An olfactory receptor gene underlies reproductive isolation in perfume-collecting orchid bees Supplemental Materials, bioRxiv, 2019-02-02
Speciation is facilitated by the evolution of reproductive barriers that prevent or reduce hybridization among diverging lineages. However, the genetic mechanisms that control the evolution of reproductive barriers remain elusive, particularly in natural populations. We identify a gene associated with divergence in chemical courtship signaling in a pair of nascent orchid bee lineages. Male orchid bees collect perfume compounds from flowers and other sources to subsequently expose during courtship display, thereby conveying information on species identity. We show that these two lineages exhibit differentiated perfume blends and that this change is associated with the rapid evolution of a single odorant receptor gene. Our study suggests that reproductive isolation evolved through divergence of a major barrier gene involved in chemically mediated pre-mating isolation via genetic coupling.
biorxiv evolutionary-biology 100-200-users 2019An olfactory receptor gene underlies reproductive isolation in perfume-collecting orchid bees, bioRxiv, 2019-02-02
Speciation is facilitated by the evolution of reproductive barriers that prevent or reduce hybridization among diverging lineages. However, the genetic mechanisms that control the evolution of reproductive barriers remain elusive, particularly in natural populations. We identify a gene associated with divergence in chemical courtship signaling in a pair of nascent orchid bee lineages. Male orchid bees collect perfume compounds from flowers and other sources to subsequently expose during courtship display, thereby conveying information on species identity. We show that these two lineages exhibit differentiated perfume blends and that this change is associated with the rapid evolution of a single odorant receptor gene. Our study suggests that reproductive isolation evolved through divergence of a major barrier gene involved in chemically mediated pre-mating isolation via genetic coupling.
biorxiv evolutionary-biology 100-200-users 2019Freeze-frame imaging of synaptic activity using SynTagMA, bioRxiv, 2019-02-01
AbstractInformation within the brain travels from neuron to neuron across billions of synapses. At any given moment, only a small subset of neurons and synapses are active, but finding the active synapses in brain tissue has been a technical challenge. To tag active synapses in a user-defined time window, we developed SynTagMA. Upon 405 nm illumination, this genetically encoded marker of activity converts from green to red fluorescence if, and only if, it is bound to calcium. Targeted to presynaptic terminals, preSynTagMA allows discrimination between active and silent axons. Targeted to excitatory postsynapses, postSynTagMA creates a snapshot of synapses active just before photoconversion. To analyze large datasets, we developed software to identify and track the fluorescence of thousands of individual synapses in tissue. Together, these tools provide a high throughput method for repeatedly mapping active neurons and synapses in cell culture, slice preparations, and in vivo during behavior.
biorxiv neuroscience 100-200-users 2019The Arabidopsis thaliana pan-NLRome, bioRxiv, 2019-02-01
Disease is both among the most important selection pressures in nature and among the main causes of yield loss in agriculture. In plants, resistance to disease is often conferred by Nucleotide-binding Leucine-rich Repeat (NLR) proteins. These proteins function as intracellular immune receptors that recognize pathogen proteins and their effects on the plant. Consistent with evolutionarily dynamic interactions between plants and pathogens, NLRs are known to be encoded by one of the most variable gene families in plants, but the true extent of intraspecific NLR diversity has been unclear. Here, we define the majority of the Arabidopsis thaliana species-wide 'NLRome'. From NLR sequence enrichment and long-read sequencing of 65 diverse A. thaliana accessions, we infer that the pan-NLRome saturates with approximately 40 accessions. Despite the high diversity of NLRs, half of the pan-NLRome is present in most accessions. We chart the architectural diversity of NLR proteins, identify novel architectures, and quantify the selective forces that act on specific NLRs, domains, and positions. Our study provides a blueprint for defining the pan-NLRome of plant species.
biorxiv plant-biology 100-200-users 2019Ensuring meiotic DNA break formation in the mouse pseudoautosomal region Data File S1, bioRxiv, 2019-01-31
Sex chromosomes in males share only a diminutive homologous segment, the pseudoautosomal region (PAR), wherein meiotic double-strand breaks (DSBs), pairing, and crossing over must occur for correct segregation. How cells ensure PAR recombination is unknown. Here we delineate cis- and trans-acting factors that control PAR ultrastructure and make the PAR the hottest area of DSB formation in the male mouse genome. Prior to DSB formation, PAR chromosome axes elongate, sister chromatids separate, and DSB-promoting factors hyperaccumulate. These phenomena are linked to mo-2 minisatellite arrays and require ANKRD31 protein. We propose that the repetitive PAR sequence confers unique chromatin and higher order structures crucial for DSB formation, X-Y pairing, and recombination. Our findings establish a mechanistic paradigm of mammalian sex chromosome segregation during spermatogenesis.
biorxiv molecular-biology 100-200-users 2019Ensuring meiotic DNA break formation in the mouse pseudoautosomal region, bioRxiv, 2019-01-31
Sex chromosomes in males share only a diminutive homologous segment, the pseudoautosomal region (PAR), wherein meiotic double-strand breaks (DSBs), pairing, and crossing over must occur for correct segregation. How cells ensure PAR recombination is unknown. Here we delineate cis-and trans-acting factors that control PAR ultrastructure and make the PAR the hottest area of DSB formation in the male mouse genome. Prior to DSB formation, PAR chromosome axes elongate, sister chromatids separate, and DSB-promoting factors hyperaccumulate. These phenomena are linked to mo-2 minisatellite arrays and require ANKRD31 protein. We propose that the repetitive PAR sequence confers unique chromatin and higher order structures crucial for DSB formation, X–Y pairing, and recombination. Our findings establish a mechanistic paradigm of mammalian sex chromosome segregation during spermatogenesis.
biorxiv molecular-biology 100-200-users 2019