Molecular evolutionary trends and feeding ecology diversification in the Hemiptera, anchored by the milkweed bug genome Institutional Repository Document uri icon

abstract

  • AbstractBackgroundThe Hemiptera (aphids, cicadas, and true bugs) are a key insect order, with high diversity for feeding ecology and excellent experimental tractability for molecular genetics. Building upon recent sequencing of hemipteran pests such as phloem-feeding aphids and blood-feeding bed bugs, we present the genome sequence and comparative analyses centered on the milkweed bugOncopeltus fasciatus, a seed feeder of the family Lygaeidae.ResultsThe 926-MbOncopeltusgenome is well represented by the current assembly and official gene set. We use our genomic and RNA-seq data not only to characterize the protein-coding gene repertoire and perform isoform-specific RNAi, but also to elucidate patterns of molecular evolution and physiology. We find ongoing, lineage-specific expansion and diversification of repressive C2H2 zinc finger proteins. The discovery of intron gain and turnover specific to the Hemiptera also prompted evaluation of lineage and genome size as predictors of gene structure evolution. Furthermore, we identify enzymatic gains and losses that correlate with feeding biology, particularly for reductions associated with derived, fluid-nutrition feeding.ConclusionsWith the milkweed bug, we now have a critical mass of sequenced species for a hemimetabolous insect order and close outgroup to the Holometabola, substantially improving the diversity of insect genomics. We thereby define commonalities among the Hemiptera and delve into how hemipteran genomes reflect distinct feeding ecologies. GivenOncopeltus's strength as an experimental model, these new sequence resources bolster the foundation for molecular research and highlight technical considerations for the analysis of medium-sized invertebrate genomes.

altmetric score

  • 23.334

author list (cited authors)

  • Panfilio, K. A., Jentzsch, I., Benoit, J. B., Erezyilmaz, D., Suzuki, Y., Colella, S., ... Richards, S.

citation count

  • 21

complete list of authors

  • Panfilio, Kristen A||Jentzsch, Iris M Vargas||Benoit, Joshua B||Erezyilmaz, Deniz||Suzuki, Yuichiro||Colella, Stefano||Robertson, Hugh M||Poelchau, Monica F||Waterhouse, Robert M||Ioannidis, Panagiotis||Weirauch, Matthew T||Hughes, Daniel ST||Murali, Shwetha C||Werren, John H||Jacobs, Chris GC||Duncan, Elizabeth J||Armisén, David||Vreede, Barbara MI||Baa-Puyoulet, Patrice||Berger, Chloé S||Chang, Chun-che||Chao, Hsu||Chen, Mei-Ju M||Chen, Yen-Ta||Childers, Christopher P||Chipman, Ariel D||Cridge, Andrew G||Crumière, Antonin JJ||Dearden, Peter K||Didion, Elise M||Dinh, Huyen||Doddapaneni, HarshaVardhan||Dolan, Amanda||Dugan, Shannon||Extavour, Cassandra G||Febvay, Gérard||Friedrich, Markus||Ginzburg, Neta||Han, Yi||Heger, Peter||Holmes, Christopher J||Horn, Thorsten||Hsiao, Yi-min||Jennings, Emily C||Johnston, J Spencer||Jones, Tamsin E||Jones, Jeffery W||Khila, Abderrahman||Koelzer, Stefan||Kovacova, Viera||Leask, Megan||Lee, Sandra L||Lee, Chien-Yueh||Lovegrove, Mackenzie R||Lu, Hsiao-ling||Lu, Yong||Moore, Patricia J||Munoz-Torres, Monica C||Muzny, Donna M||Palli, Subba R||Parisot, Nicolas||Pick, Leslie||Porter, Megan||Qu, Jiaxin||Refki, Peter N||Richter, Rose||Pomar, Rolando Rivera||Rosendale, Andrew J||Roth, Siegfried||Sachs, Lena||Santos, M Emília||Seibert, Jan||Sghaier, Essia||Shukla, Jayendra N||Stancliffe, Richard J||Tidswell, Olivia||Traverso, Lucila||van der Zee, Maurijn||Viala, Séverine||Worley, Kim C||Zdobnov, Evgeny M||Gibbs, Richard A||Richards, Stephen

Book Title

  • bioRxiv

publication date

  • October 2017