Naslov
The role of plasticity in the adaptive evolution of cavefish Astyanax mexicanus
(The role of plasticity in the adaptive evolution of cavefish Astyanax mexicanus)

Autori
Čupić, Mateo ; Bilandžija, Helena

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Sažeci sa skupova, neobjavljeni rad, ostalo

Skup
Genes as Environment

Mjesto i datum
Sjedinjene Američke Države, 15.11.2020. - 18.11.2020

Vrsta sudjelovanja
Predavanje

Vrsta recenzije
Podatak o recenziji nije dostupan

Ključne riječi
plasticity ; Astyanax ; cavefish ; evolution

Sažetak
Phenotypic plasticity has the potential to be of paramount importance in evolution. We showed its significance in adaptation to cave environments in a teleost species Astyanax mexicanus. Having ancestral surface morphs (surface fish, SF) and derived cave morphs (cavefish, CF), we exposed the former to complete darkness, thus mimicking its' colonization of caves. The results showed changes at both the gene expression and phenotypic levels. Remarkably, most phenotypes of dark maintained SF (hormone levels, fat content, neurotransmitter levels, metabolic rate) changed in the direction of the CF phenotype. In addition, we found 356 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and further analyzed their expression in SF and Pachon CF at four stages of development (10 hpf/24 hpf/1.5 dpf/3 dpf). A total of 67 genes in SF exposed to dark change in the same direction as in Pachon in either all four or in three out of four stages of development, whereas 79 genes showed partially or completely opposite direction of change in expression. Our results show that more than half of gene expression changes are not in the adaptive direction. The plasticity of many traits known to be involved in adaptation to caves appeared in a single generation, however, the response tends to be random in the adaptive outcome. Our next aim is to look for mutations in SF and CF genes, as well as changes in the possible regulatory elements associated with aforementioned DEGs, in order to identify the molecular basis of plasticity as well as adaptive evolution of Astyanax CF.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Biologija

POVEZANOST RADA