Accumulation of retrotransposons contributes to W chromosome differentiation in the willow beauty Peribatodes rhomboidaria (Lepidoptera: Geometridae)

0566784 - BC 2024 RIV DE eng J - Journal Article
Hejníčková, Martina - Dalíková, M. - Zrzavá, Magda - Marec, František - Lorite, P. - Montiel, E. E.
Accumulation of retrotransposons contributes to W chromosome differentiation in the willow beauty Peribatodes rhomboidaria (Lepidoptera: Geometridae).
Scientific Reports. Roč. 13, č. 1 (2023), č. článku 534. ISSN 2045-2322. E-ISSN 2045-2322
R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA20-13784S; GA MŠMT(CZ) LM2018131
Grant - others:GA ČR(CZ) GJ20-20650Y; Ministerstvo školství, mládeže a tělovýchovy - GA MŠk(CZ) LM2018140; GA JU(CZ) 013/20220/P
Research Infrastructure: e-INFRA CZ - 90140
Institutional support: RVO:60077344
Keywords : sex chromosome evolution * retrotrasposons * FISH mapping
OECD category: Genetics and heredity (medical genetics to be 3)
Impact factor: 4.6, year: 2022
Method of publishing: Open access
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-27757-3.pdf

The W chromosome of Lepidoptera is typically gene-poor, repeat-rich and composed of heterochromatin. Pioneering studies investigating this chromosome reported an abundance of mobile elements. However, the actual composition of the W chromosome varies greatly between species, as repeatedly demonstrated by comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) or fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Here we present an analysis of repeats on the W chromosome in the willow beauty, Peribatodes rhomboidaria (Geometridae), a species in which CGH predicted an abundance of W-enriched or W-specific sequences. Indeed, comparative analysis of male and female genomes using RepeatExplorer identified ten putative W chromosome-enriched repeats, most of which are LTR or LINE mobile elements. We analysed the two most abundant: PRW LINE-like and PRW Bel-Pao. The results of FISH mapping and bioinformatic analysis confirmed their enrichment on the W chromosome, supporting the hypothesis that mobile elements are the driving force of W chromosome differentiation in Lepidoptera. As the W chromosome is highly underrepresented in chromosome-level genome assemblies of Lepidoptera, this recently introduced approach, combining bioinformatic comparative genome analysis with molecular cytogenetics, provides an elegant tool for studying this elusive and rapidly evolving part of the genome.
Permanent Link: https://hdl.handle.net/11104/0349825