Merel, V. | Search bioRxiv

bioRxiv2020

The worldwide invasion of Drosophila suzukii isaccompanied by a large increase of transposable elementload and a small number of putatively adaptive insertions

Transposable Elements (TEs) are ubiquitous and mobile repeated sequences. They are major determinants of host fitness. Here, we portrayed the TE content of the spotted wing fly Drosophila suzukii. Using a recently improved genome assembly, we reconstructed TE sequences de novo, and found that TEs occupy 47% of the genome and are mostly located in gene poor regions. The majority of TE insertions segregate at low frequencies, indicating a recent and probably ongoing TE activity. To explore TE dynamics in the context of biological invasions, we studied variation of TE abundance in genomic data from 16 invasive and six native populations (of D. suzukii). We found a large increase of the TE load in invasive populations correlated with a reduced Watterson estimate of genetic diversity [Formula] a proxy of effective population size. We did not find any correlation between TE contents and bio-climatic variables, indicating a minor effect of environmentally induced TE activity. A genome-wide association study revealed that ca. 5,000 genomic regions are associated with TE abundance. We did not find, however, any evidence in such regions of an enrichment for genes known to interact with TE activity (e.g. transcription factor encoding genes or genes of the piRNA pathway). Finally, the study of TE insertion frequencies revealed 15 putatively adaptive TE insertions, six of them being likely associated with the recent invasion history of the species.

evolutionary biology↗

bioRxiv2020

Phenotypic and transcriptomic responses to stress differ according to population geography in an invasive species

BackgroundAdaptation to rapid environmental changes must occur within a short time scale. In this context, studies of invasive species may provide insights into the underlying mechanisms of rapid adaptation as these species have repeatedly encountered and successfully adapted to novel environmental conditions. Here we investigated how invasive and non-invasive populations of D. suzukii deal with an oxidative stress at both the phenotypic and molecular level. We also investigated the impact of transposable element insertions on the differential gene expression between genotypes in response to oxidative stress. ResultsInvasive populations lived longer in the untreated condition than non-invasive Japanese populations. As expected, lifespan was greatly reduced following exposure to paraquat, but this reduction varied among genotypes (a genotype by environment interaction, GEI) with invasive genotypes appearing more affected by exposure than non-invasive genotypes. We also performed transcriptomic sequencing of selected genotypes upon and without paraquat and detected a large number of genes differentially expressed, distinguishing the genotypes in the untreated environment. While a small core set of genes were differentially expressed by all genotypes following paraquat exposure, much of the response of each population was unique. Interestingly, we identified a set of genes presenting genotype by environment interaction (GEI). Many of these differences may reflect signatures of history of past adaptation. Transposable elements (TEs) were not activated after oxidative stress and differentially expressed (DE) genes were significantly depleted of TEs. ConclusionIn the decade since the invasion from the south of Asia, invasive populations of D. suzukii have diverged from populations in the native area regarding their genetic response to oxidative stress. This suggests that such transcriptomic changes could be involved in the rapid adaptation to local environments.

genomics↗