Genetic and genomic architecture of species-specific cuticular hydrocarbon variation in parasitoid wasps

Buellesbach, Jan; Holze, Henrietta; Schrader, Lukas; Liebig, Jürgen; Schmitt, Thomas; Gadau, Juergen; Niehuis, Oliver

doi:10.1101/2021.10.18.464893

Cited by 3 publications

(9 citation statements)

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“…Through a wider evolutionary lens, it will be interesting to investigate how the present findings compare to other communication systems with a different chemical basis, for instance in moths, where species-specific sexual attractiveness is largely mediated by ratios of long-range pheromonal components such as alcohols, aldehydes, and acetate esters (2,6). Concerning gene orthology, fas5 has been annotated as a homolog to FASN3 in D. melanogaster (28,45). Interestingly, knockdowns of FASN3 alone do not induce any compound changes in D. melanogaster CHC profiles but increase the flies' sensitivity to desiccation (25).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Apart from these case studies limited to Drosophila, we know very little about the genetic basis linking CHC biosynthesis and sexual signaling in other insects (19). The parasitoid jewel wasp Nasonia vitripennis (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) has emerged as a suitable model organism to combine studies on functional genetics as well as chemical communication systems in Hymenoptera (28,29). Female CHCs serve as sexual cues capable of eliciting male courtship and copulation behavior in N. vitripennis (15,30).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The parasitoid jewel wasp Nasonia vitripennis (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) has emerged as a suitable model organism to combine studies on functional genetics as well as chemical communication systems in Hymenoptera (28, 29). Female CHCs serve as sexual cues capable of eliciting male courtship and copulation behavior in N. vitripennis (15, 30).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, the entire female CHC profile has long been regarded as encoding their sexual attractiveness, with no single compound, compound classes or particular patterns being identifiable as the main conveyers of the sexual signaling function (30, 31). Moreover, despite recent advances in unraveling the genetic architecture of CHC biosynthesis and variation in the Nasonia genus (28), the effects of individual genes on CHC profiles and, more importantly, on the encoded sexual signaling function, could not be determined as of yet.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Decoding the genetic and chemical basis of sexual attractiveness in parasitic wasps

Sun

Lange

Gadau

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Attracting and securing potential mating partners is of fundamental importance for successfully initiating reproduction and thus assuring the passing of genes to the next generation. Therefore, signaling sexual attractiveness is expected to be tightly coordinated in communication systems synchronizing senders and receivers. Chemical signaling has permeated through all taxa of life as the earliest and most wide-spread form of communication and is particularly prevalent in insects. However, it has been notoriously difficult to decipher how exactly information related to sexual signaling is encoded in complex chemical profiles. Similarly, our knowledge of the genetic basis of sexual signaling is very limited and usually restricted to a few case studies with comparably simple pheromonal communication mechanisms. The present study jointly addresses these two knowledge gaps by characterizing a single gene simultaneously impacting sexual attractiveness and complex chemical surface profiles in parasitic wasps. Knocking down a fatty acid synthase gene in female wasps dramatically reduces their sexual attractiveness coinciding with a drastic decrease in male courtship and copulation behavior. Concordantly, we found a striking shift of methyl-branching patterns in the female surface pheromonal compounds, which we subsequently demonstrate to be the main cause for the greatly reduced male response. Intriguingly, this suggests a potential coding mechanism for sexual attractiveness mediated by specific methyl-branching patterns, whose genetic underpinnings are not well understood despite their high potential for encoding information. Our study sheds light on how biologically relevant information can be encoded in complex chemical profiles and on the genetic basis of sexual attractiveness.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Decoding the genetic and chemical basis of sexual attractiveness in parasitic wasps

Sun

Lange

Gadau

et al. 2023

Preprint

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“…All data necessary for full comprehension of the presented study are made available either directly as figures and tables in the manuscript or in the electronic supplementary material [63]. All raw data underlying the manuscript are available from the Dryad data repository under: https://doi.org/10.6078/D1XD8T [64].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genetic and genomic architecture of species-specific cuticular hydrocarbon variation in parasitoid wasps

et al. 2022

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Cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) serve two fundamental functions in insects: protection against desiccation and chemical signalling. How the interaction of genes shapes CHC profiles, which are essential for insect survival, adaptation and reproductive success, is still poorly understood. Here we investigate the genetic and genomic basis of CHC biosynthesis and variation in parasitoid wasps of the genus Nasonia . We mapped 91 quantitative trait loci (QTL) explaining the variation of a total of 43 CHCs in F 2 hybrid males from interspecific crosses between three Nasonia species. To identify candidate genes, we localized orthologues of CHC biosynthesis-related genes in the Nasonia genomes. We discovered multiple genomic regions where the location of QTL coincides with the location of CHC biosynthesis-related candidate genes. Most conspicuously, on a region close to the centromere of chromosome 1, multiple CHC biosynthesis-related candidate genes co-localize with several QTL explaining variation in methyl-branched alkanes. The genetic underpinnings behind this compound class are not well understood so far, despite their high potential for encoding chemical information as well as their prevalence in hymenopteran CHC profiles. Our study considerably extends our knowledge on the genetic architecture governing this important compound class, establishing a model for methyl-branched alkane genetics in the Hymenoptera in general.

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Chemical and population genetic analysis show no evidence of ecotype formation in a European population of the parasitoid wasp Nasonia vitripennis

Buellesbach,

Lammers,

van de Belt

et al. 2023

Front. Ecol. Evol.

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Ecotypes, subpopulations or strains of a single species locally adapted to divergent ecological conditions within the same habitat are often considered to be the first steps in sympatric speciation. It has been suggested that two ecotypes are distinguishable in Nasonia vitripennis, a prominent model organism for parasitic Hymenoptera, with one ecotype parasitizing fly pupae in bird nests, and the other one parasitizing fly pupae on carrion. This differentiation into two ecotypes has been hypothesized to indicate incipient sympatric speciation in populations of this globally distributed species. In the present study, we investigated the differentiation into these two distinct ecotypes focusing on chemical profiles and the population genetic divergence in a wild N. vitripennis population from the Netherlands. Isofemale lines were obtained from bird nest boxes and from deer carrion, respectively, representing both microhabitats. To test for phenotypic differentiation, we determined the surface cuticular hydrocarbon (CHC) profiles from wasps of both host patches. Using a panel of 14 microsatellites, we concordantly determined the population genetic structure and tested for genetic differentiation between foundresses obtained from both microhabitats. Both the phenotypic as well as the genetic datasets show no evidence for any kind of separation based on the postulated two ecotypes, but rather suggest free interbreeding with no gene flow interruption between the two distinct host patches. Our findings challenge previous assumptions on clearly distinguishable ecotypes in N. vitripennis, and demonstrate how a chemical ecological assessment coupled with population genetics can be instrumental in re-evaluating the potential of ecological differentiation and incipient speciation mechanisms in parasitoid wasps.

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Genetic and genomic architecture of species-specific cuticular hydrocarbon variation in parasitoid wasps

Cited by 3 publications

References 93 publications

Decoding the genetic and chemical basis of sexual attractiveness in parasitic wasps

Decoding the genetic and chemical basis of sexual attractiveness in parasitic wasps

Genetic and genomic architecture of species-specific cuticular hydrocarbon variation in parasitoid wasps

Chemical and population genetic analysis show no evidence of ecotype formation in a European population of the parasitoid wasp Nasonia vitripennis

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