Comparative transcriptomic analysis of fireflies (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) to explore the molecular adaptations to fresh water.
Mol Ecol
; 29(14): 2676-2691, 2020 07.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-32512643
ABSTRACT
Aquatic insects are well adapted to freshwater environments, but the molecular basis of these adaptations remains largely unknown. Most firefly species (Coleoptera Lampyridae) are terrestrial, but the larvae of several species are aquatic. Here, larval and adult transcriptomes from Aquatica leii (freshwater) and Lychnuris praetexta (terrestrial) were generated to test whether the genes associated with metabolic efficiency and morphology have undergone adaptive evolution to fresh water. The aquatic fireflies had a significantly lower ratio of nonsynonymous to synonymous substitutions than the terrestrial insects, indicating a genomewide evolutionary constraint in the aquatic fireflies. We identified 341 fast-evolving genes and 116 positively selected genes in the aquatic fireflies. Of these, 76 genes exhibiting both fast evolution and positive selection were primarily involved in ATP production, energy metabolism and the hypoxia response. We identified 7,271 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in A. leii (adults versus larvae) and 8,309 DEGs in L. praetexta (adults versus larvae). DEGs specific to the aquatic firefly (n = 1,445) were screened via interspecific comparisons (A. leii versus L. praetexta) and were significantly enriched for genes involved in metabolic efficiency (e.g., ATP production, hypoxia, and immune responses) and certain aspects of morphology (e.g., cuticle chitin, tracheal and compound eye morphology). These results indicate that sequence and expression-level changes in genes associated with both metabolic efficiency and morphological attributes related to the freshwater lifestyle contributed to freshwater adaptation in fireflies. This study provides new insights into the molecular mechanisms of aquatic adaptation in insects.
Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Banco de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Adaptación Biológica
/
Luciérnagas
/
Transcriptoma
/
Agua Dulce
Límite:
Animals
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Mol Ecol
Asunto de la revista:
BIOLOGIA MOLECULAR
/
SAUDE AMBIENTAL
Año:
2020
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
China