Transcriptomics and the origin of obligate parthenogenesis

Heredity (2023)Cite this article

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Despite the presence of obligately parthenogenetic (OP) lineages derived from sexual ancestors in diverse phylogenetic groups, the genetic mechanisms giving rise to the OP lineages remain poorly understood. The freshwater microcrustacean Daphnia pulex typically reproduces via cyclical parthenogenesis. However, some populations of OP D. pulex have emerged due to ancestral hybridization and introgression events between two cyclically parthenogenetic (CP) species D. pulex and D. pulicaria. These OP hybrids produce both subitaneous and resting eggs parthenogenetically, deviating from CP isolates where resting eggs are produced via conventional meiosis and mating. This study examines the genome-wide expression and alternative splicing patterns of early subitaneous versus early resting egg production in OP D. pulex isolates to gain insight into the genes and mechanisms underlying this transition to obligate parthenogenesis. Our differential expression and functional enrichment analyses revealed a downregulation of meiosis and cell cycle genes during early resting egg production, as well as divergent expression patterns of metabolism, biosynthesis, and signaling pathways between the two reproductive modes. These results provide important gene candidates for future experimental verification, including the CDC20 gene that activates the anaphase-promoting complex in meiosis.

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The raw reads for this study are deposited at NCBI SRA PRJNA847604.

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This work is supported by NIH grant R35GM133730 to SX. We would like to thank two anonymous reviewers for their constructive suggestions and the Xu lab members for their helpful discussions.

Marelize Snyman

Present address: Department of Dermatology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, 75235, USA

Sen Xu

Present address: Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA

Department of Biology, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX, 76019, USA

Marelize Snyman & Sen Xu

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SX designed the study. MS performed the tissue collection, molecular work, and data analyses. SX and MS wrote the manuscript.

Correspondence to Sen Xu.

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Snyman, M., Xu, S. Transcriptomics and the origin of obligate parthenogenesis. Heredity (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41437-023-00628-3

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Received: 10 October 2022

Revised: 18 May 2023

Accepted: 18 May 2023

Published: 06 June 2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41437-023-00628-3

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