Differentially Expressed Genes Associated with Body Size Changes and Transposable Element Insertions between Caenorhabditis elegans and Its Sister Species, Caenorhabditis inopinata.

ABSTRACT: Why the recently discovered nematode Caenorhabditis inopinata differs so greatly from its sibling species Caenorhabditis elegans remains unknown. A previous study showed that C. inopinata has more transposable elements (TEs), sequences that replicate and move autonomously throughout the genome, potentially altering the expression of neighboring genes. In this study, we focused on how the body size of this species has evolved and whether TEs could affect the expression of genes related to species-specific traits such as body size. First, we compared gene expression levels between C. inopinata and C. elegans in the L4 larval and young adult stages-when growth rates differ most prominently between these species-to identify candidate genes contributing to their differences. The results showed

SUBMITTER: Kawahara K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10139442 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature