College of Life Sciences, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu 241002, China.
College of Physical Education, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu 241002, China.
Genes (Basel). 2024 Aug 1;15(8):1013. doi: 10.3390/genes15081013.
butterflies have significantly advanced our understanding of biogeography, insect-plant interactions, and other fields of ecology and evolutionary biology. However, to date, little is known about the gene expression patterns related to the high-altitude adaptation of species. In this study, we obtained high-throughput RNA-seq data of 48 adult individuals covering 10 species from 12 localities in China, and deciphered their interspecific and intraspecific expression patterns based on comparative transcriptomic analyses. Though divergent transcriptional patterns among species and populations at different altitudes were found, a series of pathways related to genetic information processing (i.e., recombination, repair, transcription, RNA processing, and ribosome biogenesis), energy metabolism (i.e., oxidative phosphorylation, thermogenesis, and the citrate cycle), and cellular homeostasis were commonly enriched, reflecting similar strategies to cope with the high-altitude environments by activating energy metabolism, enhancing immune defense, and concurrently inhibiting cell growth and development. These findings deepen our understanding about the molecular mechanisms of adaptative evolution to extreme environments, and provide us with some theoretical criteria for the biodiversity conservation of alpine insects.
蝴蝶在很大程度上促进了我们对生物地理学、昆虫与植物的相互作用以及生态学和进化生物学等其他领域的理解。然而，迄今为止，我们对与物种高空适应相关的基因表达模式知之甚少。在这项研究中，我们获得了来自中国 12 个地点的 10 个物种的 48 只成年蝴蝶的高通量 RNA-seq 数据，并基于比较转录组分析来破译它们的种间和种内表达模式。尽管在不同海拔的物种和种群之间存在不同的转录模式，但与遗传信息处理（即重组、修复、转录、RNA 处理和核糖体生物发生）、能量代谢（即氧化磷酸化、生热和柠檬酸循环）和细胞内稳态相关的一系列途径通常是丰富的，反映了通过激活能量代谢、增强免疫防御以及同时抑制细胞生长和发育来应对高空环境的类似策略。这些发现加深了我们对适应极端环境的分子机制的理解，并为高山昆虫的生物多样性保护提供了一些理论标准。
