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Sib mating increases homozygosity, which therefore increases the risk of inbreeding depression. Selective pressures have favoured the evolution of kin recognition and avoidance of sib mating in numerous species, including the parasitoid wasp Venturia canescens. We studied the female neurogenomic response associated with sib mating avoidance after females were exposed to courtship displays by i) unrelated males or ii) related males or iii) no courtship (controls). First, by comparing the transcriptional responses of females exposed to courtship displays to those exposed to controls, we saw a rapid and extensive transcriptional shift consistent with social environment. Second, by comparing the transcriptional responses of females exposed to courtship by related to those exposed to unrelated males, we characterized distinct and repeatable transcriptomic patterns that correlated with the relatedness of the courting male. Network analysis revealed 3 modules of specific 'sib-responsive' genes that were distinct from other 'courtship-responsive' modules. Therefore, specific neurogenomic states with characteristic brain transcriptomes associated with different behavioural responses affect sib mating avoidance behaviour.

Background Although sexual reproduction is dominant within eukaryotes, asexual reproduction is widespread and has evolved independently as a derived trait in almost all major taxa. How asexuality evolved in sexual organisms is unclear. Aphids, such as Acyrthosiphon pisum , alternate between asexual and sexual reproductive means, as the production of parthenogenetic viviparous females or sexual oviparous females and males varies in response to seasonal photoperiodism. Consequently, sexual and asexual development in aphids can be analyzed simultaneously in genetically identical individuals. Results We compared the transcriptomes of aphid embryos in the stages of development during which the trajectory of oogenesis is determined for producing sexual or asexual gametes. This study design aimed at identifying genes involved in the onset of the divergent mechanisms that result in the sexual or asexual phenotype. We detected 33 genes that were differentially transcribed in sexual and asexual embryos. Functional annotation by gene ontology (GO) showed a biological signature of oogenesis, cell cycle regulation, epigenetic regulation and RNA maturation. In situ hybridizations demonstrated that 16 of the differentially-transcribed genes were specifically expressed in germ cells and/or oocytes of asexual and/or sexual ovaries, and therefore may contribute to aphid oogenesis. We categorized these 16 genes by their transcription patterns in the two types of ovaries; they were: i) expressed during sexual and asexual oogenesis; ii) expressed during sexual and asexual oogenesis but with different localizations; or iii) expressed only during sexual or asexual oogenesis. Conclusions Our results show that asexual and sexual oogenesis in aphids share common genetic programs but diverge by adapting specificities in their respective gene expression profiles in germ cells and oocytes.

While pectate lyases are major parasitism factors in plant-parasitic nematodes, there is little information on the variability of these genes within species and their utility as pathotype or host range molecular markers. We have analysed polymorphisms of pectate lyase 2 ( pel - 2 ) gene, which degrades the unesterified polygalacturonate (pectate) of the host cell-wall, in the genus Globodera. Molecular variability of the pel - 2 gene and the predicted protein was evaluated in populations of G. rostochiensis , G. pallida , G. “ mexicana ” and G. tabacum . Seventy eight pel - 2 sequences were obtained and aligned. Point mutations were observed at 373 positions, 57% of these affect the coding part of the gene and produce 129 aa replacements. The observed polymorphism does not correlate either to the pathotypes proposed in potato cyst nematodes (PCN) or the subspecies described in tobacco cyst nematodes. The trees reveal a topology different from the admitted species topology as G. rostochiensis and G. pallida sequences are more similar to each other than to G. tabacum . Species-specific sites, potentially applicable for identification, and sites distinguishing PCN from tobacco cyst nematodes, were identified. As both G. rostochiensis and G. pallida display the same host range, but distinct from G. tabacum , which cannot parasitize potato plants, it is tempting to speculate that pel - 2 genes polymorphism may be implicated in this adaptation, a view supported by the fact that no active pectate lyase 2 was found in G. “ mexicana ”, a close relative of G. pallida that is unable to develop on cultivated potato varieties.

Starvation is frequently encountered by animals under fluctuating food conditions in nature, and response to it is vital for life span. Many studies have investigated the behavioral and physiological responses to starvation. In particular, starvation is known to induce changes in olfactory behaviors and olfactory sensitivity to food odorants, but the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. Here, we investigated the transcriptional changes induced by starvation in the chemosensory tissues of the caterpillar Spodoptera littoralis, using Illumina RNA sequencing. Gene expression profiling revealed 81 regulated transcripts associated with several biological processes, such as glucose metabolism, immune defense, response to stress, foraging activity, and olfaction. Focusing on the olfactory process, we observed changes in transcripts encoding proteins putatively involved in the peri-receptor events, namely, chemosensory proteins and odorant-degrading enzymes. Such modulation of their expression may drive fluctuations in the dynamics and the sensitivity of the olfactory receptor neuron response. In combination with the enhanced presynaptic activity mediated via the short neuropeptide F expressed during fasting periods, this could explain an enhanced olfactory detection process. Our observations suggest that a coordinated transcriptional response of peripheral chemosensory organs participates in the regulation of olfactory signal reception and olfactory-driven behaviors upon starvation

To better understand the olfactory mechanisms in a lepidopteran pest model species, the cotton leafworm Spodoptera littoralis, we have recently established a partial transcriptome from adult antennae. Here, we completed this transcriptome using next generation sequencing technologies, namely 454 and Illumina, on both adult antennae and larval tissues, including caterpillar antennae and maxillary palps. All sequences were assembled in 77,643 contigs. Their analysis greatly enriched the repertoire of chemosensory genes in this species, with a total of 57 candidate odorant-binding and chemosensory proteins, 47 olfactory receptors, 6 gustatory receptors and 17 ionotropic receptors. Using RT-PCR, we conducted the first exhaustive comparison of olfactory gene expression between larvae and adults in a lepidopteran species. All the 127 candidate olfactory genes were profiled for expression in male and female adult antennae and in caterpillar antennae and maxillary palps. We found that caterpillars expressed a smaller set of olfactory genes than adults, with a large overlap between these two developmental stages. Two binding proteins appeared to be larvae-specific and two others were adult-specific. Interestingly, comparison between caterpillar antennae and maxillary palps revealed numerous organ-specific transcripts, suggesting the complementary involvement of these two organs in larval chemosensory detection. Adult males and females shared the same set of olfactory transcripts, except two male-specific candidate pheromone receptors, two male-specific and two female-specific odorant-binding proteins. This study identified transcripts that may be important for sex-specific or developmental stage-specific chemosensory behaviors.

Doc number: 76 Abstract Background: Although sexual reproduction is dominant within eukaryotes, asexual reproduction is widespread and has evolved independently as a derived trait in almost all major taxa. How asexuality evolved in sexual organisms is unclear. Aphids, such as Acyrthosiphon pisum , alternate between asexual and sexual reproductive means, as the production of parthenogenetic viviparous females or sexual oviparous females and males varies in response to seasonal photoperiodism. Consequently, sexual and asexual development in aphids can be analyzed simultaneously in genetically identical individuals. Results: We compared the transcriptomes of aphid embryos in the stages of development during which the trajectory of oogenesis is determined for producing sexual or asexual gametes. This study design aimed at identifying genes involved in the onset of the divergent mechanisms that result in the sexual or asexual phenotype. We detected 33 genes that were differentially transcribed in sexual and asexual embryos. Functional annotation by gene ontology (GO) showed a biological signature of oogenesis, cell cycle regulation, epigenetic regulation and RNA maturation. In situ hybridizations demonstrated that 16 of the differentially-transcribed genes were specifically expressed in germ cells and/or oocytes of asexual and/or sexual ovaries, and therefore may contribute to aphid oogenesis. We categorized these 16 genes by their transcription patterns in the two types of ovaries; they were: i) expressed during sexual and asexual oogenesis; ii) expressed during sexual and asexual oogenesis but with different localizations; or iii) expressed only during sexual or asexual oogenesis. Conclusions: Our results show that asexual and sexual oogenesis in aphids share common genetic programs but diverge by adapting specificities in their respective gene expression profiles in germ cells and oocytes.

While pectate lyases are major parasitism factors in plant-parasitic nematodes, there is little information on the variability of these genes within species and their utility as pathotype or host range molecular markers. We have analysed polymorphisms of pectate lyase 2 (pel-2) gene, which degrades the unesterified polygalacturonate (pectate) of the host cell-wall, in the genus Globodera. Molecular variability of the pel-2 gene and the predicted protein was evaluated in populations of G. rostochiensis, G. pallida, G. \"mexicana\" and G. tabacum. Seventy eight pel-2 sequences were obtained and aligned. Point mutations were observed at 373 positions, 57% of these affect the coding part of the gene and produce 129 aa replacements. The observed polymorphism does not correlate either to the pathotypes proposed in potato cyst nematodes (PCN) or the subspecies described in tobacco cyst nematodes. The trees reveal a topology different from the admitted species topology as G. rostochiensis and G. pallida sequences are more similar to each other than to G. tabacum. Species-specific sites, potentially applicable for identification, and sites distinguishing PCN from tobacco cyst nematodes, were identified. As both G. rostochiensis and G. pallida display the same host range, but distinct from G. tabacum, which cannot parasitize potato plants, it is tempting to speculate that pel-2 genes polymorphism may be implicated in this adaptation, a view supported by the fact that no active pectate lyase 2 was found in G. \"mexicana\", a close relative of G. pallida that is unable to develop on cultivated potato varieties