Key Laboratory of Forest Disaster Warning and Control of Yunnan Province, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming, China.
Division of Plant Science and Technology, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, USA.
Arch Insect Biochem Physiol. 2022 Nov;111(3):e21915. doi: 10.1002/arch.21915. Epub 2022 May 18.
The Wnt gene family is involved in a wide range of developmental processes. Despite its significance, the evolution and function of Wnt genes remain largely unclear. Here, an exhaustive survey of Wnt genes was conducted in Tenebrio molitor and 17 other beetle genomes. A total of 146 Wnt genes were identified, creating a comprehensive coleopteran Wnt gene catalog. Comparative genomics indicates that dynamic evolutionary patterns of Wnt gene loss and duplication occurred in Coleoptera, leading to the diverse Wnt gene repertoire in various beetles. A striking loss of particular Wnt gene subfamilies occurs in Coleoptera. Remarkably, Wnt gene duplication was discovered for the first time in insects. Further analysis of Wnt gene expression in T. molitor indicates that each Wnt gene, including the duplicated ones, has a unique spatial or temporal expression pattern. The current study provides valuable insight into the evolution and functional validation of Wnt genes in Coleoptera.
Wnt 基因家族参与了广泛的发育过程。尽管其意义重大，但 Wnt 基因的进化和功能在很大程度上仍不清楚。在这里，对 17 种鞘翅目昆虫基因组和黄粉虫基因组进行了 Wnt 基因的全面调查。共鉴定出 146 个 Wnt 基因，创建了一个全面的鞘翅目 Wnt 基因目录。比较基因组学表明，Wnt 基因的丢失和复制在鞘翅目动物中发生了动态进化模式，导致了不同甲虫中 Wnt 基因库的多样化。特别的 Wnt 基因亚家族在鞘翅目动物中显著丢失。值得注意的是，Wnt 基因的复制在昆虫中首次被发现。对黄粉虫 Wnt 基因表达的进一步分析表明，每个 Wnt 基因，包括复制基因，都具有独特的时空表达模式。本研究为鞘翅目动物 Wnt 基因的进化和功能验证提供了有价值的见解。
