The first draft genomes of the ant Formica exsecta, and its Wolbachia endosymbiont reveal extensive gene transfer from endosymbiont to host
Abstract Background Adapting to changes in the environment is the foundation of species survival, and is usually thought to be a gradual process. However, transposable elements (TEs), epigenetic modifications, and/or genetic material acquired from other organisms by means of horizontal gene transfer...
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doaj-f6e8ace988c646cf98698249af3df4102020-11-25T02:27:49ZengBMCBMC Genomics1471-21642019-04-0120111610.1186/s12864-019-5665-6The first draft genomes of the ant Formica exsecta, and its Wolbachia endosymbiont reveal extensive gene transfer from endosymbiont to hostKishor Dhaygude0Abhilash Nair1Helena Johansson2Yannick Wurm3Liselotte Sundström4Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and environmental sciences, University of HelsinkiOrganismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and environmental sciences, University of HelsinkiOrganismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and environmental sciences, University of HelsinkiOrganismal Biology Department, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of LondonOrganismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and environmental sciences, University of HelsinkiAbstract Background Adapting to changes in the environment is the foundation of species survival, and is usually thought to be a gradual process. However, transposable elements (TEs), epigenetic modifications, and/or genetic material acquired from other organisms by means of horizontal gene transfer (HGTs), can also lead to novel adaptive traits. Social insects form dense societies, which attract and maintain extra- and intracellular accessory inhabitants, which may facilitate gene transfer between species. The wood ant Formica exsecta (Formicidae; Hymenoptera), is a common ant species throughout the Palearctic region. The species is a well-established model for studies of ecological characteristics and evolutionary conflict. Results In this study, we sequenced and assembled draft genomes for F. exsecta and its endosymbiont Wolbachia. The F. exsecta draft genome is 277.7 Mb long; we identify 13,767 protein coding genes, for which we provide gene ontology and protein domain annotations. This is also the first report of a Wolbachia genome from ants, and provides insights into the phylogenetic position of this endosymbiont. We also identified multiple horizontal gene transfer events (HGTs) from Wolbachia to F. exsecta. Some of these HGTs have also occurred in parallel in multiple other insect genomes, highlighting the extent of HGTs in eukaryotes. Conclusion We present the first draft genome of ant F. exsecta, and its endosymbiont Wolbachia (wFex), and show considerable rates of gene transfer from the symbiont to the host. We expect that especially the F. exsecta genome will be valuable resource in further exploration of the molecular basis of the evolution of social organization.http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12864-019-5665-6Formica exsectaGenomeEndosymbiontsTransposonsHorizontal gene transferWolbachia |
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DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Kishor Dhaygude Abhilash Nair Helena Johansson Yannick Wurm Liselotte Sundström |
spellingShingle |
Kishor Dhaygude Abhilash Nair Helena Johansson Yannick Wurm Liselotte Sundström The first draft genomes of the ant Formica exsecta, and its Wolbachia endosymbiont reveal extensive gene transfer from endosymbiont to host BMC Genomics Formica exsecta Genome Endosymbionts Transposons Horizontal gene transfer Wolbachia |
author_facet |
Kishor Dhaygude Abhilash Nair Helena Johansson Yannick Wurm Liselotte Sundström |
author_sort |
Kishor Dhaygude |
title |
The first draft genomes of the ant Formica exsecta, and its Wolbachia endosymbiont reveal extensive gene transfer from endosymbiont to host |
title_short |
The first draft genomes of the ant Formica exsecta, and its Wolbachia endosymbiont reveal extensive gene transfer from endosymbiont to host |
title_full |
The first draft genomes of the ant Formica exsecta, and its Wolbachia endosymbiont reveal extensive gene transfer from endosymbiont to host |
title_fullStr |
The first draft genomes of the ant Formica exsecta, and its Wolbachia endosymbiont reveal extensive gene transfer from endosymbiont to host |
title_full_unstemmed |
The first draft genomes of the ant Formica exsecta, and its Wolbachia endosymbiont reveal extensive gene transfer from endosymbiont to host |
title_sort |
first draft genomes of the ant formica exsecta, and its wolbachia endosymbiont reveal extensive gene transfer from endosymbiont to host |
publisher |
BMC |
series |
BMC Genomics |
issn |
1471-2164 |
publishDate |
2019-04-01 |
description |
Abstract Background Adapting to changes in the environment is the foundation of species survival, and is usually thought to be a gradual process. However, transposable elements (TEs), epigenetic modifications, and/or genetic material acquired from other organisms by means of horizontal gene transfer (HGTs), can also lead to novel adaptive traits. Social insects form dense societies, which attract and maintain extra- and intracellular accessory inhabitants, which may facilitate gene transfer between species. The wood ant Formica exsecta (Formicidae; Hymenoptera), is a common ant species throughout the Palearctic region. The species is a well-established model for studies of ecological characteristics and evolutionary conflict. Results In this study, we sequenced and assembled draft genomes for F. exsecta and its endosymbiont Wolbachia. The F. exsecta draft genome is 277.7 Mb long; we identify 13,767 protein coding genes, for which we provide gene ontology and protein domain annotations. This is also the first report of a Wolbachia genome from ants, and provides insights into the phylogenetic position of this endosymbiont. We also identified multiple horizontal gene transfer events (HGTs) from Wolbachia to F. exsecta. Some of these HGTs have also occurred in parallel in multiple other insect genomes, highlighting the extent of HGTs in eukaryotes. Conclusion We present the first draft genome of ant F. exsecta, and its endosymbiont Wolbachia (wFex), and show considerable rates of gene transfer from the symbiont to the host. We expect that especially the F. exsecta genome will be valuable resource in further exploration of the molecular basis of the evolution of social organization. |
topic |
Formica exsecta Genome Endosymbionts Transposons Horizontal gene transfer Wolbachia |
url |
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12864-019-5665-6 |
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