Francisca C. Almeida

Monophyly, divergence times, and evolution of host plant use inferred from a revised phylogeny of the Drosophila repleta species group

We present a revised molecular phylogeny of the Drosophila repleta group including 62 repleta group taxa and nine outgroup species based on four mitochondrial and six nuclear DNA sequence fragments. With ca. 100 species endemic to the New World, the repleta species group represents one of the major species radiations in the genus Drosophila. Most repleta group species are associated with cacti in arid or semiarid regions. Contrary to previous results, maximum likelihood and Bayesian phylogenies of the 10-gene dataset strongly support the monophyly of the repleta group. Several previously described subdivisions in the group were also recovered, despite poorly resolved relationships between these clades. Divergence time estimates suggested that the repleta group split from its sister group about 21millionyears ago (Mya), although diversification of the crown group began ca. 16Mya. Character mapping of patterns of host plant use showed that flat leaf Opuntia use is common throughout the phylogeny and that shifts in host use from Opuntia to the more chemically complex columnar cacti occurred several times independently during the history of this group. Although some species retained the use of Opuntia after acquiring the use of columnar cacti, there were multiple, phylogenetically independent instances of columnar cactus specialization with loss of Opuntia as a host. Concordant with our proposed timing of host use shifts, these dates are consistent with the suggested times when the Opuntioideae originated in South America. We discuss the generally accepted South American origin of the repleta group.

In the Wake of Invasion: Tracing the Historical Biogeography of the South American Cricetid Radiation (Rodentia, Sigmodontinae)

The Great American Biotic Interchange (GABI) was greatly influenced by the completion of the Isthmus of Panama and impacted the composition of modern faunal assemblages in the Americas. However, the contribution of preceding events has been comparatively less explored, even though early immigrants in the fossil records are evidence for waif dispersals. The cricetid rodents of the subfamily Sigmodontinae are a classic example of a species-rich South American radiation resulting from an early episode of North American invasion. Here, we provide a temporal and spatial framework to address key aspects of the historical biogeography and diversification of this diverse mammal group by using mitochondrial and nuclear DNA datasets coupled with methods of divergence time estimation, ancestral area reconstruction and comparative phylogenetics. Relaxed-clock time estimates indicate that divergence of the Sigmodontinae began in the middle–late Miocene (ca. 12–9 Ma). Dispersal-vicariance analyses point to the arrival of a single lineage of northern invaders with a widespread ancestral distribution and imply that the initial differentiation between Central and South America gave rise to the most basal groups within the subfamily. These two major clades diversified in the late Miocene followed by the radiation of main tribes until the early Pliocene. Within the Oryzomyalia, tribes diverged initially in eastern South America whereas multiple dispersals into the Andes promoted further diversification of the majority of modern genera. A comparatively uniform background tempo of diversification explains the species richness of sigmodontines across most nodes, except for two akodontine genera with recent increases in diversification rates. The bridging of the Central American seaway and episodes of low sea levels likely facilitated the invasion of South America long before the onset of the post-Isthmian phase of the GABI.

Family size evolution in Drosophila chemosensory gene families: a comparative analysis with a critical appraisal of methods

Gene turnover rates and the evolution of gene family sizes are important aspects of genome evolution. Here, we use curated sequence data of the major chemosensory gene families from Drosophila—the gustatory receptor, odorant receptor, ionotropic receptor, and odorant-binding protein families—to conduct a comparative analysis among families, exploring different methods to estimate gene birth and death rates, including an ad hoc simulation study. Remarkably, we found that the state-of-the-art methods may produce very different rate estimates, which may lead to disparate conclusions regarding the evolution of chemosensory gene family sizes in Drosophila. Among biological factors, we found that a peculiarity of D. sechellia’s gene turnover rates was a major source of bias in global estimates, whereas gene conversion had negligible effects for the families analyzed herein. Turnover rates vary considerably among families, subfamilies, and ortholog groups although all analyzed families were quite dynamic in terms of gene turnover. Computer simulations showed that the methods that use ortholog group information appear to be the most accurate for the Drosophila chemosensory families. Most importantly, these results reveal the potential of rate heterogeneity among lineages to severely bias some turnover rate estimation methods and the need of further evaluating the performance of these methods in a more diverse sampling of gene families and phylogenetic contexts. Using branch-specific codon substitution models, we find further evidence of positive selection in recently duplicated genes, which attests to a nonneutral aspect of the gene birth-and-death process.

Isolation of a novel monkey adenovirus reveals a new phylogenetic clade in the evolutionary history of simian adenoviruses

Adenoviruses of primates include human (HAdV) and simian (SAdV) isolates classified into 8 species (Human Adenovirus A to G, and Simian Adenovirus A). In this study, a novel adenovirus was isolated from a colony of cynomolgus macaques (Macaca fascicularis) and subcultured in VERO cells. Its complete genome was purified and a region encompassing the hexon gene, the protease gene, the DNA binding protein (DBP) and the 100 kDa protein was amplified by PCR and sequenced by primer walking. Sequence analysis of these four genes showed that the new isolate had 80% identity to other primate adenoviruses and lacked recombination events. The study of the evolutionary relationships of this new monkey AdV based on the combined sequences of the four genes supported a close relationship to SAdV-3 and SAdV-6, lineages isolated from Rhesus monkeys. The clade formed by these three types is separated from the remaining clades and establishes a novel branch that is related to species HAdV-A, F and G. However, the genetic distance corresponding to the newly isolated monkey AdV considerably differs from these as to belong to a new, not yet established species. Results presented here widen our knowledge on SAdV and represents an important contribution to the understanding of the evolutionary history of primate adenoviruses.

Comparative analysis of tissue-specific transcriptomes in the funnel-web spider Macrothele calpeiana (Araneae, Hexathelidae)

The funnel-web spider Macrothele calpeiana is a charismatic Mygalomorph with a great interest in basic, applied and translational research. Nevertheless, current scarcity of genomic and transcriptomic data of this species clearly limits the research in this non-model organism. To overcome this limitation, we launched the first tissue-specific enriched RNA-seq analysis in this species using a subtractive hybridization approach, with two main objectives, to characterize the specific transcriptome of the putative chemosensory appendages (palps and first pair of legs), and to provide a new set of DNA markers for further phylogenetic studies. We have characterized the set of transcripts specifically expressed in putative chemosensory tissues of this species, much of them showing features shared by chemosensory system genes. Among specific candidates, we have identified some members of the iGluR and NPC2 families. Moreover, we have demonstrated the utility of these newly generated data as molecular markers by inferring the phylogenetic position M. calpeina in the phylogenetic tree of Mygalomorphs. Our results provide novel resources for researchers interested in spider molecular biology and systematics, which can help to expand our knowledge on the evolutionary processes underlying fundamental biological questions, as species invasion or biodiversity origin and maintenance.

Comparative Genomics Uncovers Unique Gene Turnover and Evolutionary Rates in a Gene Family Involved in the Detection of Insect Cuticular Pheromones

Chemoreception is an essential process for the survival and reproduction of animals. Many of the proteins responsible for recognizing and transmitting chemical stimuli in insects are encoded by genes that are members of moderately sized multigene families. The members of the CheB family are specialized in gustatory-mediated detection of long-chain hydrocarbon pheromones in Drosophila melanogaster and play a central role in triggering and modulating mating behavior in this species. Here, we present a comprehensive comparative genomic analysis of the CheB family across 12 species of the Drosophila genus. We have identified a total of 102 new CheB genes in the genomes of these species, including a functionally divergent member previously uncharacterized in D. melanogaster. We found that, despite its relatively small repertory size, the CheB family has undergone multiple gain and loss events and various episodes of diversifying selection during the divergence of the surveyed species. Present estimates of gene turnover and coding sequence substitution rates show that this family is evolving faster than any known Drosophila chemosensory family. To date, only other insect gustatory-related genes among these families had shown evolutionary dynamics close to those observed in CheBs. Our findings reveal the high adaptive potential of molecular components of the gustatory system in insects and anticipate a key role of genes involved in this sensory modality in species adaptation and diversification.

Positive selection in extra cellular domains in the diversification of Strigamia maritima chemoreceptors

The recent publication of a centipede (Strigamia maritima) genome has revealed that most members of the chemosensory gene families of ionotropic (IR) and gustatory (GR) receptors do not have identifiable orthologs in insect species. In other words, the diversity of these chemoreceptors in centipedes appears to have evolved after its split from other arthropod lineages. Here we investigate the role of adaptive evolution in S. maritima chemoreceptor diversification using an approach that allows us to discuss functional aspects of such diversification. We applied codon substitution models in a phylogenetic framework to obtain the distribution of selective constraints across the different domains in the IR and GR proteins, and to assess the impact of positive selection in the evolution of these chemoreceptors. We found low selective constraints in most IR and GR duplicates and significant evidence for the presence of positively selected amino acids in 2 of the 4 IR, and in 6 of the GR recent specific expansions. Mapping the sites with high posterior probability of positive selection in protein structure revealed a remarkable uneven distribution of fast-evolving sites across protein domains. Most of these sites are located in extracellular fragments of these receptors, which likely participate in ligand recognition. We hypothesize that adaptive evolution in ligand-binding domains was a major force driving the functional diversification of centipede chemoreceptors.