Transcriptome analysis of the skin of anurans of Thoropa miliaris group (Cycloramphidae)

• Grant number: 23/07119-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Post-doctor
• Start date: September 21, 2023
• End date: March 20, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Zoology
• Principal Investigator: Célio Fernando Baptista Haddad
• Grantee: Ariadne Fares Sabbag
• Supervisor: José Fernando Melo Ferreira
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Rio Claro. Rio Claro , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Universidade do Porto (UP), Portugal
• Associated to the scholarship: 21/12455-9 - Investigations about interespecific reproductive isolation in the Thoropa miliaris group (Amphibia: Anura: Cycloramphidae), BP.PD

Abstract

Anuran species of Thoropa miliaris group (T. megatympanum, T. miliaris, T. saxatilis, T. taophora; family Cycloramphidae) live in the Atlantic forest and campo rupestre, in rocky environment like waterfalls, rocky seashores, low flow streams, and humid rocky outcrops. The Thoropa miliaris group is monophyletic and present many lineages, many of them apparently without gene flow, even when they are co-occurring. Nevertheless, we still do not know how these lineages recognize each other and how they remain genetically isolated even living in the same site. One of the goals of the ongoing project (FAPESP process number 2021/12455-9) is to look for some kind of pre-mating behavioral isolation, like sexual selection through semiochemicals. And one of the ways to look for semiochemicals is through the sequencing of skins transcript of these animals. Through this sequencing, we will seek specifically for genes that codify peptides that are responsible for communication between males and females of the same species, or individuals of different species. Therefore, we will sequence the transcriptomes of the nuptial pads region of males and females of T. taophora and males of T. miliaris, preparing the libraries and sequencing the RNA in an Illumina platform. Using the raw data, we will perform the quality control, the processing and assembly of the transcriptomes, the read mapping and abundance estimates of the transcripts, the differential expression analysis, and sequences translation. To look for our interested genes, we will annotate the transcriptome and do the analysis of the gene ontology terms. With these data, we will compare males with females of T. taophora, and males of T. taophora with males of T. miliaris. Finally, we will elaborate a workflow manager to facilitate the reproduction and divulgation of methods, and results. (AU)