科學家揭示甲蟲角的進化來源
作者:
小柯機器人發布時間:2019/11/22 14:33:25
美國印第安那大學Yonggang Hu和Armin P. Moczek合作揭示,甲蟲的角是由翅膀類的一系列同源物進化而來的。這一研究成果發表在11月22日出版的國際學術期刊《科學》上。
研究人員研究了金龜子科甲蟲中前胸角的起源,甲蟲是動物界中第二性狀特徵最明顯的生物之一。研究表明,胸前角源於雙邊來源的組織;指導胸前角形成在功能上需要多種翼形成的基因;並且,在沒有Hox輸入的情況下,胸前角原基會轉變為異位翼。
然而,一旦被誘導,胸前角的轉錄特徵與翅膀和其他翅膀系列同源物的轉錄特徵明顯不同。該研究結果證實了胸前角和昆蟲翅膀之間的系列同源性,並表明其他昆蟲的新特徵也可能類似地源自翅膀系列同源物以及隨之建立的結構特異性轉錄圖譜。
據介紹,了解個體新穎且複雜的特徵如何產生的是進化生物學的一項基本難題。
附:英文原文
Title: Beetle horns evolved from wing serial homologs
Author: Yonggang Hu, David M. Linz, Armin P. Moczek
Issue&Volume: 2019/11/22
Abstract: Understanding how novel complex traits originate is a foundational challenge in evolutionary biology. We investigated the origin of prothoracic horns in scarabaeine beetles, one of the most pronounced examples of secondary sexual traits in the animal kingdom. We show that prothoracic horns derive from bilateral source tissues; that diverse wing genes are functionally required for instructing this process; and that, in the absence of Hox input, prothoracic horn primordia transform to contribute to ectopic wings. Once induced, however, the transcriptional profile of prothoracic horns diverges markedly from that of wings and other wing serial homologs. Our results substantiate the serial homology between prothoracic horns and insects wings and suggest that other insect innovations may derive similarly from wing serial homologs and the concomitant establishment of structure-specific transcriptional landscapes.
DOI: 10.1126/science.aaw2980
Source: https://science.sciencemag.org/content/366/6468/1004
Science:《科學》,創刊於1880年。隸屬於美國科學促進會,最新IF:41.037