Evolutionary history of the Emphasis Type="Italic

Authors: Teresa Palomeque Olivia Sanllorente Xulio Maside Jesús Vela Pablo Mora María I Torres Georges Periquet Pedro Lorite

Publish Date: 2015/07/21

Volume: 102, Issue: 7-8, Pages: 44-

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Abstract

Three different complete mariner elements were found in the genome of the ant Tapinoma nigerrimum One TnigmarMr was interrupted by a 900bp insertion that corresponded to an incomplete member of a fourth mariner element called Azteca In this work we isolate and characterize fulllength TnigmarAz elements in T nigerrimum The purpose of this study is to clarify the evolutionary history of Azteca elements and their hosts as well as the possible existence of horizontal transfer processes For this Aztecalike elements were also retrieved from the available sequences of various ant genomes representing four different ant subfamilies Dolichoderinae Formicinae Myrmicinae and Ponerinae The tree topology resulting for the Aztecalike elements bore very little resemblance to that of their respective hosts The pervasive presence of Aztecalike elements in all ant genomes together with the observation that extant copies are usually younger than the genomes that host them could be explained either by lineage sorting or by recent horizontal transfer of active elements However the finding of closer genetic relationships between elements than between the ants that host them is consistent with the latter scenario This is clearly observed in SinvmarAz TnigmarAz AcepmarAz and CflomarAz elements suggesting the existence of horizontal transfer processes On the contrary some elements displayed more divergence than did the hosts harboring them This may reflect either further horizontal transfer events or random lineage sortingThis work was supported by the Spanish Junta de Andalucía through the programs “Ayudas a Grupos de Investigación” Group BIO220 and “Incentivos a proyectos de investigación de excelencia” project CVI6807 cofunded by the European Regional Development Fund and by the Spanish Ministerio de Educación e Innovación through project CGL201123841 cofunded by the European Regional Development Fund

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