The molecular basis of Mullerian mimicry

缪勒拟态的分子基础

• 批准号: BB/E011845/1
• 负责人: Chris Jiggins
• 金额: $ 42.87万
• 依托单位: University of Cambridge
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2007
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2007 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=BB%2FE011845%2F1
• 关键词: molecular; basis; Mullerian; mimicry

Mimicry among butterfly species is a paradigm example of evolution and adaptation, but its molecular genetic basis has never been studied. Here we will use modern genomic techniques to identify genes controlling mimicry patterns in the genus Heliconius, a well-known evolutionary model system. What is particularly striking is our recent discovery that three Heliconius species use the same genetic region to control variation in colour patterns. In two of the species, H. melpomene and H. erato, these are convergent patterns that evolved through mutual mimicry. In the third species, H. numata, the patterns are very divergent and mimic species from a different sub-family, the Ithomiinae. Furthermore in H. numata the locus is a 'supergene' i.e. a single locus that controls all aspects of wing pattern and is polymorphic within populations (many different-looking forms are found flying together in the same population). Thus, the same region of the genome has somehow evolved to control both convergent and divergent patterns. Here we will use markers already developed in H. melpomene to identify the region of interest in the other two species and obtain DNA sequence for a sufficiently large region that we are sure contains the gene of interest in all three species. This will allow a comparison of genome organisation in this region between the three species and a test for reorganisation of the genome that may underlie the evolution of wing pattern. In particular there is a long-standing hypothesis that a 'supergene' such as that seen in H. numata might arise by gradually moving several genes together (the evolutionary advantage of this is that unfit intermediate patterns are avoided in wild populations). This study will allow the first explicit test of this hypothesis at a molecular level. We will then determine which locus in this region is controlling the yellow band pattern in H. melpomene. We will first identify all the possible genes in this region as candidates for being the patterning locus, and determine which ones are expressed in developing wings and whether they show any patterns that correlate with the wing patterns. We therefore aim to identify the Yb gene that controls a band on the hindwing of H. melpomene, and compare the organisation of the genome in the region of this locus between the three species. This work offers an unusual opportunity to link a trait whose importance in natural populations is well studied with a change at the level of DNA sequences. It will represent the first time that a gene controlling natural variation in such a well studied trait has been characterised at a molecular level, and will stimulate future developmental and population genetic studies of mimicry in Heliconius. In particular, the results will facilitate future studies of how strong selection on a gene affects variation in the surrounding genome.

蝴蝶物种之间的模仿是进化和适应的范例，但从未研究过其分子遗传基础。在这里，我们将使用现代基因组技术来识别控制模仿模式Heliconius（一种众所周知的进化模型系统）中的基因。特别令人惊讶的是，我们最近发现，三种Heliconius物种使用相同的遗传区域来控制颜色模式的变化。在两个物种（H. Melpomene和H. erato）中，这些是通过相互模仿进化的收敛模式。在第三种（H. numata）中，这些模式与不同的亚家族的Ithomiinae是非常不同的和模仿物种。此外，在H. numata中，该基因座是一个“超基因”，即控制机翼模式的各个方面，并且是人群中多态性的单个基因座（在同一人群中发现了许多不同外观的形式）。因此，基因组的同一区域以某种方式进化以控制收敛和不同的模式。在这里，我们将使用已经在梅尔托烯中开发的标记来识别其他两个物种的感兴趣区域，并获得一个足够大的区域的DNA序列，我们肯定在所有三种物种中都包含了感兴趣的基因。这将允许在该区域中的基因组组织与三个物种之间的基因组组织进行比较，并测试基因组的重组，这可能是机翼模式演变的基础。特别是有一个长期存在的假设，即诸如H. numata中看到的“超基因”可能是通过逐渐将几个基因移动在一起的（这的进化优势是避免了野生种群中不合适的中间模式）。这项研究将允许在分子水平上首次对该假设进行明确检验。然后，我们将确定该区域中的哪个基因座控制H. Melpomene中的黄色带模式。我们将首先将该区域中的所有可能基因确定为候选图案基因座，并确定哪些基因在开发翅膀中表达了哪些基因座，以及它们是否显示出与机翼模式相关的任何模式。因此，我们旨在确定控制梅尔托烯的障碍的YB基因，并比较三个物种之间该基因座区域中基因组的组织。这项工作提供了一个不寻常的机会，可以将其在自然种群中的重要性进行很好的研究，并在DNA序列的水平上进行了更改。这将代表第一次控制这种经过良好研究性状的自然变异的基因在分子水平上得到表征，并刺激模仿中未来的发展和种群遗传研究。特别是，结果将促进对基因的强烈选择如何影响周围基因组变异的未来研究。

项目成果

Genomic hotspots for adaptation: the population genetics of Müllerian mimicry in the Heliconius melpomene clade.

• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1000794
• 发表时间: 2010-02-05
• 期刊: PLoS genetics
• 影响因子: 4.5
• 作者: Baxter SW;Nadeau NJ;Maroja LS;Wilkinson P;Counterman BA;Dawson A;Beltran M;Perez-Espona S;Chamberlain N;Ferguson L;Clark R;Davidson C;Glithero R;Mallet J;McMillan WO;Kronforst M;Joron M;Ffrench-Constant RH;Jiggins CD
• 通讯作者: Jiggins CD

Next generation transcriptomes for next generation genomes using est2assembly.

• DOI: 10.1186/1471-2105-10-447
• 发表时间: 2009-12-24
• 期刊: BMC bioinformatics
• 影响因子: 3
• 作者: Papanicolaou A;Stierli R;Ffrench-Constant RH;Heckel DG
• 通讯作者: Heckel DG

Highly conserved gene order and numerous novel repetitive elements in genomic regions linked to wing pattern variation in Heliconius butterflies.

• DOI: 10.1186/1471-2164-9-345
• 发表时间: 2008-07-22
• 期刊: BMC genomics
• 影响因子: 4.4
• 作者: Papa R;Morrison CM;Walters JR;Counterman BA;Chen R;Halder G;Ferguson L;Chamberlain N;Ffrench-Constant R;Kapan DD;Jiggins CD;Reed RD;McMillan WO
• 通讯作者: McMillan WO