Biology subjects

Chris Jiggins

Publications and source records attributed to Chris Jiggins.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2015

Sex chromosome dosage compensation in Heliconius butterflies: global yet still incomplete?

The evolution of heterogametic sex chromosome is often - but not always - accompanied by the evolution of dosage compensating mechanisms that mitigate the impact of sex-specific gene dosage on levels of gene expression. One emerging view of this process is that such mechanisms may only evolve in male-heterogametic (XY) species but not in female-heterogametic (ZW) species, which will consequently exhibit \"incomplete\" sex chromosome dosage compensation. However, recent results suggest that at least some Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies) may prove to be an exception to this prediction. Studies in bombycoid moths indicate the presence of a chromosome-wide epigenetic mechanism that effectively balances Z chromosome gene expression between the sexes by reducing Z-linked expression in males. In contrast, strong sex chromosome dosage effects without any reduction in male Z-linked expression were previously reported in a pyralid moth, suggesting a lack of any such dosage compensating mechanism. Here we report an analysis of sex chromosome dosage compensation in Heliconius butterflies, sampling multiple individuals for several different adult tissues (head, abdomen, leg, mouth, and antennae). Methodologically, we introduce a novel application of linear mixed-effects models to assess dosage compensation, offering a unified statistical framework that can estimate effects specific to chromosome, to sex, and their interactions (i.e., a dosage effect). Our results show substantially reduced Z-linked expression relative to autosomes in both sexes, as previously observed in bombycoid moths. This observation is consistent with an increasing body of evidence that some lepidopteran species possess an epigenetic dosage compensating mechanism that reduces Z chromosome expression in males to levels comparable with females. However, this mechanism appears to be imperfect in Heliconius, resulting in a modest dosage effect that produces an average 5-20% increase in male expression relative to females on the Z chromosome, depending on the tissue. Thus our results in Heliconius reflect a mixture of previous patterns reported for Lepidoptera. In Heliconius, a moderate pattern of \"incomplete\" dosage compensation persists apparently despite the presence of an epigenetic dosage compensating mechanism. The chromosomal distributions of sex-biased genes show an excess of male-biased and a dearth of female-biased genes on the Z chromosome relative to autosomes, consistent with predictions of sexually antagonistic evolution.

Genomics↗

bioRxiv2015

The origins of a novel butterfly wing patterning gene from within a family of conserved cell cycle regulators

A major challenge in evolutionary biology is to understand the origins of novel structures. The wing patterns of butterflies and moths are derived phenotypes unique to the Lepidoptera. Here we identify a gene that we name poikilomousa (poik), which regulates colour pattern switches in the mimetic Heliconius butterflies. Strong associations between phenotypic variation and DNA sequence variation are seen in three different Heliconius species, in addition to associations between gene expression and colour pattern. Colour pattern variants are also associated with differences in splicing of poik transcripts. poik is a member of the conserved fizzy family of cell cycle regulators. It belongs to a faster evolving subfamily, the closest functionally characterised orthologue being the cortex gene in Drosophila, a female germ-line specific protein involved in meiosis. poik appears to have adopted a novel function in the Lepidoptera and become a major target for natural selection acting on colour and pattern variation in this group.

Evolutionary Biology↗

bioRxiv2014

A field test for frequency-dependent selection on mimetic colour patterns in Heliconius butterflies

Mullerian mimicry, the similarity among unpalatable species, is thought to evolve by frequency-dependent selection. Accordingly, phenotypes that become established in an area are positively selected because predators have learnt to avoid these forms, while introduced phenotypes are eliminated because predators have not yet learnt to associate these other forms with unprofitability. We tested this prediction in two areas where different colour morphs of the mimetic species Heliconius erato and H. melpomene have become established, as well as in the hybrid zone between these morphs. In each area we tested for selection on three colour patterns: the two parental and the most common hybrid. We recorded bird predation on butterfly models with paper wings, matching the appearance of each morph to bird vision, and plasticine bodies. We did not detect differences in survival between colour morphs, but all morphs were more highly attacked in the hybrid zone. This finding is consistent with recent evidence from controlled experiments with captive birds, which suggest that the effectiveness of warning signals decreases when a large signal diversity is available to predators. This is likely to occur in the hybrid zone where over twenty hybrid phenotypes coexist.

Evolutionary Biology↗