Speciation in ninespine stickleback: reproductive isolation and phenotypic divergence among cryptic species of Japanese ninespine stickleback.

Although similar patterns of phenotypic diversification are often observed in phylogenetically independent lineages, differences in the magnitude and direction of phenotypic divergence have been also observed among independent lineages, even when exposed to the same ecological gradients. The stickleback family is a good model with which to explore the ecological and genetic basis of parallel and nonparallel patterns of phenotypic evolution, because there are a variety of populations and species that are locally adapted to divergent environments. Although the patterns of phenotypic divergence as well as the genetic and ecological mechanisms have been well characterized in threespine sticklebacks, Gasterosteus aculeatus, we know little about the patterns of phenotypic diversification in other stickleback lineages. In eastern Hokkaido, Japan, there are three species of ninespine sticklebacks, Pungitius tymensis and the freshwater type and the brackish-water type of the P. pungitius-P. sinensis species complex. They utilize divergent habitats along coast-stream gradients of rivers. Here, we investigated genetic, ecological and phenotypic divergence among three species of Japanese ninespine sticklebacks. Divergence in trophic morphology and salinity tolerance occurred in the direction predicted by the patterns observed in threespine sticklebacks. However, the patterns of divergence in armour plate were different from those previously found in threespine sticklebacks. Furthermore, the genetic basis of plate variation may differ from that in threespine sticklebacks. Because threespine sticklebacks are well-established model for evolutionary research, the sympatric trio of ninespine sticklebacks will be an invaluable resource for ecological and genetic studies on both common and lineage-specific patterns of phenotypic diversification.

Reduction of sexual dimorphism in stream-resident forms of three-spined stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus.

Sexual dimorphism in geometric body shape and external morphology was compared between marine and stream-resident forms of three-spined stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus collected from North America and Japan. Some aspects of sexual dimorphism were shared between ecotypes: males had larger heads than females with no significant effect of ecotype on the magnitude of sexual dimorphism. By contrast, a significant sex-by-ecotype interaction was found for body depth. Males tended to have deeper bodies than females in both forms, but the magnitude of sexual dimorphism was reduced in stream-resident forms. Although females were generally larger in standard length and had larger pelvic girdles, significant sexual dimorphism in these traits was not consistently found across populations or ecotypes. These results suggest that some aspects of sexual dimorphism were shared between ecotypes, while others were unique to each population. The results further suggest that ecology may influence the evolution of sexual dimorphism in some external morphological traits, such as body depth.

Ecological divergence and habitat isolation between two migratory forms of Japanese threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus).

When two closely related species migrate to divergent spawning sites, divergent use of spawning habitats can directly reduce heterospecific mating. Furthermore, adaptations to divergent spawning habitats can promote speciation as a by-product of ecological divergence. Here, we investigated habitat isolation and ecological divergence between two anadromous forms of threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus), the Japan Sea and Pacific Ocean forms. In several coastal regions of eastern Hokkaido, Japan, these forms migrate to the same watershed to spawn. Our field surveys in a single watershed revealed that segregation of distinct spawning sites between the two forms was maintained within the watershed across multiple years. These spawning sites diverged in salinity and predator composition. Morphological and physiological divergence between the forms also occurs in the direction predicted by ecological differences between the spawning sites. Our data indicate that migration into divergent spawning habitats can be an important mechanism contributing to speciation and phenotypic divergence in anadromous fishes.

PICK1 interacts with and regulates PKC phosphorylation of mGLUR7.

The G-protein-coupled metabotropic glutamate receptor subtype 7a (mGluR7a) is a member of group III metabotropic glutamate receptors that plays an important role as a presynaptic receptor in regulating transmitter release at glutamatergic synapses. Here we report that the protein interacting with C-kinase (PICK1) binds to the C terminus (ct) of mGluR7a. In the yeast two-hybrid system, the extreme ct of mGluR7a was shown to interact with the PSD-95/Discs large/ZO-1 (PDZ) domain of PICK1. Pull-down assays indicated that PICK1 was retained by a glutathione S-transferase fusion of ct-mGluR7a. Furthermore, recombinant and native PICK1/mGluR7a complexes were coimmunoprecipitated from COS-7 cells and rat brain tissue, respectively. Confocal microscopy showed that both PICK1 and mGluR7a displayed synaptic colocalization in cultured hippocampal neurons. PICK1 has previously been shown to bind protein kinase C alpha-subunit (PKCalpha), and mGluR7a is known to be phosphorylated by PKC. We show a relationship between these three proteins using recombinant PICK1, mGluR7, and PKCalpha, where they were co-immunoprecipitated as a complex from COS-7 cells. In addition, PICK1 caused a reduction in PKCalpha-evoked phosphorylation of mGluR7a in in vitro phosphorylation assays. These results suggest a role for PICK1 in modulating PKCalpha-evoked phosphorylation of mGluR7a.