1 research outputs found
Pheromone Evolution, Reproductive Genes, and Comparative Transcriptomics in Mediterranean Earthworms (Annelida, Oligochaeta, Hormogastridae)
16 páginas, 5 tablas, 8 figurasAnimals inhabiting cryptic environments are often subjected to morphological stasis due to the lack of obvious agents
driving selection, and hence chemical cues may be important drivers of sexual selection and individual recognition. Here,
we provide a comparative analysis of de novo-assembled transcriptomes in two Mediterranean earthworm species with
the objective to detect pheromone proteins and other reproductive genes that could be involved in cryptic speciation
processes, as recently characterized in other earthworm species. cDNA libraries of unspecific tissue of Hormogaster
samnitica and three different tissues of H. elisae were sequenced in an Illumina Genome Analyzer II or Hi-Seq. Two
pheromones, Attractin and Temptin were detected in all tissue samples and both species. Attractin resulted in a reliable
marker for phylogenetic inference. Temptin contained multiple paralogs and was slightly overexpressed in the digestive
tissue, suggesting that these pheromones could be released with the casts. Genes involved in sexual determination and
fertilization were highly expressed in reproductive tissue. This is thus the first detailed analysis of the molecular
machinery of sexual reproduction in earthworms.This research
was funded by internal funds from the Museum of
Comparative Zoology and the Faculty of Arts and Sciences
to G.G.Peer reviewe