IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/natcom/v13y2022i1d10.1038_s41467-021-27685-8.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

An intronic transposon insertion associates with a trans-species color polymorphism in Midas cichlid fishes

Author

Listed:
  • Claudius F. Kratochwil

    (University of Konstanz
    University of Helsinki)

  • Andreas F. Kautt

    (University of Konstanz
    Harvard University)

  • Alexander Nater

    (University of Konstanz)

  • Andreas Härer

    (University of Konstanz
    University of California San Diego)

  • Yipeng Liang

    (University of Konstanz
    University of Virginia)

  • Frederico Henning

    (Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ))

  • Axel Meyer

    (University of Konstanz)

Abstract

Polymorphisms have fascinated biologists for a long time, but their genetic underpinnings often remain elusive. Here, we aim to uncover the genetic basis of the gold/dark polymorphism that is eponymous of Midas cichlid fish (Amphilophus spp.) adaptive radiations in Nicaraguan crater lakes. While most Midas cichlids are of the melanic “dark morph”, about 10% of individuals lose their melanic pigmentation during their ontogeny and transition into a conspicuous “gold morph”. Using a new haplotype-resolved long-read assembly we discover an 8.2 kb, transposon-derived inverted repeat in an intron of an undescribed gene, which we term goldentouch in reference to the Greek myth of King Midas. The gene goldentouch is differentially expressed between morphs, presumably due to structural implications of inverted repeats in both DNA and/or RNA (cruciform and hairpin formation). The near-perfect association of the insertion with the phenotype across independent populations suggests that it likely underlies this trans-specific, stable polymorphism.

Suggested Citation

  • Claudius F. Kratochwil & Andreas F. Kautt & Alexander Nater & Andreas Härer & Yipeng Liang & Frederico Henning & Axel Meyer, 2022. "An intronic transposon insertion associates with a trans-species color polymorphism in Midas cichlid fishes," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-8, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:13:y:2022:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-021-27685-8
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-27685-8
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-27685-8
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/s41467-021-27685-8?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Andreas F. Kautt & Claudius F. Kratochwil & Alexander Nater & Gonzalo Machado-Schiaffino & Melisa Olave & Frederico Henning & Julián Torres-Dowdall & Andreas Härer & C. Darrin Hulsey & Paolo Franchini, 2020. "Contrasting signatures of genomic divergence during sympatric speciation," Nature, Nature, vol. 588(7836), pages 106-111, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Jianhua Wang & Guan-Zhu Han, 2023. "Genome mining shows that retroviruses are pervasively invading vertebrate genomes," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-11, December.
    2. Patrik Nosil & Zachariah Gompert & Daniel J. Funk, 2024. "Divergent dynamics of sexual and habitat isolation at the transition between stick insect populations and species," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-15, December.
    3. Melisa Olave & Alexander Nater & Andreas F. Kautt & Axel Meyer, 2022. "Early stages of sympatric homoploid hybrid speciation in crater lake cichlid fishes," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-9, December.
    4. Rishi De-Kayne & Oliver M. Selz & David A. Marques & David Frei & Ole Seehausen & Philine G. D. Feulner, 2022. "Genomic architecture of adaptive radiation and hybridization in Alpine whitefish," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-13, December.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:13:y:2022:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-021-27685-8. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.