Evolution and development of spiders' spinnerets (Arachnida: Araneae)

• Grant number: 17/19616-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: August 01, 2018
• End date: December 31, 2022
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Genetics - Animal Genetics
• Principal Investigator: Tatiana Teixeira Torres
• Grantee: Nancy França Lo Man Hung
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 19/12282-7 - Discovering the developmental genetic basis of spinneret morphogenesis, BE.EP.DR

Abstract

The spinnerets are an important synapomorphy of spiders, and together with silk they allow them to build their webs. This unique feature of spiders constitute one of the main factors responsible for the ecological success and conquest of nearly every terrestrial habitats, and their current diversity. The morphology of spinnerets is widely used in phylogenetic reconstructions and to classify important groups within Araneae. However, molecular mechanisms and genes involved in the development of the spinnerets are not clear hitherto. Thus, we will pursue two main biological questions: (i) the presence/occurrence of rapid changes in the coding sequences of genes involved in morphological innovations in a phylogenetic context in the order Araneae and (ii) the role of regulatory changes in the transverse arrangement of spinnerets in spiders of the Hahniidae family. We expect that, by using these two different approaches, we will reveal the relative contribution of structural changes, and cis and trans regulatory effects in the morphology of spinnerets in Araneae. Furthermore, the investigation of patterns of genome wide gene expression and evolution could indicate which genes are involved in the development of spinnerets, and which evolutionary mechanisms underlie the observed patterns. Candidate genes will be selected from the genome-wide analyses and studied further to establish causal relationships between gene sequence and expression and the development of spinnerets. (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)

MARIANO-MARTINS, PEDRO; LO-MAN-HUNG, NANCY; TORRES, TATIANA TEIXEIRA. Evolution of Spiders and Silk Spinning: Mini Review of the Morphology, Evolution, and Development of Spiders' Spinnerets. FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION, v. 8, MAY 22 2020. (17/19616-2, 18/06719-0, 19/12282-7)

MARIANO-MARTINS, PEDRO; MONFARDINI, RAQUEL DIETSCHE; LO-MAN-HUNG, NANCY; TORRES, TATIANA TEIXEIRA. Evidence of positive selection on six spider developmental genes. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART B-MOLECULAR AND DEVELOPMENTAL EVOLUTION, JAN 2022. (18/06719-0, 19/12282-7, 17/19616-2)

Academic Publications

(References retrieved automatically from State of São Paulo Research Institutions)

HUNG, Nancy França Lo Man. Evolution and development of spiders spinnerets (Arachnida: Araneae). 2024. Doctoral Thesis - Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Instituto de Biociências (IBIOC/SB) São Paulo.