The Eyes Have It: Regulatory and Structural Changes Both Underlie Cichlid Visual Pigment Diversity


Autoria(s): Hofmann, Christopher M.; O'Quin, Kelly E.; Marshall, N. Justin; Cronin, Thomas W.; Seehausen, Ole; Carleton, Karen L.
Data(s)

2009

Resumo

A major goal of evolutionary biology is to unravel the molecular genetic mechanisms that underlie functional diversification and adaptation. We investigated how changes in gene regulation and coding sequence contribute to sensory diversification in two replicate radiations of cichlid fishes. In the clear waters of Lake Malawi, differential opsin expression generates diverse visual systems, with sensitivities extending from the ultraviolet to the red regions of the spectrum. These sensitivities fall into three distinct clusters and are correlated with foraging habits. In the turbid waters of Lake Victoria, visual sensitivity is constrained to longer wavelengths, and opsin expression is correlated with ambient light. In addition to regulatory changes, we found that the opsins coding for the shortest-and longest-wavelength visual pigments have elevated numbers of potentially functional substitutions. Thus, we present a model of sensory evolution in which both molecular genetic mechanisms work in concert. Changes in gene expression generate large shifts in visual pigment sensitivity across the collective opsin spectral range, but changes in coding sequence appear to fine-tune visual pigment sensitivity at the short-and long-wavelength ends of this range, where differential opsin expression can no longer extend visual pigment sensitivity.

Identificador

http://boris.unibe.ch/36775/1/asset.pdf

Hofmann, Christopher M.; O'Quin, Kelly E.; Marshall, N. Justin; Cronin, Thomas W.; Seehausen, Ole; Carleton, Karen L. (2009). The Eyes Have It: Regulatory and Structural Changes Both Underlie Cichlid Visual Pigment Diversity. PLoS biology, 7(12), e1000266. Lawrence, Kans.: Public Library of Science 10.1371/journal.pbio.1000266 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1000266>

doi:10.7892/boris.36775

info:doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.1000266

urn:issn:1544-9173

urn:isbn:1544-9173

Idioma(s)

eng

Publicador

Public Library of Science

Relação

http://boris.unibe.ch/36775/

Direitos

info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess

Fonte

Hofmann, Christopher M.; O'Quin, Kelly E.; Marshall, N. Justin; Cronin, Thomas W.; Seehausen, Ole; Carleton, Karen L. (2009). The Eyes Have It: Regulatory and Structural Changes Both Underlie Cichlid Visual Pigment Diversity. PLoS biology, 7(12), e1000266. Lawrence, Kans.: Public Library of Science 10.1371/journal.pbio.1000266 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1000266>

Tipo

info:eu-repo/semantics/article

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

PeerReviewed

Formato

application/pdf