| Title: | Genome analysis of Phrixothrix hirtus (Phengodidae) railroad worm shows the expansion of odorant-binding gene families and positive selection on morphogenesis and sex determination genes |
| Author(s): | Amaral DT; Mitani Y; Bonatelli IAS; Cerri R; Ohmiya Y; Viviani VR; |
| Address: | "Programa de Pos-Graduacao em Biotecnociencia, Centro de Ciencias Naturais e Humanas. Universidade Federal do ABC (UFABC), Santo Andre, Brazil. Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Sapporo, Japan. Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo (UNIFESP), Diadema, Sao Paulo, Brazil. Department of Computer Science, Universidade Federal de Sao Carlos (UFSCar), Sao Carlos, Brazil. Biomedical Research Institute, AIST, Ikeda-Osaka, Japan; Osaka Institute of Technology, OIT, Osaka, Japan. Graduate Program of Evolutive Genetics and Molecular Biology, Federal University of Sao Carlos (UFSCar), Sao Carlos, Brazil; Graduate Program of Biotechnology and Environmental Monitoring, Federal University of Sao Carlos (UFSCar), Sorocaba, Brazil. Electronic address: viviani@ufscar.br" |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.gene.2022.146917 |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1879-0038 (Electronic) 0378-1119 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "Among bioluminescent beetles of the Elateroidea superfamily, Phengodidae is the third largest family, with 244 bioluminescent species distributed only in the Americas, but is still the least studied from the phylogenetic and evolutionary points of view. The railroad worm Phrixothrix hirtus is an essential biological model and symbolic species due to its bicolor bioluminescence, being the only organism that produces true red light among bioluminescent terrestrial species. Here, we performed partial genome assembly of P. hirtus, combining short and long reads generated with Illumina sequencing, providing the first source of genomic information and a framework for comparative analyses of the bioluminescent system in Elateroidea. This is the largest genome described in the Elateroidea superfamily, with an estimated size of approximately 3.4 Gb, displaying 32 % GC content, and 67 % transposable elements. Comparative genomic analyses showed a positive selection of genes and gene family expansion events of growth and morphogenesis gene products, which could be associated with the atypical anatomical development and morphogenesis found in paedomorphic females and underdeveloped males. We also observed gene family expansion among distinct odorant-binding receptors, which could be associated with the pheromone communication system typical of these beetles, and retrotransposable elements. Common genes putatively regulating bioluminescence production and control, including two luciferase genes corresponding to lateral lanterns green-emitting and head lanterns red-emitting luciferases with 7 exons and 6 introns, and genes potentially involved in luciferin biosynthesis were found, indicating that there are no clear differences about the presence or absence of gene families associated with bioluminescence in Elateroidea" |
| Keywords: | Animals Female Phylogeny DNA Transposable Elements Odorants *Railroads *Coleoptera/genetics/metabolism Luciferases/metabolism Morphogenesis Pheromones Bioluminescence Elateriform Genomic DNA Odorant-binding protein Phengodidae; |
| Notes: | "MedlineAmaral, Danilo Trabuco Mitani, Yasuo Bonatelli, Isabel Aparecida Silva Cerri, Ricardo Ohmiya, Yoshihiro Viviani, Vadim Ravara eng Netherlands 2022/09/30 Gene. 2023 Jan 20; 850:146917. doi: 10.1016/j.gene.2022.146917. Epub 2022 Sep 27" |
