Scheda di dettaglio – i prodotti della ricerca
| Dato | Valore |
|---|---|
| Title | Evolutionary dynamics of transposable elements in bdelloid rotifers |
| Abstract | Transposable elements (TEs) are selfish genomic parasites whose ability to spread autonomously is facilitated by sexual reproduction in their hosts. If hosts become obligately asexual, TE frequencies and dynamics are predicted to change dramatically, but the long-term outcome is unclear. Here, we test current theory using whole-genome sequence data from eight species of bdelloid rotifers, a class of invertebrates in which males are thus far unknown. Contrary to expectations, we find a variety of active TEs in bdelloid genomes, at an overall frequency within the range seen in sexual species. We find no evidence that TEs are spread by cryptic recombination or restrained by unusual DNA repair mechanisms. Instead, we find that that TE content evolves relatively slowly in bdelloids and that gene families involved in RNAi-mediated TE suppression have undergone significant expansion, which might mitigate the deleterious effects of active TEs and compensate for the consequences of long-term asexuality. |
| Source | eLife 10 (e63194) |
| Keywords | bdelloideaasexualitytransposable elements |
| Journal | eLife |
| Editor | eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd, , |
| Year | 2021 |
| Type | Articolo in rivista |
| DOI | 10.7554/eLife.63194 |
| Authors | Reuben W Nowell, Christopher G Wilson, Pedro Almeida, Philipp H Schiffer, Diego Fontaneto, Lutz Becks, Fernando Rodriguez, Irina R Arkhipova, Timothy G Barraclough |
| Text | 444374 2021 10.7554/eLife.63194 bdelloidea asexuality transposable elements Evolutionary dynamics of transposable elements in bdelloid rotifers Reuben W Nowell, Christopher G Wilson, Pedro Almeida, Philipp H Schiffer, Diego Fontaneto, Lutz Becks, Fernando Rodriguez, Irina R Arkhipova, Timothy G Barraclough University of Oxford, United Kingdom; University College London, United Kingdom; University of Cologne, Germany; National Research Council of Italy, Italy; University of Konstanz, Germany; Marine Biological Laboratory, United States Transposable elements TEs are selfish genomic parasites whose ability to spread autonomously is facilitated by sexual reproduction in their hosts. If hosts become obligately asexual, TE frequencies and dynamics are predicted to change dramatically, but the long term outcome is unclear. Here, we test current theory using whole genome sequence data from eight species of bdelloid rotifers, a class of invertebrates in which males are thus far unknown. Contrary to expectations, we find a variety of active TEs in bdelloid genomes, at an overall frequency within the range seen in sexual species. We find no evidence that TEs are spread by cryptic recombination or restrained by unusual DNA repair mechanisms. Instead, we find that that TE content evolves relatively slowly in bdelloids and that gene families involved in RNAi mediated TE suppression have undergone significant expansion, which might mitigate the deleterious effects of active TEs and compensate for the consequences of long term asexuality. 10 Published version https //elifesciences.org/articles/63194 reu elife 63194 v1.pdf Articolo in rivista eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd 2050 084X eLife eLife diego.fontaneto FONTANETO DIEGO |