Biology subjects

Hill, T.

Publications and source records attributed to Hill, T..

5 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2018

Antiviral genes are not rapidly evolving in Drosophila innubila

Viruses make up a considerable proportion of the pathogens infecting animals. They can spread rapidly between hosts, and sicken or even kill their hosts to promote their own proliferation. Due to this strong selective pressure, antiviral immune genes are some of the fastest evolving genes across metazoans, as highlighted in mammals and insects. While Drosophila melanogaster are frequently exposed to pathogenic RNA viruses, little is known about D. melanogasters ecology in terms of viral exposure, or if they are representative of other Drosophila species. Here, we sequence and assemble the genome of a highly diverged, mushroom-feeding Drosophila species, Drosophila innubila, a species frequently exposed to a highly pathogenic DNA virus. We investigate the evolution of the immune system and find little evidence for rapid evolution of the antiviral RNAi genes, though we do find rapid evolution of several other pathways, suggesting alternate means of viral resistance. This contrasts with D. melanogaster, and suggests that evolution of resistance to DNA viruses differs greatly from that of RNA viruses.

genomics↗

bioRxiv2018

Balancing selection drives maintenance of geneticvariation in Drosophila antimicrobial peptides

Genes involved in immune defense against pathogens provide some of the most well-known examples of both directional and balancing selection. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are innate immune effector genes, playing a key role in pathogen clearance in many species, including Drosophila. Conflicting lines of evidence have suggested AMPs may be under directional, balancing or purifying selection. Here, we use a case-control gene approach to show that balancing selection is an important force shaping AMP diversity in two species of Drosophila. In D. melanogaster, this is most clearly observed in ancestral African populations. Furthermore, the signature of balancing selection is even clearer once background selection has been accounted for. Balancing selection also acts on AMPs in D. mauritiana, an isolated island endemic separated from D. melanogaster by about 4 million years of evolution. This suggests that balancing selection may be acting to maintain adaptive diversity in AMPs in insects as it does in other taxa.

evolutionary biology↗

bioRxiv2018

Extensive horizontal exchange of transposable elements in the Drosophila pseudoobscura group

While the horizontal transfer of a parasitic element can be a potentially catastrophic, it is increasingly recognized as a common occurrence. The horizontal exchange, or lack of exchange, of TE content between species results in different levels of divergence among a species group in the mobile component of their genomes. Here, we examine differences in the TE content of the Drosophila pseudoobscura species group. We identify several putative horizontal transfer events, and examine the role that horizontal transfer plays in the spread of TE families to new species and the homogenization of TE content in these species. Despite rampant exchange of TE families between species, we find that both TE content differs hugely across the group, likely due to differing activity of each TE family and differing suppression of TEs due to divergence in Y chromosome size, and its resulting effects of TE regulation. Overall, we show that TE content is highly dynamic in this species group, and that it plays a large role in shaping the differences seen between species.\n\nData availabilityAll data used in this study (summarized in table S1) is freely available online through the NCBI short read archive (NCBI SRA: ERR127385, SRR330416, SRR330418, SRR1925723, SRR330426, SRR330420, SRR330423, SRR617430-74). All genomes used are either available through Flybase.org or Popoolation.at.

genomics↗

bioRxiv2017

The dynamic evolution of Drosophila innubila Nudivirus

Viruses coevolve with their hosts to overcome host resistance and gain the upper hand in the evolutionary arms race. Drosophila innubila nudivirus (DiNV) is a double stranded DNA virus, closely related to Oryctes rhinoceros nudivirus (OrNV) and Kallithea virus. DiNV is the first DNA virus found to naturally infect Drosophila and therefore has the potential to be developed as a model for DNA virus immune defense and host/virus coevolution within its well-studied host system. Here we sequence and annotate the genome of DiNV and identify signatures of adaptation, revealing clues for genes involved in host-parasite coevolution. The genome is 155555bp long and contains 107 coding open reading frames (ORFs) and a wealth of AT-rich simple sequence repeats. While synteny is highly conserved between DiNV and Kallithea virus, it drops off rapidly as sequences become more divergent, consistent with rampant rearrangements across nudiviruses. Overall, we show that evolution of DiNV is likely due to adaptation of few genes coupled with high gene turnover.\n\nHighlightsO_LIWe sequence the genome of DiNV.\nC_LIO_LIFew genes are rapidly evolving between nudiviruses.\nC_LIO_LIWe find high gene turnover between DiNV and its closest relatives.\nC_LIO_LIHelicase and ODV-E56 show consistent signatures of adaptation.\nC_LI

genomics↗

bioRxiv2017

Persistent homology demarcates a leaf morphospace

Current morphometric methods that comprehensively measure shape cannot compare the disparate leaf shapes found in seed plants and are sensitive to processing artifacts. We explore the use of persistent homology, a topological method applied across the scales of a function, to overcome these limitations. The described method isolates subsets of shape features and measures the spatial relationship of neighboring pixel densities in a shape. We apply the method to the analysis of 182,707 leaves, both published and unpublished, representing 141 plant families collected from 75 sites throughout the world. By measuring leaves from throughout the seed plants using persistent homology, a defined morphospace comparing all leaves is demarcated. Clear differences in shape between major phylogenetic groups are detected and estimates of leaf shape diversity within plant families are made. This approach does not only predict plant family, but also the collection site, confirming phylogenetically invariant morphological features that characterize leaves from specific locations. The application of a persistent homology method to measure leaf shape allows for a unified morphometric framework to measure plant form, including shape and branching architectures.

plant biology↗