Abstract
BackgroundSome populations of West African Aedes aegypti, the dengue and zika vector, are reproductively incompatible; our earlier study showed that divergence and rearrangements of genes on chromosome 1, which bears the sex locus (M), may be involved. We also previously described a proposed cryptic subspecies SenAae (PK10, Senegal) that had many more high inter-sex FST genes on chromosome 1 than did Ae.aegypti aegypti (Aaa, Pai Lom, Thailand). The current work more thoroughly explores the significance of those findings.ResultsIntersex standardized variance (FST) of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) was characterized from genomic exome capture libraries of both sexes in representative natural populations of Aaa and SenAae. Our goal was to identify SNPs that varied in frequency between males and females, and most were expected to occur on chromosome 1. Use of the assembled AaegL4 reference alleviated the previous problem of unmapped genes. Because the M locus gene nix was not captured and not present in AaegL4, the male-determining locus, per se, was not explored. Sex-associated genes were those with FST values ≥ 0.100 and/or with increased expected heterozygosity (Hexp, one-sided T-test, p < 0.05) in males. There were 85 genes common to both collections with high inter-sex FST values; all genes but one were located on chromosome 1. Aaa showed the expected cluster of high inter-sex FST genes proximal to the M locus, whereas SenAae had inter-sex FST genes along the length of chromosome 1. In addition, the Aaa M-locus proximal region showed increased Hexp levels in males, whereas SenAae did not. In SenAae, chromosomal rearrangements and subsequent suppressed recombination may have accelerated X-Y differentiation.ConclusionsThe evidence presented here is consistent with differential evolution of proto-Y chromosomes in Aaa and SenAae.
Highlights
Some populations of West African Aedes aegypti, the dengue and zika vector, are reproductively incompatible; our earlier study showed that divergence and rearrangements of genes on chromosome 1, which bears the sex locus (M), may be involved
Exome-wide analysis of sex-specific polymorphisms Exome-captured high throughput sequencing (HTS) libraries were sequenced from pools of Ae. aegypti aegypti (Aaa) and Senegal Aedes aegypti collection (SenAae) males and females; Table 1 shows library-specific information and overall polymorphism statistics
Two biological replicates for each pool (12 mosquitoes per pool) of males and females from each location produced a total of eight libraries (SenAae: 2 male Aedes aegypti collection from southeast Senegal (PK10), 2 female PK10; Aaa: 2 male Thai, 2 female Thai)
Summary
Some populations of West African Aedes aegypti, the dengue and zika vector, are reproductively incompatible; our earlier study showed that divergence and rearrangements of genes on chromosome 1, which bears the sex locus (M), may be involved. It is expected that alleles with sexually antagonistic effects on fitness would accumulate on sex chromosomes, where they would be expressed predominantly or exclusively in the sex where they are advantageous (reviewed in [25]) In a species, such as Ae. aegypti, with recombining homomorphic sex chromosomes, these genes are expected to be enriched in regions tightly linked to the M locus. Because recombination should be suppressed in the M locus proximal region, differentiation of males and females likely occurs by genetic drift or possibly by selection of specific genes For these reasons, analysis of sex-specific genetic variation in reproductively isolated mosquito populations could reveal gene diversity contributing to reproductive isolation and speciation [26]
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