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Live-bearing cockroach genome reveals convergent evolutionary mechanisms linked to viviparity in insects and beyond

Year: 2023
Type: article
Abstract: Live birth (viviparity) has arisen repeatedly and independently among animals. We sequenced the genome and transcriptome of the viviparous Pacific beetle-mimic cockroach and performed comparative analyses with two other viviparous insect lineages, tsetse flies and aphids, to unravel the basis underlying the transition to viviparity in insects. We identified pathways undergoing adaptive evolution for insects, involved in urogenital remodeling, tracheal system, heart development, and nutrient metabolism. Transcriptomic analysis of cockroach and tsetse flies revealed that uterine remodeling and nutrient production are increased and the immune response is altered during pregnancy, facilitating structural and physiological changes to accommodate and nourish the progeny. These patterns of convergent evolution of viviparity among insects, together with similar adaptive mechanisms identified among vertebrates, highlight that the transition to viviparity requires changes in urogenital remodeling, enhanced tracheal and heart development (corresponding to angiogenesis in vertebrates), altered nutrient metabolism, and shifted immunity in animal systems.
Source: iScience
DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.107832
Authors: Bertrand Fouks, Mark C. Harrison, Alina A. Mikhailova, Elisabeth Marchal, Sinead English, Madeleine Carruthers, Emily C. Jennings, Ezemuoka L. Chiamaka, Ronja A. Frigard, Martin Pippel, Geoffrey M. Attardo, Joshua B. Benoit, Erich Bornberg-Bauer, Stephen S. Tobe
Institutions: University of Münster, KU Leuven, University of Bristol, University of Cincinnati, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, University of California, Davis, Max Planck Institute for Biology, University of Toronto
Language: English
Subfield: Insect Science
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,150
Funders: National Science Foundation, National Sleep Foundation, California Department of Fish and Game, Royal Society, European Commission, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, National Institutes of Health, Horizon 2020 Framework Programme, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Awards: G1074774649, G1497613509, How Transposable Elements drive the Emergence of Phenotypic Innovations, G3586270630, G4340410669, G5851955627, G5982313161, G6698775585, Mosquito hydration status as a mechanism that alters pre-feeding host interactions and post-feeding physiology, G6987439344, Costs of parasite resistance - An integrated study of underlying mechanisms
OpenAlex ID: W4386570940
FWCI: 4.813
Cites: 128
Cited by: 24
Related to: 10