnifica have so far been lacking. Here, we present a complete genome assembly from a single adult female W. magnifica using a Low-DNA Input workflow for PacBio HiFi library preparation. The de novo assembled genome is 753.99 Mb in length, with a scaffold N50 of 5.00 Mb, consisting of 16,718 predicted protein-encoding genes. Comparative genomic analysis revealed that W. magnifica has the closest phylogenetic relationship to Sarcophaga bullata followed by Lucilia cuprina. Evolutionary analysis of gene families showed expansions of 173 gene families in W. magnifica that were enriched for gene ontology (GO) categories related to immunity, insecticide-resistance mechanisms, heat stress response and cuticle development. In addition, 45 positively selected genes displaying various functions were identified. This new genomic resource contributes to the evolutionary and comparative analysis of dipterous flies and an in-depth understanding of many aspects of W. magnifica biology. Furthermore, it will facilitate the development of novel tools for controlling W. magnifica infection in livestock.

opencc-zeroJul 2022View details →

Data From: Evolution of woody plants to the land‐sea interface: The atypical genomic features of mangroves with atypical phenotypic adaptation

How plants adapt and diverge in extreme environments is a key question of plant evolution and ecology. Mangrove invasion of intertidal environments is facilitated by adaptive phenotypes such as aerial roots, salt-secreting leaf, and viviparity, and genomic mechanisms including whole genome duplication and transposable element number reduction. However, a number of mangroves lack these typical phenotypes. The question we ask is whether these phenotypically atypical mangroves also have distinct genomic features? The sibling mangrove species Lumnitzera littorea and Lumnitzera racemosa provide a model to study this question. We sequenced and assembled their genomes to chromosome level, together with a closely related species Combretum micranthum. While most mangroves have small genomes, the genomes of both Lumnitzera species are large (1443 and 1317 Mb) and carry a high proportion of repeat sequences (~75%). Moreover, Lumnitzera species have not undergone post-gamma whole-genome duplications. Their genome size increased mainly due to the expansion of repeat sequences in their ancestors. However, Lumnitzera genomes have reduced transposable elements by constraining the proliferation of new LTR-RTs. Meanwhile, the two species have more gene families contracted than expanded, and some gene families with reversed size change may underlie their differentiation in root morphology and local distribution. We identified 86 chromosomal inversions, five of which are measured between 6.5 and 12.8 megabases. A number of genes located in these inversions function in pigment biosynthesis, a process likely involved in flower color differentiation between the Lumnitzera species. We conclude that the mangroves with atypical phenotypes also have atypical genomic evolution.

opencc-zeroOct 2022View details →

Whole genome analyses disentangle reticulate evolution of primroses in a biodiversity hotspot

1. Biodiversity hotspots, such as the Caucasus mountains, provide unprecedented opportunities for understanding the evolutionary processes that shape species diversity and richness. Therefore, we investigated the evolution of Primula sect. Primula, a clade with a high degree of endemism in the Caucasus. 2. We performed phylogenetic and network analyses of whole-genome resequencing data from the entire nuclear genome, the entire chloroplast genome, and the entire heterostyly supergene. The different characteristics of the genomic partitions and the resulting phylogenetic incongruences enabled us to disentangle evolutionary histories resulting from tokogenetic versus cladogenetic processes. We provide the first phylogeny inferred from the heterostyly supergene that includes all species of Primula sect. Primula. 3. Our results identified recurrent admixture at deep nodes between lineages in the Caucasus as the cause of non-monophyly in Primula. Biogeographic analyses support the "out-of-the-Caucasus" hypothesis, emphasizing the importance of this hotspot as a cradle for biodiversity. 4. Our findings provide novel insights into causal processes of phylogenetic discordance, demonstrating that genome-wide analyses from partitions with contrasting genetic characteristics and broad geographic sampling are crucial for disentangling the diversification of species-rich clades in biodiversity hotspots.

opencc-by-4.0Apr 2024View details →

Complete telomere-to-telomere genomes uncover virulence evolution conferred by chromosome fusion in oomycete plant pathogens

Variations in chromosome number are occasionally observed among oomycetes, a group that includes many plant pathogens, but the emergence of such variations and their effects on genome and virulence evolution remain ambiguous. We generated complete telomere-to-telomere genome assemblies for Phytophthora sojae, Globisporangium ultimum, Pythium oligandrum, and G. spinosum. Reconstructing the karyotype of the most recent common ancestor in Peronosporales revealed that frequent chromosome fusion and fission drove changes in chromosome number. Centromeres enriched with Copia-like transposons may contribute to chromosome fusion and fission events. Chromosome fusion facilitated the emergence of pathogenicity genes and their adaptive evolution. Effectors tended to duplicate in the sub-telomere regions of fused chromosomes, which exhibited evolutionary features distinct to the non-fused chromosomes. By integrating ancestral genomic dynamics and structural predictions, we have identified secreted Ankyrin repeat-containing proteins (ANKs) as a novel class of effectors in P. sojae. Phylogenetic analysis and experiments further revealed that ANK is a specifically expanded effector family in oomycetes. These results revealed chromosome dynamics in oomycete plant pathogens, and provided novel insights into karyotype and effector evolution.

opencc-zeroMay 2024View details →

Hard edges, soft edges, and species range evolution: A genomic analysis of the Cumberland Plateau salamander

Aim: Gene flow from central to edge populations is thought to limit population growth at range edges by constraining local adaptation. In this study, we explore the thesis that range edges can differ in their dynamics and be either "hard" (e.g. a river) or "soft" (e.g. ecological gradients). We hypothesize that soft edge populations will have smaller effective population sizes than central populations and that gene flow will be greater from the center to the edge than vice versa. Conversely, we hypothesize that hard edge populations should have similar effective population sizes to central populations and that gene flow will be equal between the two. Location: Kentucky, West Virginia, and Virginia, USA. Taxon: Plethodon kentucki (Caudata: Plethodontidae). Methods: We evaluated landscape suitability using an ecological niche model, then we compared gene flow and effective population sizes between edge and central populations and quantified gene flow between populations. Finally, we characterized landscape genetic variation, testing for isolation by distance and isolation by environment. Results: We found continuously decreasing habitat quality along soft edges, with hard edges more variable. Additionally, we found that soft edges had lower effective population sizes than central populations and that gene flow was greater from the center of the range to the soft edges than the reverse. In hard edges, by contrast, we found effective population sizes in edge populations were similar to central populations, with relatively equal gene flow in both directions. Main conclusions: Understanding why species have range limits is central to investigations of the structure of biodiversity, yet the evolutionary dynamics of range edges remain poorly understood. We show that within a single species with a small range, the evolutionary dynamics operating at range boundaries may depend on the nature of the boundary.

Bryozoan genomes reveal extensive chromosome rearrangement and the evolution of bilaterian genome structure

Orthologous genes are commonly found together on the same chromosome over vast evolutionary distances. This extensive physical gene linkage, known as macrosynteny, can be seen between bilaterian phyla as divergent as Chordata, Echinodermata, Mollusca, and Nemertea and likely reflects the importance of genome organization to gene regulatory landscapes. Here, we report a unique pattern of genome evolution in Bryozoa, an understudied phylum of colonial invertebrates. Using comparative genomics, including phylogenetic reconstruction and orthologous gene mapping, we reconstruct the chromosomal evolutionary history of five bryozoans. We infer the ancestral bryozoan genome organization and identify multiple ancient chromosome fusions followed by gene mixing, leading to the near-complete loss of bilaterian linkage groups. A second wave of rearrangements, including chromosome fission, occurred independently in two bryozoan classes, further shuffling bryozoan genomes. We also discover at least five derived chromosomal fusion events shared between bryozoans and brachiopods, supporting the traditional yet highly debated Lophophorata hypothesis. Finally, we show that chromosome fusion and fission processes led to the separation of bryozoan Hox clusters. Our findings demonstrate that the canonical bilaterian genome structure has been lost across an entire phylum, reveal that linkage group fission can occur very frequently in specific lineages, and provide a powerful source of phylogenetic information.

Annelid comparative genomics and the evolution of massive lineage-specific genome rearrangement in bilaterians

The organization of genomes into chromosomes is critical for processes such as genetic recombination, environmental adaptation, and speciation. All animals with bilateral symmetry inherited a genome structure from their last common ancestor that has been highly conserved in some taxa but seemingly unconstrained in others. However, the evolutionary forces driving these differences and the processes by which they emerge have remained largely uncharacterized. Here we analyze genome organization across the phylum Annelida using 23 chromosome-level annelid genomes. We find that while most annelids have maintained the conserved bilaterian genome structure, a group containing leeches and earthworms possesses completely scrambled genomes. We develop a rearrangement index to quantify the extent of genome structure evolution and show leeches and earthworms to have the most highly rearranged genomes of any currently sampled bilaterian. We further show that bilaterian genomes can be classified into two distinct categories—high and low rearrangement—largely influenced by the presence or absence, respectively, of chromosome fission events. Our findings demonstrate that animal genome structure can be highly variable within a phylum and reveal that genome rearrangement can occur both in a gradual, stepwise fashion or as rapid, all-encompassing changes over short evolutionary timescales.

An efficient CRISPR-mediated genome editing system in diploid and polyploid Tragopogon (Asteraceae) enables functional studies of complex phenotypes and polyploid genome evolution

Polyploidy or whole-genome duplication (WGD) is a significant evolutionary force, especially in angiosperms. However, the underlying mechanisms governing polyploid genome evolution remain unclear, limited largely by a lack of functional analysis tools in organisms that best exemplify the earliest stages of WGD. Tragopogon (Asteraceae) includes an evolutionary model system for studying the immediate consequences of polyploidy. In this study, we significantly improved the genetic transformation of Tragopogon and obtained genome-edited T. porrifolius (2x) and T. mirus (4x) primary generation (T0) individuals. Using CRISPR/Cas9, we knocked out the dihydroflavonol 4-reductase (DFR) gene, which controls anthocyanin synthesis, in both T. porrifolius and T. mirus. All transgenic allotetraploid T. mirus individuals had at least one mutant DFR allele and 71.4% of the plants had all four DFR alleles (from both homeologs) edited, indicating a high efficiency of the CRISPR system in polyploid Tragopogon. The anticipated absence of the anthocyanin was observed in both leaf and floral tissues from T. porrifolius and T. mirus mutants. In addition, the mutations were inherited in the T1 generation. This study demonstrates a highly efficient CRISPR platform producing genome-edited Tragopogon individuals that have successfully completed their life cycle. The approaches used and challenges faced in building the CRISPR system in Tragopogon provide a framework for building similar systems in other nongenetic models. Genome editing in Tragopogon paves the way for novel functional biology studies of polyploid genome evolution and the consequences of WGD on complex traits, which holds enormous potential for both basic and applied research.

The role of structural variants in pest adaptation and genome evolution of the Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say)

Structural variation has been associated with genetic diversity and adaptation in diverse taxa. Despite these observations, it is not yet clear what their relative importance is for microevolution, especially with respect to known drivers of diversity, e.g., nucleotide substitutions, in rapidly adapting species. Here we examine the significance of structural variants (SVs) in pesticide resistance evolution of the agricultural super-pest, the Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata. By employing a parent offspring trio sequencing procedure, we develop highly contiguous reference genomes to characterize structural variation within this species. These updated assemblies represent >100-fold improvement of contiguity and include derived pest and ancestral non-pest individuals. We identify >200,000 SVs, which appear to be non-randomly distributed across the genome as they co-occur with transposable elements and genes. SVs intersect exons for a large proportion of gene annotations (~20%) and are associated with insecticide resistance, development, and transcription, most notably cytochrome P450 (CYP) genes. To understand the role that SVs might play in adaptation we measure allele frequencies of SVs for an additional 57 individuals, using whole genome resequencing data, representing pest and non-pest populations of North America. Incorporating multiple independent tests of significance using SNP data, we identify 14 positively selected genes that include SVs and SNPs of elevated frequency within the sampled pest lineages. Among these, four are associated with insecticide resistance. One of these genes, glycosyltransferase-13, is a duplicated gene enclosed within a structural variant that resides inside the CYP4g15 genic region. Both gene products have been observed to be co-induced during insecticide exposure. These results demonstrate the significance of structural variations as a genomic feature to describe species history, genetic diversity, and adaptation.