Digestive organ in the female reproductive tract borrows genes from multiple organ systems to adopt critical functions

Molecular Biology and Evolution
Camille MeslinNathan L Clark

Abstract

Persistent adaptive challenges are often met with the evolution of novel physiological traits. Although there are specific examples of single genes providing new physiological functions, studies on the origin of complex organ functions are lacking. One such derived set of complex functions is found in the Lepidopteran bursa copulatrix, an organ within the female reproductive tract that digests nutrients from the male ejaculate or spermatophore. Here, we characterized bursa physiology and the evolutionary mechanisms by which it was equipped with digestive and absorptive functionality. By studying the transcriptome of the bursa and eight other tissues, we revealed a suite of highly expressed and secreted gene products providing the bursa with a combination of stomach-like traits for mechanical and enzymatic digestion of the male spermatophore. By subsequently placing these bursa genes in an evolutionary framework, we found that the vast majority of their novel digestive functions were co-opted by borrowing genes that continue to be expressed in nonreproductive tissues. However, a number of bursa-specific genes have also arisen, some of which represent unique gene families restricted to Lepidoptera and may provide novel bursa-spec...Continue Reading

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Citations

Jun 21, 2017·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Camille MeslinNathan L Clark
Aug 5, 2018·Nature Ecology & Evolution·Sumitha NalluMarcus R Kronforst
Mar 7, 2021·Genes·Maria-Eleni GregoriouKostas D Mathiopoulos
May 23, 2015·The Journal of Experimental Biology·Melissa S PlakkeNathan I Morehouse
Nov 9, 2021·Insect Molecular Biology·Juan HurtadoEsteban Hasson
Dec 14, 2021·PeerJ·David XochipiltecatlCarlos R Cordero

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Methods Mentioned

BETA
dissection
PCA

Software Mentioned

BLASTP
- Toolkit
FASTX
TMHMM
Bowtie
Trinity
SignalP
RSEM
BLAST
PhyML

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