FUNCTIONAL AND EVOLUTIONARY DINAMICS OF TRANSPOSABLE ELEMENTS WITHIN AND BETWEEN SPECIES

• Grant number: 16/19271-2
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: December 01, 2016
• End date: May 31, 2019
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Genetics - Animal Genetics
• Principal Investigator: Claudia Marcia Aparecida Carareto
• Grantee: Claudia Marcia Aparecida Carareto
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências, Letras e Ciências Exatas (IBILCE). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de São José do Rio Preto. São José do Rio Preto , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Annabelle Haudry ; Cristina Vieira ; Thiago Yukio Kikuchi Oliveira

Abstract

This project aims to understand the functional and evolutionary dynamics of transposable elements (TEs) within and between drosophilid species focusing on two main issues. The first will investigate whether the impact of genomic stress resultant from hybridization causes activation of TEs, and whether this activation may be associated with post-zygotic reproductive isolation. For this, two sister species (D. mojavensis and D. arizonae) that diverged recently and produce hybrids will be investigated. In the subproject "Annotation and characterization of transposable elements in the genome of Drosophila mojavensis and D.arizonae", TEs of the two species will be predicted, annotated and hierarchically classified, contextualized according to the proximity of gene regions, in order to analyze their potential action in gene regulation. In the subproject "The expression of transposable elements may be associated with post-zygotic isolation between Drosophila mojavensis and D. arizonae?" four subspecies of D. mojavensis will be intercrossed with D. arizonae to analyze parameters of life-history and hybrid sterility. These results will be related to expression analyses of TEs and specific genes (candidate speciation) in germinal tissue via RNA-seq and RT-qPCR. The second question, regarding the occurrence of horizontal transfer of TEs (HT) will be investigated in the subproject 3 (Horizontal transfer of transposable elements without-LTRs between Drosophila and Zaprionus). Using two retrotransposons without LTRs, which are not prone to HT, we will test the hypothesis that species of subgenus Zaprionus and of the melanogaster subgroup of Drosophila, which diverged concomitantly in tropical Africa, went through a permissive period of horizontal transfers of TEs, which it would have facilitated the exchange of this type of retrotransposon. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

SIMAO, MARYANNA C.; HAUDRY, ANNABELLE; GRANZOTTO, ADRIANA; DE SETTA, NATHALIA; CARARETO, CLAUDIA M. A.. Helena and BS: Two Travellers between the Genera Drosophila and Zaprionus. GENOME BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION, v. 10, n. 10, p. 2671-2685, OCT 2018. (16/19271-2)

TAMBONES, IZABELLA L.; HAUDRY, ANNABELLE; SIMAO, MARYANNA C.; CARARETO, CLAUDIA M. A.. High frequency of horizontal transfer in Jockey families (LINE order) of drosophilids. MOBILE DNA, v. 10, n. 1, NOV 4 2019. (16/19271-2)

BANHO, CECILIA A.; MEREL, VINCENT; OLIVEIRA, THIAGO Y. K.; CARARETO, CLAUDIA M. A.; VIEIRA, CRISTINA. Comparative transcriptomics between Drosophila mojavensis and D. arizonae reveals transgressive gene expression and underexpression of spermatogenesis-related genes in hybrid testes. SCIENTIFIC REPORTS, v. 11, n. 1, MAY 10 2021. (16/19271-2)