A Transposable Element Insertion is Associated with An alternative Life History Strategy

Overview

Journal Nat Commun

Specialty Biology

Date 2019 Dec 19

PMID 31848330

Citations 20

Authors

Alyssa Woronik

Kalle Tunstrom

Michael W Perry

Ramprasad Neethiraj

Constanti Stefanescu

Maria de la Paz Celorio-Mancera

Oskar Brattstrom

Jason Hill

Philipp Lehmann

Reijo Kakela

Christopher W Wheat

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Tradeoffs affect resource allocation during development and result in fitness consequences that drive the evolution of life history strategies. Yet despite their importance, we know little about the mechanisms underlying life history tradeoffs. Many species of Colias butterflies exhibit an alternative life history strategy (ALHS) where females divert resources from wing pigment synthesis to reproductive and somatic development. Due to this reallocation, a wing color polymorphism is associated with the ALHS: either yellow/orange or white. Here we map the locus associated with this ALHS in Colias crocea to a transposable element insertion located downstream of the Colias homolog of BarH-1, a homeobox transcription factor. Using CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing, antibody staining, and electron microscopy we find white-specific expression of BarH-1 suppresses the formation of pigment granules in wing scales and gives rise to white wing color. Lipid and transcriptome analyses reveal physiological differences associated with the ALHS. Together, these findings characterize a mechanism for a female-limited ALHS.

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