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Quantification of Information Encoded by Gene Expression Levels During Lifespan Modulation Under Broad-range Dietary Restriction in C. elegans
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Genome-Wide Gene Birth-Death Dynamics Are Associated with Diet Breadth Variation in Lepidoptera
Hanna Dort1, Wouter van der Bijl2, Niklas Wahlberg3
1Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.
Genome Biology and Evolution
|July 8, 2024
Summary
Gene family evolution in Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths) reveals links between diet breadth and genes for detoxification and digestion. Shifts in gene birth-death dynamics, including pheromone receptors, also occurred during butterfly evolution.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary Biology
- Genomics
- Molecular Evolution
Background:
- Gene birth-death dynamics are crucial for understanding evolutionary adaptations.
- Previous studies often focused on specific gene subsets, potentially missing broader evolutionary trends.
- Comparative genomics offers a powerful approach to investigate gene family evolution across species.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify gene birth-death dynamics in Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths) associated with feeding strategies.
- To investigate the evolutionary significance of gene family expansions and contractions in relation to diet breadth.
- To discover gene families that underwent significant evolutionary shifts at the butterfly crown node.
Main Methods:
- Whole-genome analysis of 30 Lepidoptera species.
- Uniform protein annotation across all analyzed genomes.
- Phylogenetic correction to account for evolutionary relationships.
- Unbiased assessment of all gene families for birth-death dynamics.
Main Results:
- Significant correlations found between the size of gene families (e.g., pesticide resistance, detoxification, protein digestion) and diet breadth.
- Identified 22 gene families with significant shifts in birth-death dynamics at the butterfly crown node.
- Observed a contraction in the pheromone receptor gene family, potentially linked to a shift towards visual mate recognition.
Conclusions:
- Uniform annotations and phylogenetic corrections are essential for robust gene family analyses.
- Gene family dynamics, particularly those related to detoxification and digestion, are strongly associated with feeding strategies in Lepidoptera.
- Evolutionary shifts in gene families, such as pheromone receptors, can accompany major ecological or behavioral transitions.
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