Abstract Detail

Evolutionary Developmental Biology (Evo-Devo)

Trail, Frances [1], Stefenko, Kayla [2], Cubba, Caitlyn [3], Wang, Zheng [4], Townsend, Jeffrey [5].

Comparative transcriptomics identifies genes for species-specific morphology.

We are investigating the relationship between genotype and phenotype as it relates to adaptation among fungal species. We performed comparative transcriptomics across five stages of perithecium development in three species of Neurospora and two species of Fusarium. We inferred ancestral changes in gene expression across the five-species phylogeny, and ranked genes that substantially increased in expression in either Neurospora spp. or Fusarium spp. but not both. We hypothesized that these genes would have been assigned new roles in development, and would likely to be involved in evolved morphological differences between the two genera. We functionally characterized genes from the ranked list. A significant proportion of them were involved in development of perithecial structures that were distinct between the two genera, including the beak in Neurospora and the stroma in Fusarium, as well as genes for ascospore release and early developmental stages. Roles of these genes are reflective of niche adaptation among the species.

1 - Michigan State University, Department Of Plant Biology, East Lansing, MI, 48824-1020, USA
2 - Michigan State University, Plant Biology, East Lansing, MI, 48854, USA
3 - Michigan State University, Plant Biology, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
4 - Yale University, Ecology And Evolutionary Biology, 165 Prospect Street, Osborne Memorial Labs, New Haven, CT, 06520-8106, USA
5 - Yale University, Yale Center for ANalytical Sciences, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA

Keywords:
Perithecia
transcriptomics.

Presentation Type: Oral Paper:Papers for Topics
Session: 26
Location: Hall B/The Shaw Conference Centre
Date: Tuesday, July 28th, 2015
Time: 9:45 AM
Number: 26008
Abstract ID:1099
Candidate for Awards:None