Developmental transcriptomics reveals a gene network driving mimetic color variation in a bumble bee

A major goal of evolutionary genetics and evo-devo is to understand how changes in genotype manifest as changes in phenotype. Bumble bees display remarkable color pattern diversity while converging onto numerous regional Müllerian mimicry patterns, thus enabling exploration of the genetic mechanisms underlying convergent phenotypic evolution. In western North America, multiple bumble bee species converge onto local mimicry patterns through parallel shifts of midabdominal segments from red to black. It was previously demonstrated that a Hox gene, Abd-B, is the key regulator of the phenotypic switch in one of these species, Bombus melanopygus, however, the mechanism by which Abd-B regulates color differentiation remains unclear. Using tissue/stage-specific transcriptomic analysis followed by qRT-PCR validation, this study reveals a suite of genes potentially involved downstream of Abd-B during color pattern differentiation. The data support differential genes expression of not only the fi...

进化遗传学与进化发育生物学（evo-devo）的核心研究目标之一，是阐明基因型的改变如何表现为表型的变化。熊蜂展现出显著的色彩模式多样性，同时趋同演化出多种区域性缪氏拟态（Müllerian mimicry）模式，这为探究趋同表型演化背后的遗传机制提供了理想的研究模型。在北美西部，多个熊蜂物种通过腹部中段体节从红色向黑色的平行演化，趋同形成了当地的拟态表型。此前已有研究证实，同源框基因（Hox gene）Abd-B是黑足熊蜂（Bombus melanopygus）这一物种表型转换的关键调控因子，但Abd-B调控色彩分化的具体分子机制仍不明晰。本研究通过组织/时期特异性转录组分析结合实时定量聚合酶链反应（qRT-PCR）验证，揭示了色彩模式分化过程中Abd-B下游潜在参与的一系列基因。研究数据支持，不仅存在的基因差异表达……