A transposable element insertion is associated with an alternative life history strategy
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Authors
Woronik, Alyssa
Neethiraj, Ramprasad
Stefanescu, Constanti
Hill, Jason
Käkelä, Reijo
Wheat, Christopher W.
Publication Date
2019-12-17Journal Title
Nature Communications
Publisher
Nature Publishing Group UK
Volume
10
Issue
1
Language
en
Type
Article
This Version
VoR
Metadata
Show full item recordCitation
Woronik, A., Tunström, K., Perry, M. W., Neethiraj, R., Stefanescu, C., Celorio-Mancera, M. d. l. P., Brattström, O., et al. (2019). A transposable element insertion is associated with an alternative life history strategy. Nature Communications, 10 (1)https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-13596-2
Description
Funder: Department of Zoology at Stockholm University; Erik Philip-Sorensens Foundation; The Academy of Finland,131155
Abstract
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.
Keywords
Article, /631/181, /631/181/2806, /631/181/2474, /38, /38/1, /38/91, /101, /101/28, /49, /45, /45/43, /14, /45/23, /14/19, article
Sponsorship
Vetenskapsrådet (Swedish Research Council) (2012–3715)
Knut och Alice Wallenbergs Stiftelse (Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation) (2012.0058)
Identifiers
s41467-019-13596-2, 13596
External DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-13596-2
This record's URL: https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/315421
Rights
Licence:
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/