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Genomic sequence around butterfly wing development genes: annotation and comparative analysis
Inês C Conceição1, Anthony D Long, Jonathan D Gruber
1Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Oeiras, Portugal.
Plos One
|September 13, 2011
Summary
Genomic analysis of the butterfly Bicyclus anynana reveals conserved non-coding regions around developmental genes and an expansion of Alcohol dehydrogenase genes, aiding butterfly evolution studies.
Area of Science:
- Genomics
- Developmental Biology
- Evolutionary Biology
Background:
- Genomic sequence analysis aids in understanding genome organization and identifying functional elements.
- Bacterial Artificial Chromosome (BAC) libraries provide access to large genomic regions, crucial for species lacking a fully sequenced genome.
- Butterflies, with their diverse wing patterns, present unique genetic and biological properties, yet lack a sequenced genome, hindering evolutionary studies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize genomic sequence in the butterfly Bicyclus anynana, focusing on regions around developmental genes.
- To investigate the conservation of synteny and DNA sequence in B. anynana compared to other Lepidoptera.
- To identify novel genetic elements and evolutionary patterns, particularly concerning wing pattern development.
Main Methods:
- Characterization of approximately 1.3 Mb of genomic sequence in B. anynana.
- Manual curation of in silico predictions using a dataset of expressed genes.
- Comparative analysis with orthologous regions of the lepidopteran reference genome.
Main Results:
- Identification of repetitive elements and protein-coding sequences.
- Discovery of an expansion in Alcohol dehydrogenase genes.
- Detection of conserved synteny, including inversions and translocations, and high conservation of non-coding DNA around some developmental genes.
Conclusions:
- The genomic organization of B. anynana is similar to the lepidopteran reference despite significant divergence.
- An expansion of Alcohol dehydrogenase genes was observed, with high similarity among B. anynana paralogs.
- Non-coding sequences surrounding key developmental genes like wingless and Ecdysone receptor are highly conserved, suggesting functional importance in wing pattern formation.
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