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Comparative Transcriptomics of Alternative Developmental Phenotypes in a Marine Gastropod
Maryna Pauline Lesoway1,2, Ehab Abouheif1, Rachel Collin2
1Department of Biology, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec, Canada.
Summary
Marine snails exhibit alternative phenotypes, with nutritive embryos developing via apoptosis. This study compares gene expression in nutritive versus viable embryos, revealing conserved mechanisms in gastropod development.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Genetics
- Marine Biology
Background:
- Alternative phenotypes arise from genetic and environmental factors.
- Nutritive embryos, a form of alternative phenotype, provide nourishment for siblings in species like the marine snail Crepidula navicella.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the genetic mechanisms underlying alternative phenotype development in Crepidula navicella.
- To compare transcriptomes of nutritive and viable embryos to identify differential gene expression.
Main Methods:
- High-throughput Illumina sequencing for de novo transcriptome assembly and annotation.
- Comparative transcriptomic analysis between nutritive and viable embryos.
- Gene Ontology (GO) term enrichment analysis using GOSeq.
Main Results:
- Viable embryos showed high expression of developmental genes.
- Nutritive embryos exhibited high expression of apoptosis-related transcripts.
- GOSeq analysis indicated enrichment of terms related to the negative regulation of apoptotic processes in nutritive embryos.
Conclusions:
- Apoptosis plays a significant role in the formation of nutritive embryos in Crepidula navicella.
- The findings suggest that apoptosis is a conserved mechanism in the development of alternative phenotypes within gastropods.
- This research provides further evidence supporting the hypothesis that nutritive embryos represent an alternative developmental phenotype.
