scholarly journals Understanding the Evolution of Reptile Chromosomes through Applications of Combined Cytogenetics and Genomics Approaches

2019 ◽  
Vol 157 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 7-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janine E. Deakin ◽  
Tariq Ezaz

Studies of reptile (nonavian reptiles) chromosomes began well over a century ago (1897) with the initial report on the description of sand lizard (Lacerta agilis) chromosomes. Since then, chromosome analysis in reptiles has contributed significantly to understanding chromosome evolution in vertebrates. Reptile karyotypes are also unique, as being the only vertebrate group where the majority of the species possess variable numbers of macro- and microchromosomes, which was first reported for iguanids and teiids in 1921. In addition, many reptiles have microchromosomes as sex chromosomes, highlighting their evolutionary significance, yet very little is known about their evolutionary origin and significance in shaping amniote genomes. Advances in genomic technologies in recent years have accelerated our capacity to understand how sequences are arranged within a genome. However, genomic and cytogenetic analyses have been combined for only 3 species to provide a deeper understanding of reptile chromosome evolution and sequence organization. In this review, we highlight how a combined approach of cytogenetic analysis and sequence analysis in reptiles can help us answer fundamental questions of chromosome evolution in reptiles, including evolution of microchromosomes and sex chromosomes.

Chromosoma ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 123 (6) ◽  
pp. 563-575 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kornsorn Srikulnath ◽  
Kazumi Matsubara ◽  
Yoshinobu Uno ◽  
Chizuko Nishida ◽  
Mats Olsson ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Vol 287 (1935) ◽  
pp. 20201388 ◽  
Author(s):  
Terrence Sylvester ◽  
Carl E. Hjelmen ◽  
Shawn J. Hanrahan ◽  
Paul A. Lenhart ◽  
J. Spencer Johnston ◽  
...  

The structure of a genome can be described at its simplest by the number of chromosomes and the sex chromosome system it contains. Despite over a century of study, the evolution of genome structure on this scale remains recalcitrant to broad generalizations that can be applied across clades. To address this issue, we have assembled a dataset of 823 karyotypes from the insect group Polyneoptera. This group contains orders with a range of variations in chromosome number, and offer the opportunity to explore the possible causes of these differences. We have analysed these data using both phylogenetic and taxonomic approaches. Our analysis allows us to assess the importance of rates of evolution, phylogenetic history, sex chromosome systems, parthenogenesis and genome size on variation in chromosome number within clades. We find that fusions play a key role in the origin of new sex chromosomes, and that orders exhibit striking differences in rates of fusions, fissions and polyploidy. Our results suggest that the difficulty in finding consistent rules that govern evolution at this scale may be due to the presence of many interacting forces that can lead to variation among groups.


2019 ◽  
Vol 53 (5) ◽  
pp. 375-384
Author(s):  
M. Drohvalenko ◽  
A. Mykhailenko ◽  
M. Rekrotchuk ◽  
L. Shpak ◽  
V. Shuba ◽  
...  

Abstract A part of the COI mitochondrial barcoding gene was sequenced from seven species of different taxonomical groups: Ambystoma mexicanum (Amphibia, Ambystomatidae), Darevskia lindholmi, Lacerta agilis exigua (Reptilia, Lacertidae), Erinaceus roumanicus (Mammalia, Erinaceidae), Macrobiotus sp. 1 and 2 (Eutardigrada, Macrobiotidae) and Cameraria ohridella (Insecta, Gracillariidae). The sequences were compared with available sequences from databases and positioned on phylogenetic trees when the taxa had not yet been sequenced. The presence of Mexican axolotls in herpetoculture in Ukraine was confirmed. The partial COI genes of the Crimean rock lizard and an eastern sub-species of the sand lizard were sequenced. We demonstrated the presence of two tardigrade mitochondrial lineages of the Macrobiotus hufelandi group in the same sample from the Zeya Natural Reserve in the Far East: one was nearly identical to the Italian M. macrocalix, and the other one is similar to M. persimilis and M. vladimiri. We also confirmed the presence of the invasive haplotype “A” of the horse chestnut leaf miner in Ukraine, in line with the hypothesized route of invasion from Central Europe.


Genes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 483
Author(s):  
Wen-Juan Ma ◽  
Paris Veltsos

Frogs are ideal organisms for studying sex chromosome evolution because of their diversity in sex chromosome differentiation and sex-determination systems. We review 222 anuran frogs, spanning ~220 Myr of divergence, with characterized sex chromosomes, and discuss their evolution, phylogenetic distribution and transitions between homomorphic and heteromorphic states, as well as between sex-determination systems. Most (~75%) anurans have homomorphic sex chromosomes, with XY systems being three times more common than ZW systems. Most remaining anurans (~25%) have heteromorphic sex chromosomes, with XY and ZW systems almost equally represented. There are Y-autosome fusions in 11 species, and no W-/Z-/X-autosome fusions are known. The phylogeny represents at least 19 transitions between sex-determination systems and at least 16 cases of independent evolution of heteromorphic sex chromosomes from homomorphy, the likely ancestral state. Five lineages mostly have heteromorphic sex chromosomes, which might have evolved due to demographic and sexual selection attributes of those lineages. Males do not recombine over most of their genome, regardless of which is the heterogametic sex. Nevertheless, telomere-restricted recombination between ZW chromosomes has evolved at least once. More comparative genomic studies are needed to understand the evolutionary trajectories of sex chromosomes among frog lineages, especially in the ZW systems.


1982 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
George L. Gabor Miklos ◽  
Amanda Clare Gill

SummaryThe nucleotide sequence data from highly repeated DNAs of inverte-brates and mammals are summarized and briefly discussed. Very similar conclusions can be drawn from the two data bases. Sequence complexities can vary from 2 bp to at least 359 bp in invertebrates and from 3 bp to at least 2350 bp in mammals. The larger sequences may or may not exhibit a substructure. Significant sequence variation occurs for any given repeated array within a species, but the sources of this heterogeneity have not been systematically partitioned. The types of alterations in a basic repeating unit can involve base changes as well as deletions or additions which can vary from 1 bp to at least 98 bp in length. These changes indicate that sequence per se is unlikely to be under significant biological constraints and may sensibly be examined by analogy to Kimura's neutral theory for allelic variation. It is not possible with the present evidence to discriminate between the roles of neutral and selective mechanisms in the evolution of highly repeated DNA.Tandemly repeated arrays are constantly subjected to cycles of amplification and deletion by mechanisms for which the available data stem largely from ribosomal genes. It is a matter of conjecture whether the solutions to the mechanistic puzzles involved in amplification or rapid redeployment of satellite sequences throughout a genome will necessarily give any insight into biological functions.The lack of significant somatic effects when the satellite DNA content of a genome is significantly perturbed indicates that the hunt for specific functions at the cellular level is unlikely to prove profitable.The presence or in some cases the amount of satellite DNA on a chromosome, however, can have significant effects in the germ line. There the data show that localized condensed chromatin, rich in satellite DNA, can have the effect of rendering adjacent euchromatic regions rec−, or of altering levels of recombination on different chromosomes. No data stemming from natural populations however are yet available to tell us if these effects are of adaptive or evolutionary significance.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 112
Author(s):  
Dan Mead ◽  
Rob Ogden ◽  
Anna Meredith ◽  
Gabriela Peniche ◽  
Michelle Smith ◽  
...  

We present a genome assembly from an individual female Aquila chrysaetos chrysaetos (the European golden eagle; Chordata; Aves; Accipitridae). The genome sequence is 1.23 gigabases in span. The majority of the assembly is scaffolded into 28 chromosomal pseudomolecules, including the W and Z sex chromosomes.


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