Dynamic co-evolution of transposable elements and the piRNA pathway in African cichlid fishes.

ABSTRACT:

Background

East African cichlid fishes have diversified in an explosive fashion, but the (epi)genetic basis of the phenotypic diversity of these fishes remains largely unknown. Although transposable elements (TEs) have been associated with phenotypic variation in cichlids, little is known about their transcriptional activity and epigenetic silencing. We set out to bridge this gap and to understand the interactions between TEs and their cichlid hosts.

Results

Here, we describe dynamic patterns of TE expression in African cichlid gonads and during early development. Orthology inference revealed strong conservation of TE silencing factors in cichlids, and an expansion of piwil1 genes in Lake Malawi cichlids, likely driven by PiggyBac TEs. The expanded piwil1 copies have signatu

SUBMITTER: Almeida MV 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11753138 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature