Natural Selection for Miillerian Mimicry in Heliconius erato in Costa Rica

The natural color pattern of individuals of the unpalatable and mimetic butterfly Heliconius erato was altered to a unique nonmimetic pattern. When returned to natural populations, the nonmimetic individuals remained for shorter periods of time and received more wing damage indicative of predator attacks than did the controls. The results indicate that Müllerian mimicry was functioning to protect the butterflies from predation.     

Evolution of shape by multiple regulatory changes to a growth gene

The genetic changes responsible for morphological differences between species are largely unidentified. Such changes can involve modifications of growth that are relevant to understanding evolution, development, and disease. We identified a gene that induces male-specific wing size and shape differences between Nasonia wasp species. Fine-scale mapping and in situ hybridization reveal that changes in at least three regions (two strictly in noncoding sequence) around the gene unpaired-like (upd-like) cause changes in spatial and temporal expression of upd-like in the developing wing and corresponding changes in wing width. Upd-like shows homology to the Drosophila unpaired gene, a well-studied signaling protein that regulates cell proliferation and differentiation. Our results indicate how multiple changes in the regulation of upd-like are involved in microevolution of morphological and sex-specific differences between species.     

A single amino acid mutation contributes to adaptive beach mouse color pattern

Natural populations of beach mice exhibit a characteristic color pattern, relative to their mainland conspecifics, driven by natural selection for crypsis. We identified a derived, charge-changing amino acid mutation in the melanocortin-1 receptor (Mc1r) in beach mice, which decreases receptor function. In genetic crosses, allelic variation at Mc1r explains 9.8% to 36.4% of the variation in seven pigmentation traits determining color pattern. The derived Mc1r allele is present in Florida's Gulf Coast beach mice but not in Atlantic coast mice with similar light coloration, suggesting that different molecular mechanisms are responsible for convergent phenotypic evolution. Here, we link a single mutation in the coding region of a pigmentation gene to adaptive quantitative variation in the wild.     

The Ashbya gossypii genome as a tool for mapping the ancient Saccharomyces cerevisiae genome

We have sequenced and annotated the genome of the filamentous ascomycete Ashbya gossypii. With a size of only 9.2 megabases, encoding 4718 protein-coding genes, it is the smallest genome of a free-living eukaryote yet characterized. More than 90% of A. gossypii genes show both homology and a particular pattern of synteny with Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Analysis of this pattern revealed 300 inversions and translocations that have occurred since divergence of these two species. It also provided compelling evidence that the evolution of S. cerevisiae included a whole genome duplication or fusion of two related species and showed, through inferred ancient gene orders, which of the duplicated genes lost one copy and which retained both copies.     

Sexual conflict via maternal-effect genes in ZW species

In female heterogamous (ZW) species, sex-linked genes coding for maternal products that are packaged into the egg open a unique arena for genetic conflict that does not occur in male heterogamous (XY) species. Z-linked maternal-effect alleles that help sons and harm daughters are expected to go to fixation, as are W-linked alleles that help daughters and harm sons. This conflict differs from known cases of meiotic drive, because sex-specific ontogeny, physiology, and gene expression greatly simplify the genetic interactions that lead to sexual conflict. Selection on maternal-effect genes may substantially alter the evolution of ZW compared with XY systems.     

Evolution of the gene network underlying wing polyphenism in ants

Wing polyphenism in ants evolved once, 125 million years ago, and has been a key to their amazing evolutionary success. We characterized the expression of several genes within the network underlying the wing primordia of reproductive (winged) and sterile (wingless) ant castes. We show that the expression of several genes within the network is conserved in the winged castes of four ant species, whereas points of interruption within the network in the wingless castes are evolutionarily labile. The simultaneous evolutionary lability and conservation of the network underlying wing development in ants may have played an important role in the morphological diversification of this group and may be a general feature of polyphenic development and evolution in plants and animals.     

Juvenile hormone regulates butterfly larval pattern switches

Insect color patterns can be very diverse. This variation is also seen among many larval instar stages, which can take on vastly different phenotypes. Young caterpillars of the swallowtail butterfly, Papilio xuthus, are mimics of bird droppings, whereas the fifth larval instar is camouflaged among the leaves of host plants (cryptic pattern). We find that juvenile hormone (JH) titers decrease during the fourth larval instar. Furthermore, treatment with JH analog at the beginning of the fourth instar stage resulted in reproducing the mimetic pattern instead of the usual cryptic one and likewise altered gene expression patterns to that associated with the mimetic pattern. These findings suggest that JH regulates the progressive larval pattern switch of this insect.     

小菜粉蝶颗粒体病毒lef-3基因的克隆与分析

 【目的】研究杆状病毒lef-3基因的起源与进化,从分子水平明确病毒之间的亲缘关系。【方法】通过常规PCR方法获得小菜粉蝶颗粒体病毒晚期基因表达调控因子lef-3的基因片段,克隆后测序,然后利用软件对lef-3及编码序列进行生物信息学分析。【结果】克隆得到的PiraGV lef-3基因ORF序列中存在4个突变位点,但氨基酸性质未发生改变,推导PiraGV LEF-3蛋白含399个氨基酸残基,分子量为3.99 kD;通过高级结构预测及其编码序列与其它杆状病毒的LEF-3同源性比对表明,该基因可能编码单链DNA结合蛋白;BLAST比对发现lef-3基因只存在于鳞翅目昆虫为宿主的杆状病毒基因组;进化分析表明LEF-3可分为3组,其中GV属的LEF-3聚类为1个组,NPV属的LEF-3聚类为2个组;GV的lef-3基因编码区的选择压力分析表明,大多数lef-3基因间相比较表现为负向选择,但不同lef-3基因间的Ka/Ks不同,也有正向选择;起源分析表明,杆状病毒lef-3基因可能来源于细菌。【结论】获得了小菜粉蝶颗粒体病毒（PiraGV）lef-3基因,通过生物信息学分析推测出了lef-3基因的起源进化规律。     

Convergent morphological evolution detected by studying proteins of tree frogs in the Hyla eximia species group

Protein studies have uncovered an apparent case of convergent evolution among North American tree frogs. The species Hyla eximia and Hyla regilla are so similar in external morphology that the "wrightorum" subspecies is assigned by some authorities to H. eximia and by others to H. regilla. Yet microcomplement fixation experiments show that "wrightorum" albumin, though virtually indistinguishable from authentic H. eximia albumin, differs as much from H. regilla albumin as from albumins of species outside the genus Hyla, such as Acris crepitans. The morphological resemblance of "wrightorum" to H. regilla is thus probably due to convergence.     

Gene flow and the geographic structure of natural populations

There is abundant geographic variation in both morphology and gene frequency in most species. The extent of geographic variation results from a balance of forces tending to produce local genetic differentiation and forces tending to produce genetic homogeneity. Mutation, genetic drift due to finite population size, and natural selection favoring adaptations to local environmental conditions will all lead to the genetic differentiation of local populations, and the movement of gametes, individuals, and even entire populations--collectively called gene flow--will oppose that differentiation. Gene flow may either constrain evolution by preventing adaptation to local conditions or promote evolution by spreading new genes and combinations of genes throughout a species' range. Several methods are available for estimating the amount of gene flow. Direct methods monitor ongoing gene flow, and indirect methods use spatial distributions of gene frequencies to infer past gene flow. Applications of these methods show that species differ widely in the gene flow that they experience. Of particular interest are those species for which direct methods indicate little current gene flow but indirect methods indicate much higher levels of gene flow in the recent past. Such species probably have undergone large-scale demographic changes relatively frequently.     

Microfluidic digital PCR enables multigene analysis of individual environmental bacteria

Gene inventory and metagenomic techniques have allowed rapid exploration of bacterial diversity and the potential physiologies present within microbial communities. However, it remains nontrivial to discover the identities of environmental bacteria carrying two or more genes of interest. We have used microfluidic digital polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to amplify and analyze multiple, different genes obtained from single bacterial cells harvested from nature. A gene encoding a key enzyme involved in the mutualistic symbiosis occurring between termites and their gut microbiota was used as an experimental hook to discover the previously unknown ribosomal RNA-based species identity of several symbionts. The ability to systematically identify bacteria carrying a particular gene and to link any two or more genes of interest to single species residing in complex ecosystems opens up new opportunities for research on the environment.     

16S rRNA和COI基因条形码在12种观赏鱼种类鉴定中的应用

应用通用引物测定观赏鱼市场上价值较高的红尾金龙鱼、黄尾龙鱼、青龙鱼、珍珠龙鱼、银龙鱼、神仙鱼、非洲珠宝鱼、接吻鱼、珍珠毛足鲈、蓝钻石孔雀、孔雀鱼、锦鲤等12种观赏鱼的16SrRNA基因和COI基因部分序列。应用DNA序列分析软件,对这些基因进行同源性比较和系统发育分析。通过GenBank中的核酸BLAST和BOLD SYSTEMS数据库对这些基因序列进行比对,结果表明16SrRNA基因和COI基因可以在物种水平作为基因条码对亚洲龙鱼、珍珠龙鱼、银龙鱼和神仙鱼等观赏鱼进行准确的鉴别,而且应用COI基因构建的系统发育树比16SrRNA基因更加接近现有的鱼类分类体系。但对形态十分相似的慈鲷等观赏鱼,以及红尾金龙鱼、黄尾龙鱼、青龙鱼等同一个物种不同品系的观赏鱼依靠16SrRNA基因或COI基因都无法准确鉴定,需要研究进化速度更快的DNA基因条码。     

基因组水平的寄生蜂基因家族扩张和收缩分析

寄生蜂在生物防治中得到广泛的利用。随着测序技术的进步,很多寄生蜂的基因组被测序。深入研究寄生蜂的基因家族进化,对揭示寄生蜂克服寄主免疫反应,从寄主血淋巴中获得营养的分子机制等具有重要作用。对9个寄生蜂基因组数据开展了全基因组水平的基因家族分析,包括4个茧蜂科物种、4个小蜂总科物种和1个尾蜂。分析结果表明,同一个科的寄生蜂,在基因家族的扩张和收缩方面既存在共性也存在较大的差异。对同时在3个以上（含3个）物种中扩张或收缩的基因家族进行了进一步的分析,表明细胞运动、营养物质合成相关的基因家族在寄生蜂中发生了收缩和丢失,而代谢和遗传物质合成等相关的基因家族发生了明显的扩增。     

毛果杨1-羟基-2-甲基-2-(E)-丁烯基-4-二磷酸合酶(HDS)基因的生物信息学分析

[目的]研究HDS基因间的同源性及其进化关系。[方法]以毛果杨的HDS基因为研究对象,利用生物信息学软件及网站对其进行碱基分布、氨基酸组成、亲疏水性、保守区以及二级结构和三级结构的预测与分析。,并与其他10个物种的HDS基因序列进行多重比对与进化分析。[结果]毛果杨HDS基因的单链mRNA序列长1 956 bp,编码由656个氨基酸组成的蛋白质,该蛋白质相对分子质量为72 937.03,其中含量最高的是Leu,为10.50%;整个多肽中疏水性氨基酸只占39.63%,有10个亲水区和6个疏水区;与其他10个物种同源性多重比对发现同源性最高达99%。[结论]毛果杨HDS基因处于稳定状态,编码的蛋白为亲水性蛋白,在进化过程中是保守的;试验中获得的保守区段序列信息为新基因的克隆奠定了基础。