@article{12248, abstract = {Eurasian brine shrimp (genus Artemia) have closely related sexual and asexual lineages of parthenogenetic females, which produce rare males at low frequencies. Although they are known to have ZW chromosomes, these are not well characterized, and it is unclear whether they are shared across the clade. Furthermore, the underlying genetic architecture of the transmission of asexuality, which can occur when rare males mate with closely related sexual females, is not well understood. We produced a chromosome-level assembly for the sexual Eurasian species Artemia sinica and characterized in detail the pair of sex chromosomes of this species. We combined this new assembly with short-read genomic data for the sexual species Artemia sp. Kazakhstan and several asexual lineages of Artemia parthenogenetica, allowing us to perform an in-depth characterization of sex-chromosome evolution across the genus. We identified a small differentiated region of the ZW pair that is shared by all sexual and asexual lineages, supporting the shared ancestry of the sex chromosomes. We also inferred that recombination suppression has spread to larger sections of the chromosome independently in the American and Eurasian lineages. Finally, we took advantage of a rare male, which we backcrossed to sexual females, to explore the genetic basis of asexuality. Our results suggest that parthenogenesis is likely partly controlled by a locus on the Z chromosome, highlighting the interplay between sex determination and asexuality.}, author = {Elkrewi, Marwan N and Khauratovich, Uladzislava and Toups, Melissa A and Bett, Vincent K and Mrnjavac, Andrea and Macon, Ariana and Fraisse, Christelle and Sax, Luca and Huylmans, Ann K and Hontoria, Francisco and Vicoso, Beatriz}, issn = {1943-2631}, journal = {Genetics}, keywords = {Genetics}, number = {2}, publisher = {Oxford University Press}, title = {{ZW sex-chromosome evolution and contagious parthenogenesis in Artemia brine shrimp}}, doi = {10.1093/genetics/iyac123}, volume = {222}, year = {2022}, } @article{10838, abstract = {Combining hybrid zone analysis with genomic data is a promising approach to understanding the genomic basis of adaptive divergence. It allows for the identification of genomic regions underlying barriers to gene flow. It also provides insights into spatial patterns of allele frequency change, informing about the interplay between environmental factors, dispersal and selection. However, when only a single hybrid zone is analysed, it is difficult to separate patterns generated by selection from those resulting from chance. Therefore, it is beneficial to look for repeatable patterns across replicate hybrid zones in the same system. We applied this approach to the marine snail Littorina saxatilis, which contains two ecotypes, adapted to wave-exposed rocks vs. high-predation boulder fields. The existence of numerous hybrid zones between ecotypes offered the opportunity to test for the repeatability of genomic architectures and spatial patterns of divergence. We sampled and phenotyped snails from seven replicate hybrid zones on the Swedish west coast and genotyped them for thousands of single nucleotide polymorphisms. Shell shape and size showed parallel clines across all zones. Many genomic regions showing steep clines and/or high differentiation were shared among hybrid zones, consistent with a common evolutionary history and extensive gene flow between zones, and supporting the importance of these regions for divergence. In particular, we found that several large putative inversions contribute to divergence in all locations. Additionally, we found evidence for consistent displacement of clines from the boulder–rock transition. Our results demonstrate patterns of spatial variation that would not be accessible without continuous spatial sampling, a large genomic data set and replicate hybrid zones.}, author = {Westram, Anja M and Faria, Rui and Johannesson, Kerstin and Butlin, Roger}, issn = {1365-294X}, journal = {Molecular Ecology}, keywords = {Genetics, Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics}, number = {15}, pages = {3797--3814}, publisher = {Wiley}, title = {{Using replicate hybrid zones to understand the genomic basis of adaptive divergence}}, doi = {10.1111/mec.15861}, volume = {30}, year = {2021}, } @article{8708, abstract = {The Mytilus complex of marine mussel species forms a mosaic of hybrid zones, found across temperate regions of the globe. This allows us to study ‘replicated’ instances of secondary contact between closely related species. Previous work on this complex has shown that local introgression is both widespread and highly heterogeneous, and has identified SNPs that are outliers of differentiation between lineages. Here, we developed an ancestry‐informative panel of such SNPs. We then compared their frequencies in newly sampled populations, including samples from within the hybrid zones, and parental populations at different distances from the contact. Results show that close to the hybrid zones, some outlier loci are near to fixation for the heterospecific allele, suggesting enhanced local introgression, or the local sweep of a shared ancestral allele. Conversely, genomic cline analyses, treating local parental populations as the reference, reveal a globally high concordance among loci, albeit with a few signals of asymmetric introgression. Enhanced local introgression at specific loci is consistent with the early transfer of adaptive variants after contact, possibly including asymmetric bi‐stable variants (Dobzhansky‐Muller incompatibilities), or haplotypes loaded with fewer deleterious mutations. Having escaped one barrier, however, these variants can be trapped or delayed at the next barrier, confining the introgression locally. These results shed light on the decay of species barriers during phases of contact.}, author = {Simon, Alexis and Fraisse, Christelle and El Ayari, Tahani and Liautard‐Haag, Cathy and Strelkov, Petr and Welch, John J and Bierne, Nicolas}, issn = {14209101}, journal = {Journal of Evolutionary Biology}, number = {1}, pages = {208--223}, publisher = {Wiley}, title = {{How do species barriers decay? Concordance and local introgression in mosaic hybrid zones of mussels}}, doi = {10.1111/jeb.13709}, volume = {34}, year = {2021}, } @article{10166, abstract = {While sexual reproduction is widespread among many taxa, asexual lineages have repeatedly evolved from sexual ancestors. Despite extensive research on the evolution of sex, it is still unclear whether this switch represents a major transition requiring major molecular reorganization, and how convergent the changes involved are. In this study, we investigated the phylogenetic relationship and patterns of gene expression of sexual and asexual lineages of Eurasian Artemia brine shrimp, to assess how gene expression patterns are affected by the transition to asexuality. We find only a few genes that are consistently associated with the evolution of asexuality, suggesting that this shift may not require an extensive overhauling of the meiotic machinery. While genes with sex-biased expression have high rates of expression divergence within Eurasian Artemia, neither female- nor male-biased genes appear to show unusual evolutionary patterns after sexuality is lost, contrary to theoretical expectations.}, author = {Huylmans, Ann K and Macon, Ariana and Hontoria, Francisco and Vicoso, Beatriz}, issn = {1471-2954}, journal = {Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences}, keywords = {asexual reproduction, parthenogenesis, sex-biased genes, sexual conflict, automixis, crustaceans}, number = {1959}, publisher = {The Royal Society}, title = {{Transitions to asexuality and evolution of gene expression in Artemia brine shrimp}}, doi = {10.1098/rspb.2021.1720}, volume = {288}, year = {2021}, } @article{10167, abstract = {Schistosomes, the human parasites responsible for snail fever, are female-heterogametic. Different parts of their ZW sex chromosomes have stopped recombining in distinct lineages, creating “evolutionary strata” of various ages. Although the Z-chromosome is well characterized at the genomic and molecular level, the W-chromosome has remained largely unstudied from an evolutionary perspective, as only a few W-linked genes have been detected outside of the model species Schistosoma mansoni. Here, we characterize the gene content and evolution of the W-chromosomes of S. mansoni and of the divergent species S. japonicum. We use a combined RNA/DNA k-mer based pipeline to assemble around 100 candidate W-specific transcripts in each of the species. About half of them map to known protein coding genes, the majority homologous to S. mansoni Z-linked genes. We perform an extended analysis of the evolutionary strata present in the two species (including characterizing a previously undetected young stratum in S. japonicum) to infer patterns of sequence and expression evolution of W-linked genes at different time points after recombination was lost. W-linked genes show evidence of degeneration, including high rates of protein evolution and reduced expression. Most are found in young lineage-specific strata, with only a few high expression ancestral W-genes remaining, consistent with the progressive erosion of nonrecombining regions. Among these, the splicing factor u2af2 stands out as a promising candidate for primary sex determination, opening new avenues for understanding the molecular basis of the reproductive biology of this group.}, author = {Elkrewi, Marwan N and Moldovan, Mikhail A. and Picard, Marion A L and Vicoso, Beatriz}, issn = {1537-1719}, journal = {Molecular Biology and Evolution}, keywords = {sex chromosomes, evolutionary strata, W-linked gene, sex determining gene, schistosome parasites}, publisher = {Oxford University Press }, title = {{Schistosome W-Linked genes inform temporal dynamics of sex chromosome evolution and suggest candidate for sex determination}}, doi = {10.1093/molbev/msab178}, year = {2021}, } @article{9908, abstract = {About eight million animal species are estimated to live on Earth, and all except those belonging to one subphylum are invertebrates. Invertebrates are incredibly diverse in their morphologies, life histories, and in the range of the ecological niches that they occupy. A great variety of modes of reproduction and sex determination systems is also observed among them, and their mosaic-distribution across the phylogeny shows that transitions between them occur frequently and rapidly. Genetic conflict in its various forms is a long-standing theory to explain what drives those evolutionary transitions. Here, we review (1) the different modes of reproduction among invertebrate species, highlighting sexual reproduction as the probable ancestral state; (2) the paradoxical diversity of sex determination systems; (3) the different types of genetic conflicts that could drive the evolution of such different systems.}, author = {Picard, Marion A L and Vicoso, Beatriz and Bertrand, Stéphanie and Escriva, Hector}, issn = {20734425}, journal = {Genes}, number = {8}, publisher = {MDPI}, title = {{Diversity of modes of reproduction and sex determination systems in invertebrates, and the putative contribution of genetic conflict}}, doi = {10.3390/genes12081136}, volume = {12}, year = {2021}, } @misc{9949, author = {Vicoso, Beatriz}, publisher = {Institute of Science and Technology Austria}, title = {{Data from Hyulmans et al 2021, "Transitions to asexuality and evolution of gene expression in Artemia brine shrimp"}}, doi = {10.15479/AT:ISTA:9949}, year = {2021}, } @article{8099, abstract = {Sewall Wright developed FST for describing population differentiation and it has since been extended to many novel applications, including the detection of homomorphic sex chromosomes. However, there has been confusion regarding the expected estimate of FST for a fixed difference between the X‐ and Y‐chromosome when comparing males and females. Here, we attempt to resolve this confusion by contrasting two common FST estimators and explain why they yield different estimates when applied to the case of sex chromosomes. We show that this difference is true for many allele frequencies, but the situation characterized by fixed differences between the X‐ and Y‐chromosome is among the most extreme. To avoid additional confusion, we recommend that all authors using FST clearly state which estimator of FST their work uses.}, author = {Gammerdinger, William J and Toups, Melissa A and Vicoso, Beatriz}, issn = {1755-0998}, journal = {Molecular Ecology Resources}, number = {6}, pages = {1517--1525}, publisher = {Wiley}, title = {{Disagreement in FST estimators: A case study from sex chromosomes}}, doi = {10.1111/1755-0998.13210}, volume = {20}, year = {2020}, } @misc{9798, abstract = {Fitness interactions between mutations can influence a population’s evolution in many different ways. While epistatic effects are difficult to measure precisely, important information is captured by the mean and variance of log fitnesses for individuals carrying different numbers of mutations. We derive predictions for these quantities from a class of simple fitness landscapes, based on models of optimizing selection on quantitative traits. We also explore extensions to the models, including modular pleiotropy, variable effect sizes, mutational bias and maladaptation of the wild type. We illustrate our approach by reanalysing a large dataset of mutant effects in a yeast snoRNA. Though characterized by some large epistatic effects, these data give a good overall fit to the non-epistatic null model, suggesting that epistasis might have limited influence on the evolutionary dynamics in this system. We also show how the amount of epistasis depends on both the underlying fitness landscape and the distribution of mutations, and so is expected to vary in consistent ways between new mutations, standing variation and fixed mutations.}, author = {Fraisse, Christelle and Welch, John J.}, publisher = {Royal Society of London}, title = {{Simulation code for Fig S2 from the distribution of epistasis on simple fitness landscapes}}, doi = {10.6084/m9.figshare.7957472.v1}, year = {2020}, } @misc{9799, abstract = {Fitness interactions between mutations can influence a population’s evolution in many different ways. While epistatic effects are difficult to measure precisely, important information is captured by the mean and variance of log fitnesses for individuals carrying different numbers of mutations. We derive predictions for these quantities from a class of simple fitness landscapes, based on models of optimizing selection on quantitative traits. We also explore extensions to the models, including modular pleiotropy, variable effect sizes, mutational bias and maladaptation of the wild type. We illustrate our approach by reanalysing a large dataset of mutant effects in a yeast snoRNA. Though characterized by some large epistatic effects, these data give a good overall fit to the non-epistatic null model, suggesting that epistasis might have limited influence on the evolutionary dynamics in this system. We also show how the amount of epistasis depends on both the underlying fitness landscape and the distribution of mutations, and so is expected to vary in consistent ways between new mutations, standing variation and fixed mutations.}, author = {Fraisse, Christelle and Welch, John J.}, publisher = {Royal Society of London}, title = {{Simulation code for Fig S1 from the distribution of epistasis on simple fitness landscapes}}, doi = {10.6084/m9.figshare.7957469.v1}, year = {2020}, } @article{6621, abstract = {We read with great interest the recent work in PNAS by Bergero et al. (1) describing differences in male and female recombination patterns on the guppy (Poecilia reticulata) sex chromosome. We fully agree that recombination in males is largely confined to the ends of the sex chromosome. Bergero et al. interpret these results to suggest that our previous findings of population-level variation in the degree of sex chromosome differentiation in this species (2) are incorrect. However, we suggest that their results are entirely consistent with our previous report, and that their interpretation presents a false controversy.}, author = {Wright, Alison E. and Darolti, Iulia and Bloch, Natasha I. and Oostra, Vicencio and Sandkam, Benjamin A. and Buechel, Séverine D. and Kolm, Niclas and Breden, Felix and Vicoso, Beatriz and Mank, Judith E.}, journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America}, number = {26}, pages = {12607--12608}, publisher = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences}, title = {{On the power to detect rare recombination events}}, doi = {10.1073/pnas.1905555116}, volume = {116}, year = {2019}, } @article{6658, abstract = {New genes are a major source of novelties, and a disproportionate amount of them are known to show testis expression in later phases of male gametogenesis in different groups such as mammals and plants. Here, we propose that this enhanced expression is a consequence of haploid selection during the latter stages of male gametogenesis. Because emerging adaptive mutations will be fixed faster if their phenotypes are expressed by haploid rather than diploid genotypes, new genes with advantageous functions arising during this unique stage of development have a better chance to become fixed. To test this hypothesis, expression levels of genes of differing evolutionary age were examined at various stages of Drosophila spermatogenesis. We found, consistent with a model based on haploid selection, that new Drosophila genes are both expressed in later haploid phases of spermatogenesis and harbor a significant enrichment of adaptive mutations. Additionally, the observed overexpression of new genes in the latter phases of spermatogenesis was limited to the autosomes. Because all male cells exhibit hemizygous expression for X-linked genes (and therefore effectively haploid), there is no expectation that selection acting on late spermatogenesis will have a different effect on X-linked genes in comparison to initial diploid phases. Together, our proposed hypothesis and the analyzed data suggest that natural selection in haploid cells elucidates several aspects of the origin of new genes by explaining the general prevalence of their testis expression, and a parsimonious solution for new alleles to avoid being lost by genetic drift or pseudogenization. }, author = {Raices, Julia and Otto, Paulo and Vibranovski, Maria}, journal = {Genome Research}, number = {7}, pages = {1115--1122}, publisher = {CSH Press}, title = {{Haploid selection drives new gene male germline expression}}, doi = {10.1101/gr.238824.118}, volume = {29}, year = {2019}, } @article{6710, abstract = {Sexual dimorphism in morphology, physiology or life history traits is common in dioecious plants at reproductive maturity, but it is typically inconspicuous or absent in juveniles. Although plants of different sexes probably begin to diverge in gene expression both before their reproduction commences and before dimorphism becomes readily apparent, to our knowledge transcriptome-wide differential gene expression has yet to be demonstrated for any angiosperm species.}, author = {Cossard, Guillaume and Toups, Melissa A and Pannell, John }, issn = {1095-8290}, journal = {Annals of botany}, number = {7}, pages = {1119--1131}, publisher = {Oxford University Press}, title = {{Sexual dimorphism and rapid turnover in gene expression in pre-reproductive seedlings of a dioecious herb}}, doi = {10.1093/aob/mcy183}, volume = {123}, year = {2019}, } @article{6755, abstract = {Differentiated sex chromosomes are accompanied by a difference in gene dose between X/Z-specific and autosomal genes. At the transcriptomic level, these sex-linked genes can lead to expression imbalance, or gene dosage can be compensated by epigenetic mechanisms and results into expression level equalization. Schistosoma mansoni has been previously described as a ZW species (i.e., female heterogamety, in opposition to XY male heterogametic species) with a partial dosage compensation, but underlying mechanisms are still unexplored. Here, we combine transcriptomic (RNA-Seq) and epigenetic data (ChIP-Seq against H3K4me3, H3K27me3,andH4K20me1histonemarks) in free larval cercariae and intravertebrate parasitic stages. For the first time, we describe differences in dosage compensation status in ZW females, depending on the parasitic status: free cercariae display global dosage compensation, whereas intravertebrate stages show a partial dosage compensation. We also highlight regional differences of gene expression along the Z chromosome in cercariae, but not in the intravertebrate stages. Finally, we feature a consistent permissive chromatin landscape of the Z chromosome in both sexes and stages. We argue that dosage compensation in schistosomes is characterized by chromatin remodeling mechanisms in the Z-specific region.}, author = {Picard, Marion A L and Vicoso, Beatriz and Roquis, David and Bulla, Ingo and Augusto, Ronaldo C. and Arancibia, Nathalie and Grunau, Christoph and Boissier, Jérôme and Cosseau, Céline}, issn = {1759-6653}, journal = {Genome biology and evolution}, number = {7}, pages = {1909--1922}, publisher = {Oxford Academic Press}, title = {{Dosage compensation throughout the Schistosoma mansoni lifecycle: Specific chromatin landscape of the Z chromosome}}, doi = {10.1093/gbe/evz133}, volume = {11}, year = {2019}, } @article{6821, abstract = {To determine the visual sensitivities of an organism of interest, quantitative reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction (qRT–PCR) is often used to quantify expression of the light‐sensitive opsins in the retina. While qRT–PCR is an affordable, high‐throughput method for measuring expression, it comes with inherent normalization issues that affect the interpretation of results, especially as opsin expression can vary greatly based on developmental stage, light environment or diurnal cycles. We tested for diurnal cycles of opsin expression over a period of 24 hr at 1‐hr increments and examined how normalization affects a data set with fluctuating expression levels using qRT–PCR and transcriptome data from the retinae of the cichlid Pelmatolapia mariae. We compared five methods of normalizing opsin expression relative to (a) the average of three stably expressed housekeeping genes (Ube2z, EF1‐α and β‐actin), (b) total RNA concentration, (c) GNAT2, (the cone‐specific subunit of transducin), (d) total opsin expression and (e) only opsins expressed in the same cone type. Normalizing by proportion of cone type produced the least variation and would be best for removing time‐of‐day variation. In contrast, normalizing by housekeeping genes produced the highest daily variation in expression and demonstrated that the peak of cone opsin expression was in the late afternoon. A weighted correlation network analysis showed that the expression of different cone opsins follows a very similar daily cycle. With the knowledge of how these normalization methods affect opsin expression data, we make recommendations for designing sampling approaches and quantification methods based upon the scientific question being examined.}, author = {Yourick, Miranda R. and Sandkam, Benjamin A. and Gammerdinger, William J and Escobar-Camacho, Daniel and Nandamuri, Sri Pratima and Clark, Frances E. and Joyce, Brendan and Conte, Matthew A. and Kocher, Thomas D. and Carleton, Karen L.}, issn = {1755-0998}, journal = {Molecular Ecology Resources}, number = {6}, pages = {1447--1460}, publisher = {Wiley}, title = {{Diurnal variation in opsin expression and common housekeeping genes necessitates comprehensive normalization methods for quantitative real-time PCR analyses}}, doi = {10.1111/1755-0998.13062}, volume = {19}, year = {2019}, } @article{6831, abstract = {* Understanding the mechanisms causing phenotypic differences between females and males has long fascinated evolutionary biologists. An extensive literature exists on animal sexual dimorphism but less information is known about sex differences in plants, particularly the extent of geographical variation in sexual dimorphism and its life‐cycle dynamics. * Here, we investigated patterns of genetically based sexual dimorphism in vegetative and reproductive traits of a wind‐pollinated dioecious plant, Rumex hastatulus, across three life‐cycle stages using open‐pollinated families from 30 populations spanning the geographic range and chromosomal variation (XY and XY1Y2) of the species. * The direction and degree of sexual dimorphism was highly variable among populations and life‐cycle stages. Sex‐specific differences in reproductive function explained a significant amount of temporal change in sexual dimorphism. For several traits, geographical variation in sexual dimorphism was associated with bioclimatic parameters, likely due to the differential responses of the sexes to climate. We found no systematic differences in sexual dimorphism between chromosome races. * Sex‐specific trait differences in dioecious plants largely result from a balance between sexual and natural selection on resource allocation. Our results indicate that abiotic factors associated with geographical context also play a role in modifying sexual dimorphism during the plant life‐cycle.}, author = {Puixeu Sala, Gemma and Pickup, Melinda and Field, David and Barrett, Spencer C.H.}, issn = {1469-8137}, journal = {New Phytologist}, number = {3}, pages = {1108--1120}, publisher = {Wiley}, title = {{Variation in sexual dimorphism in a wind-pollinated plant: The influence of geographical context and life-cycle dynamics}}, doi = {10.1111/nph.16050}, volume = {224}, year = {2019}, } @article{6983, abstract = {Malaria, a disease caused by parasites of the Plasmodium genus, begins when Plasmodium-infected mosquitoes inject malaria sporozoites while searching for blood. Sporozoites migrate from the skin via blood to the liver, infect hepatocytes, and form liver stages which in mice 48 h later escape into blood and cause clinical malaria. Vaccine-induced activated or memory CD8 T cells are capable of locating and eliminating all liver stages in 48 h, thus preventing the blood-stage disease. However, the rules of how CD8 T cells are able to locate all liver stages within a relatively short time period remains poorly understood. We recently reported formation of clusters consisting of variable numbers of activated CD8 T cells around Plasmodium yoelii (Py)-infected hepatocytes. Using a combination of experimental data and mathematical models we now provide additional insights into mechanisms of formation of these clusters. First, we show that a model in which cluster formation is driven exclusively by T-cell-extrinsic factors, such as variability in “attractiveness” of different liver stages, cannot explain distribution of cluster sizes in different experimental conditions. In contrast, the model in which cluster formation is driven by the positive feedback loop (i.e., larger clusters attract more CD8 T cells) can accurately explain the available data. Second, while both Py-specific CD8 T cells and T cells of irrelevant specificity (non-specific CD8 T cells) are attracted to the clusters, we found no evidence that non-specific CD8 T cells play a role in cluster formation. Third and finally, mathematical modeling suggested that formation of clusters occurs rapidly, within few hours after adoptive transfer of CD8 T cells, thus illustrating high efficiency of CD8 T cells in locating their targets in complex peripheral organs, such as the liver. Taken together, our analysis provides novel insights into and attempts to discriminate between alternative mechanisms driving the formation of clusters of antigen-specific CD8 T cells in the liver.}, author = {Kelemen, Réka K and Rajakaruna, H and Cockburn, IA and Ganusov, VV}, issn = {1664-3224}, journal = {Frontiers in Immunology}, publisher = {Frontiers}, title = {{Clustering of activated CD8 T cells around Malaria-infected hepatocytes is rapid and is driven by antigen-specific cells}}, doi = {10.3389/fimmu.2019.02153}, volume = {10}, year = {2019}, } @article{7146, abstract = {Prevailing models of sex-chromosome evolution were largely inspired by the stable and highly differentiated XY pairs of model organisms, such as those of mammals and flies. Recent work has uncovered an incredible diversity of sex-determining systems, bringing some of the assumptions of these traditional models into question. One particular question that has arisen is what drives some sex chromosomes to be maintained over millions of years and differentiate fully, while others are replaced by new sex-determining chromosomes before differentiation has occurred. Here, I review recent data on the variability of sex-determining genes and sex chromosomes in different non-model vertebrates and invertebrates, and discuss some theoretical models that have been put forward to account for this diversity.}, author = {Vicoso, Beatriz}, issn = {2397-334X}, journal = {Nature Ecology & Evolution}, number = {12}, pages = {1632--1641}, publisher = {Springer Nature}, title = {{Molecular and evolutionary dynamics of animal sex-chromosome turnover}}, doi = {10.1038/s41559-019-1050-8}, volume = {3}, year = {2019}, } @article{7400, abstract = {Suppressed recombination allows divergence between homologous sex chromosomes and the functionality of their genes. Here, we reveal patterns of the earliest stages of sex-chromosome evolution in the diploid dioecious herb Mercurialis annua on the basis of cytological analysis, de novo genome assembly and annotation, genetic mapping, exome resequencing of natural populations, and transcriptome analysis. The genome assembly contained 34,105 expressed genes, of which 10,076 were assigned to linkage groups. Genetic mapping and exome resequencing of individuals across the species range both identified the largest linkage group, LG1, as the sex chromosome. Although the sex chromosomes of M. annua are karyotypically homomorphic, we estimate that about one-third of the Y chromosome, containing 568 transcripts and spanning 22.3 cM in the corresponding female map, has ceased recombining. Nevertheless, we found limited evidence for Y-chromosome degeneration in terms of gene loss and pseudogenization, and most X- and Y-linked genes appear to have diverged in the period subsequent to speciation between M. annua and its sister species M. huetii, which shares the same sex-determining region. Taken together, our results suggest that the M. annua Y chromosome has at least two evolutionary strata: a small old stratum shared with M. huetii, and a more recent larger stratum that is probably unique to M. annua and that stopped recombining ∼1 MYA. Patterns of gene expression within the nonrecombining region are consistent with the idea that sexually antagonistic selection may have played a role in favoring suppressed recombination.}, author = {Veltsos, Paris and Ridout, Kate E. and Toups, Melissa A and González-Martínez, Santiago C. and Muyle, Aline and Emery, Olivier and Rastas, Pasi and Hudzieczek, Vojtech and Hobza, Roman and Vyskot, Boris and Marais, Gabriel A. B. and Filatov, Dmitry A. and Pannell, John R.}, issn = {1943-2631}, journal = {Genetics}, number = {3}, pages = {815--835}, publisher = {Genetics Society of America}, title = {{Early sex-chromosome evolution in the diploid dioecious plant Mercurialis annua}}, doi = {10.1534/genetics.119.302045}, volume = {212}, year = {2019}, } @article{7421, abstract = {X and Y chromosomes can diverge when rearrangements block recombination between them. Here we present the first genomic view of a reciprocal translocation that causes two physically unconnected pairs of chromosomes to be coinherited as sex chromosomes. In a population of the common frog (Rana temporaria), both pairs of X and Y chromosomes show extensive sequence differentiation, but not degeneration of the Y chromosomes. A new method based on gene trees shows both chromosomes are sex‐linked. Furthermore, the gene trees from the two Y chromosomes have identical topologies, showing they have been coinherited since the reciprocal translocation occurred. Reciprocal translocations can thus reshape sex linkage on a much greater scale compared with inversions, the type of rearrangement that is much better known in sex chromosome evolution, and they can greatly amplify the power of sexually antagonistic selection to drive genomic rearrangement. Two more populations show evidence of other rearrangements, suggesting that this species has unprecedented structural polymorphism in its sex chromosomes.}, author = {Toups, Melissa A and Rodrigues, Nicolas and Perrin, Nicolas and Kirkpatrick, Mark}, issn = {1365-294X}, journal = {Molecular Ecology}, number = {8}, pages = {1877--1889}, publisher = {Wiley}, title = {{A reciprocal translocation radically reshapes sex‐linked inheritance in the common frog}}, doi = {10.1111/mec.14990}, volume = {28}, year = {2019}, }