Unraveling the complex evolutionary history of lepidopteran chromosomes through ancestral chromosome reconstruction and novel chromosome nomenclature.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Lepidoptera is one of the most species-rich animal groups, with substantial karyotype variations among species due to chromosomal rearrangements. Knowledge of the evolutionary patterns of lepidopteran chromosomes still needs to be improved.

Results

Here, we used chromosome-level genome assemblies of 185 lepidopteran insects to reconstruct an ancestral reference genome and proposed a new chromosome nomenclature. Thus, we renamed over 5000 extant chromosomes with this system, revealing the historical events of chromosomal rearrangements and their features. Additionally, our findings indicate that, compared with autosomes, the Z chromosome in Lepidoptera underwent a fast loss of conserved genes, rapid acquisition of lineage-specific genes, and a low rate of gene dupl

SUBMITTER: Chen X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10658929 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature