Comparative mitogenomic and evolutionary analysis of Lycaenidae (Insecta: Lepidoptera): Potential association with high-altitude adaptation

Frontiers in Genetics

Genetics

Shi-Yun Hu¹  Su-Hao Wang²  Wen-Ting Chen²  Min Li²  Ming-Long Yuan³ 

[1] State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China;College of Pastoral Agricultural Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China;National Demonstration Center for Experimental Grassland Science Education, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China;State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China;Key Laboratory of Grassland Livestock Industry Innovation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Lanzhou, Gansu, China;College of Pastoral Agricultural Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China;State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China;Key Laboratory of Grassland Livestock Industry Innovation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Lanzhou, Gansu, China;College of Pastoral Agricultural Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China;National Demonstration Center for Experimental Grassland Science Education, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China;

关键词: insects;    Lycaenidae;    comparative mitogenomics;    phylogeny;    high-altitude adaptation;    non-coding regions;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fgene.2023.1137588

 received in 2023-01-04, accepted in 2023-04-03,  发布年份 2023

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

Harsh environments (e.g., hypoxia and cold temperatures) of the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau have a substantial influence on adaptive evolution in various species. Some species in Lycaenidae, a large and widely distributed family of butterflies, are adapted to the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau. Here, we sequenced four mitogenomes of two lycaenid species in the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau and performed a detailed comparative mitogenomic analysis including nine other lycaenid mitogenomes (nine species) to explore the molecular basis of high-altitude adaptation. Based on mitogenomic data, Bayesian inference, and maximum likelihood methods, we recovered a lycaenid phylogeny of [Curetinae + (Aphnaeinae + (Lycaeninae + (Theclinae + Polyommatinae)))]. The gene content, gene arrangement, base composition, codon usage, and transfer RNA genes (sequence and structure) were highly conserved within Lycaenidae. TrnS1 not only lacked the dihydrouridine arm but also showed anticodon and copy number diversity. The ratios of non-synonymous substitutions to synonymous substitutions of 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs) were less than 1.0, indicating that all PCGs evolved under purifying selection. However, signals of positive selection were detected in cox1 in the two Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau lycaenid species, indicating that this gene may be associated with high-altitude adaptation. Three large non-coding regions, i.e., rrnS-trnM (control region), trnQ-nad2, and trnS2-nad1, were found in the mitogenomes of all lycaenid species. Conserved motifs in three non-coding regions (trnE-trnF, trnS1-trnE, and trnP-nad6) and long sequences in two non-coding regions (nad6-cob and cob-trnS2) were detected in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau lycaenid species, suggesting that these non-coding regions were involved in high-altitude adaptation. In addition to the characterization of Lycaenidae mitogenomes, this study highlights the importance of both PCGs and non-coding regions in high-altitude adaptation.

【 授权许可】

Unknown   
Copyright © 2023 Chen, Li, Hu, Wang and Yuan.