Comparative Transcriptomics of Malaria Mosquito Testes: Function, Evolution, and Linkage

Overview

Journal G3 (Bethesda)

Publisher Oxford University Press

Specialties Genetics
Molecular Biology

Date 2017 Feb 5

PMID 28159865

Citations 5

Authors

Bryan J Cassone

Raissa G G Kay

Matthew P Daugherty

Bradley J White

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Testes-biased genes evolve rapidly and are important in the establishment, solidification, and maintenance of reproductive isolation between incipient species. The complex, a group of at least eight isomorphic mosquito species endemic to Sub-Saharan Africa, is an excellent system to explore the evolution of testes-biased genes. Within this group, the testes are an important tissue in the diversification process because hybridization between species results in sterile hybrid males, but fully fertile females. We conducted RNA sequencing of and carcass and testes to explore tissue- and species-specific patterns of gene expression. Our data provides support for transcriptional repression of X-linked genes in the male germline, which likely drives demasculinization of the X chromosome. Testes-biased genes predominately function in cellular differentiation and show a number of interesting patterns indicative of their rapid evolution, including elevated values, low evolutionary conservation, poor annotation in existing reference genomes, and a high likelihood of differential expression between species.

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