Project description:This experiment examined the transcriptional response of juvenile amphibian hosts (common frog, Rana temporaria) to two important amphibian pathogens: Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) and Ranavirus. Common frogs are non-model organisms which do not have a reference genome.
Project description:Traditionally, the study of evolution has focused on heritable variation, because selection on non-heritable phenotypic variation was deemed non-important for its inability to cause evolutionary responses such as diversification of lineages. Recently however, it has been suggested that also environmentally induced phenotypic variation such as phenotypic plasticity can play an important role in adaptive responses resulting in diversification. The purpose of this study is to investigate the importance of phenotypic plasticity for the diversification of lineages, using life history, morphological traits, and genomic profiling during post embryonic development in plastic and non-plastic genotypes of the common frog Rana temporaria.
Project description:Traditionally, the study of evolution has focused on heritable variation, because selection on non-heritable phenotypic variation was deemed non-important for its inability to cause evolutionary responses such as diversification of lineages. Recently however, it has been suggested that also environmentally induced phenotypic variation such as phenotypic plasticity can play an important role in adaptive responses resulting in diversification. The purpose of this study is to investigate the importance of phenotypic plasticity for the diversification of lineages, using life history, morphological traits, and genomic profiling during post embryonic development in plastic and non-plastic genotypes of the common frog Rana temporaria. Six animals each originating from four different islands were reared in either constant or reduced water conditions and hepatic mRNA levels of Gosner stage 37 animals evaluated by MAGEX DNA array analysis.
Project description:Amphibian populations around the world are threatened by an emerging infectious pathogen, the chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). How can a fungal skin infection kill such a broad range of amphibian hosts? And why are certain species particularly susceptible to the impacts of Bd? Here we use a genomics approach to understand the genetic response of multiple susceptible frog species to Bd infection. We characterize the transcriptomes of two closely-related endangered frog species (Rana muscosa and Rana sierrae) and analyze whole genome expression profiles from frogs in controlled Bd-infection experiments. We integrate the Rana results with a comparable dataset from a more distantly-related susceptible species (Silurana tropicalis). We demonstrate that Bd-infected frogs show massive disruption of skin function and show no evidence of a robust immune response. The genetic response to infection is shared across the focal susceptible species, suggesting a common effect of Bd on susceptible frogs.
