No Evidence for Single-Copy Immune-Gene Specific Signals of Selection in Termites

Meusemann, Karen; Korb, Judith; Schughart, Maximilian; Staubach, Fabian

doi:10.3389/fevo.2020.00026

Cited by 9 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 78 publications

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“…Besides critical changes in neural and behavioral phenotypes, transitions to social living are also thought to be associated with phenotypic changes in disease pressure, hormone regulation, reproduction, and metabolism. Social living is hypothesized to be associated with increased disease pressure, although researchers have found mixed support for genetic changes in immune-related genes in social insects compared to solitary insects [69][70][71] . A set of genes involved in innate immunity, including Pro-interleukin-16 (IL16) and Toll-like receptor Tollo (TOLL8) experienced relaxed selection in social spiders relative to nonsocial spiders.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genomic signatures of recent convergent transitions to social life in spiders

et al. 2022

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The transition from solitary to social life is a major phenotypic innovation, but its genetic underpinnings are largely unknown. To identify genomic changes associated with this transition, we compare the genomes of 22 spider species representing eight recent and independent origins of sociality. Hundreds of genes tend to experience shifts in selection during the repeated transition to social life. These genes are associated with several key functions, such as neurogenesis, behavior, and metabolism, and include genes that previously have been implicated in animal social behavior and human behavioral disorders. In addition, social species have elevated genome-wide rates of molecular evolution associated with relaxed selection caused by reduced effective population size. Altogether, our study provides unprecedented insights into the genomic signatures of social evolution and the specific genetic changes that repeatedly underpin the evolution of sociality. Our study also highlights the heretofore unappreciated potential of transcriptomics using ethanol-preserved specimens for comparative genomics and phylotranscriptomics.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genomic signatures of recent convergent transitions to social life in spiders

et al. 2022

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“…Besides critical changes in behavioral and neural phenotypes, transitions to social living are also associated with several other phenotypic changes. Social living is hypothesized to be associated with increased disease pressure, although researchers have found mixed support for genetic changes in immune-related genes in social insects compared to solitary insects (79–81). Genes experiencing intensified selection in social spiders were enriched for several immune-related GO terms such as defense response to virus and defense response to other organisms, which is consistent with social spiders experiencing increased disease pressure.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Besides critical changes in neural and behavioral phenotypes, transitions to social living are also thought to be associated with phenotypic changes in disease pressure, hormone regulation, reproduction, and metabolism. Social living is hypothesized to be associated with increased disease pressure, although researchers have found mixed support for genetic changes in immune-related genes in social insects compared to solitary insects [70][71][72] . A set of genes involved in innate immunity, including Pro-interleukin-16 (IL16) and Toll-like receptor Tollo (TOLL8) experienced relaxed selection in social spiders relative to nonsocial spiders.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genomic signatures of recent convergent transitions to social life in spiders

Tong¹,

Avilés²,

Rayor

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Sociality is a striking phenotypic innovation that independently evolved dozens of times across animals. Sociogenomic approaches have begun to elucidate the molecular underpinnings of social life in social insects and vertebrates, but the degree to which the convergent evolution of sociality involves convergent molecular evolution remains controversial and largely unknown. Spiders are a powerful system for identifying the genomic causes and consequences of social life because sociality is estimated to have independently evolved 15 times, and each origin likely occurred recently, within the past few million years. To determine if there are statistically supported genomic signatures of protein-coding sequence evolution associated with the convergent evolution of sociality in spiders, we compared the genomes or transcriptomes of 24 spider species that vary in social organization and represent at least seven independent origins of sociality. We identified hundreds of genes that experienced shifts in patterns of molecular evolution during the convergent evolution of sociality, and these genes were enriched for several annotated functions, including neural function, neurogenesis, and behavior, as well as immune function, growth, and metabolism. We also found evidence that directional selection for specific substitutions repeatedly occurred in social species for several genes, in particular the calcium channel gene TPC1. Finally, supporting previous results, we found elevated genome-wide rates of molecular evolution in social species, resulting mainly from relaxation of selection. Altogether, we identify genome-wide, genic, and site-specific changes that repeatedly occurred during the evolution of sociality in spiders.Significance StatementThe transition from solitary to social life is a major transition in evolution that repeatedly occurred, but the genetic underpinnings are largely unknown. To identify genomic changes associated with sociality, we compared the genomes of 24 spider species, representing seven recent and independent origins of sociality. We identified hundreds of genes and many functional classes of genes that tended to experience shifts in molecular evolution, including genes that have previously been implicated in animal social behavior and human behavioral disorders. Our study shows that while the precise genetic details vary, the repeated evolution of sociality in spiders predictably leaves genome-wide signatures and involves sets of genes with conserved functions that may play general roles in the evolution of social behavior.

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“…Therefore, it is possible to observe pervasive relaxed selection without a reduction in N e , given a change in s that affects many loci. Previous authors have hypothesized that the cooperative interactions of social species can buffer or compensate for the expression of deleterious mutations, particularly in relation to immune responses [41][42][43][44][45][46]. The creation of a benign environment through social cooperation (e.g., termite mounds) and/or the compensating for the expression of deleterious alleles (e.g., through food allocation) will lead to a reduction in selection pressures for the genes involved [46].…”

Section: (D) Alternative Explanations For Relaxed Selection In Termit...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Pervasive relaxed selection in termite genomes

Ewart,

Ho,

Chowdhury

et al. 2023

Preprint

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The genetic changes that enabled the evolution of eusociality have long captivated biologists. In recent years, attention has focussed on the consequences of eusociality on genome evolution. Studies have reported higher molecular evolutionary rates in eusocial hymenopteran insects compared with their solitary relatives. To investigate the genomic consequences of eusociality in termites, we sequenced genomes from three of their non-eusocial cockroach relatives. Using a phylogenomic approach, we found that termite genomes experienced lower rates of synonymous mutations than those of cockroaches, possibly as a result of longer generation times. We identified higher rates of nonsynonymous mutations in termite genomes than in cockroach genomes, and identified pervasive relaxed selection in the former (24–31% of the genes analysed) compared with the latter (2–4%). We infer that this is due to a reduction in effective population size, rather than gene-specific effects (e.g., indirect selection of caste-biased genes). We found no obvious signature of increased genetic load in termites, and postulate efficient purging at the colony level. Additionally, we identified genomic adaptations that may underpin caste formation, such as genes involved in post-translational modifications. Our results provide insights into the evolution of termites and the genomic consequences of eusociality more broadly.

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No Evidence for Single-Copy Immune-Gene Specific Signals of Selection in Termites

Cited by 9 publications

References 78 publications

Genomic signatures of recent convergent transitions to social life in spiders

Genomic signatures of recent convergent transitions to social life in spiders

Genomic signatures of recent convergent transitions to social life in spiders

Pervasive relaxed selection in termite genomes

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