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Results for “morphotype differentiation”

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PubMed2025

Interaction of host gene-gut microbiota in male grading of Macrobrachium rosenbergii.

UNLABELLED: The giant freshwater prawn (GFP; Macrobrachium rosenbergii), a crustacean of high nutritional and economic value, is crucial for aquaculture. During the same growth cycle, male GFPs develop into three distinct forms: small males, orange claw males, and blue claw males. These morphotypes display varying social behaviors, which severely constrain their industrial development. To address this, this study collected male GFP samples at critical developmental time points (100, 110, and 120 days post-hatching) for phenotypic trait measurement and analysis to obtain external morphological data. Through gut microbiota diversity analysis, we identified key gut bacteria (Lactococcus garvieae and Lactobacillus taiwanensis) influencing male morphotype differentiation. Transcriptomic analysis revealed host Kyoto Encyclopedia of Gene and Genome pathways and key genes (Wnt-6, CTSB, CTSL, PPAE, and TP53) associated with morphotype differentiation. The interactions among phenotypic traits, gut microbiota, and key genes were systematically studied through association analysis. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis was employed to construct co-expression modules, from which critical gene modules influencing phenotypic variation were identified. Through association network analysis, we established an "Achromobacter-CD-TRINITY_DN93139_c0_g2 (calpain clp-1)" interaction model. Our findings provide novel insights into the genetic enhancement of GFPs and offer guidelines for future research regarding gut symbiotic bacteria and breeding initiatives. IMPORTANCE: Male Macrobrachium rosenbergii (giant freshwater prawn [GFP]) in the same growth cycle will develop into small males, orange claw males, and blue claw males. This individual heterogeneity in growth significantly impacts the benefits of aquaculture. However, the factors influencing the differentiation of male GFP morphotype remain unclear. This study analyzed the phenotypic data of various GFP levels, the structure of the intestinal microbiota, and the differential genes within the gonadal transcriptome at critical time points of male GFP-level type differentiation. The aim was to explore the potential role of intestinal microbiota and differential genes in this phenomenon. This study offers new insights into the research on the phenomenon of male GFP-level type differentiation.

Animals↗

PubMed2026

Distinct cell morphotypes of Aureobasidium melanogenum ZN exhibit differential functional profiles in promoting maize growth.

Black yeast-like fungi of the genus Aureobasidium exhibit morphological plasticity, but whether distinct cellular states within the same genetic background are associated with different plant growth-promoting functions remains unclear. Here, yeast-like cells (YL), swollen cells (SC), and chlamydospores (CH) of Aureobasidium melanogenum ZN were characterized. YL was associated mainly with siderophore production and laccase activity, SC with extracellular polysaccharide accumulation, and CH with phosphate mobilization and higher ammonia and IAA production. Whole-genome and comparative genomic analyses revealed a shared repertoire related to nutrient acquisition, auxin-associated metabolism, extracellular oxidation, and carbohydrate remodeling, with expansions in nutrient- and cell-surface-related gene families. Transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses showed distinct deployment of these capacities, with CH exhibiting broad reprogramming of tryptophan-associated, nitrogen, phosphate, central-carbon, and amino-acid metabolism. In maize, CH at the optimal inoculation concentration of 105 CFU·mL-1 produced the strongest growth promotion, increasing plant height, dry biomass, root length, root surface area, and root volume by 58.6%, 365.1%, 191.0%, 194.3%, and 222.4%, respectively. Consistent with this pronounced growth phenotype, maize root transcriptomics showed coordinated CH-induced responses involving root development, nutrient transport, redox regulation, and root-interface remodeling. Root-zone tracking showed greater short-term stability and persistence of CH. These findings identify cellular state as an important functional dimension of Aureobasidium-plant interactions and provide a basis for developing fungal inoculants with defined beneficial cellular states.

Zea mays↗

PubMed2025

Transposable elements drive evolution and perturb gene expression in Brassica rapa and B. oleracea.

Transposable elements (TEs) significantly influence genomic diversity and gene regulation in plants. Brassica rapa and B. oleracea, with their distinct domestication histories, offer excellent models to explore TE dynamics. Here, we developed a refined TE classification method and systematically analyzed TEs across 12 B. rapa and B. oleracea genomes, identifying 1878 TE families. Approximately half (49.5%) of these TE families were shared between the two species, reflecting a common evolutionary origin, whereas species-specific expansions, particularly among long-terminal repeat (LTR) retrotransposons, underscore their roles in genomic differentiation. We notably characterized a heat-responsive Ty1-copia family (Copia0035) in B. oleracea roots, distinguished by low GC content and the absence of CG and CHG methylation motifs, sharing regulatory similarities with the Arabidopsis heat-induced ONSEN element. Syntenic analyses of gene-TE associations highlighted significant intraspecies TE insertion variability, with more accession-specific insertions in B. rapa and more conserved insertions, often associated with distinct morphotypes in B. oleracea. Gene ontology enrichment indicated TE involvement in developmental, reproductive, and stress response pathways. Transcriptome analysis across diverse accessions revealed that genes proximal to TEs, particularly those regulating floral development and flowering time, exhibit increased expression variability. These findings advance our understanding of TE-mediated genome evolution in Brassica species and underscore their potential utility in breeding and genome engineering strategies for crop improvement.

DNA Transposable Elements↗

PubMed2026

Quantifying niche overlap and transgression in allopolyploid hybrids: Case study of Sorbus subgenus Aria.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Apomixis, the formation of seeds without recombination, facilitates adaptation and persistence under environmental change. By preserving hybrid genotypes over long time periods, apomixis may conserve adaptive trait combinations from parental niche margins. We tested whether apomictic entities occupy intermediate, marginal, or transgressive niche space relative to their parents and whether differentiation is associated with ploidy. METHODS: We studied polyploid Sorbus subgenus Aria in the Franconian Jura (Germany), comprising two progenitors Sorbus aria and S. collina, seven triploid entities, and a pool of genetically heterogenous individuals (single genotypes). Genetic structure was assessed using MIG-seq. Overall niche differentiation between parental taxa and hybrids was evaluated using Sørensen similarity of two-dimensional hypervolumes derived from principal component analysis (PCA) axes. Niche shifts were further analyzed using hypervolumes based on the three strongest PCA variables. Across 762 occurrences, observations ranged from 11 to 453 individuals per entity. KEY RESULTS: Environmental niche space was transgressive in three, significantly allocated towards the margins of parental niche space in one, while remaining intermediate in the other entities. Niche transgression occurred towards milder temperatures and drier conditions. Genetic analyses confirmed morphologically defined entities, although one morphotype was polyphyletic. Tetraploid S. collina significantly occupied warmer and wetter environments compared to other cytotypes. Triploids differed from S. aria along microtopographic gradients represented by the second PCA axis. CONCLUSIONS: Apomictic Sorbus entities show diverse strategies in niche occupation and can occupy environmental niche space at and beyond the limits of their parental taxa. Apomicts may conserve evolutionary adaptations at the edges of parental niche space that may otherwise be lost from, or fail to emerge in, the parental gene pool. Over long timescales these trait combinations may re-enter the parental gene pool through introgression, thereby reintroducing adaptations critical for survival under changing conditions.

Aria↗

PubMed2026

Distinct STRIPAK subunits drive conserved and subunit-specific signaling programs in Cryptococcus neoformans.

The striatin-interacting phosphatase and kinase (STRIPAK) complex is a conserved protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A)-associated signaling hub that integrates kinase-phosphatase networks, yet its roles in human fungal pathogens remain poorly defined. Here, we dissected STRIPAK functions in the opportunistic pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans by combining genetic, genomic, virulence, and phosphoproteomic analyses across mutants lacking individual STRIPAK subunits. Loss of the core STRIPAK components via PPH22, FAR8, FAR9, or FAR11 mutations caused severe defects in growth, stress adaptation, cell cycle progression, and morphogenesis, accompanied by widespread aneuploidy and genome instability. In murine infection models, far11Δ strains were avirulent, whereas far9Δ mutants caused delayed but ultimately fatal disease and underwent host-associated genome remodeling, with recovered isolates exhibiting chromosome 11 amplification despite no consistent in vitro fitness advantage. In contrast, deletion of MOB3 produced a hypervirulent phenotype. mob3Δ cells exhibited enhanced transmigration across an in vitro blood-brain barrier model, increased survival in macrophages, and generated small-cell morphotypes, features associated with increased dissemination. Phosphoproteomic profiling revealed extensive and overlapping phosphorylation changes among core STRIPAK mutants, affecting pathways involved in signaling, cytoskeletal, cell cycle control, chromatin regulation, RNA metabolism, and stress responses. Conversely, mob3Δ mutants displayed a smaller, largely distinct phosphoproteomic signature. Network and functional enrichment analyses highlighted STRIPAK-dependent regulation of TORC2-associated signaling, MAPK/GTPase signaling, autophagy, nuclear transport, RNA processing, DNA replication, and ribosome biogenesis. Together, these findings establish STRIPAK as a coordinator of genome stability, morphological plasticity, stress adaptation, and virulence in C. neoformans, and demonstrate that individual STRIPAK subunits drive shared yet divergent signaling outputs that shape host-pathogen interactions.IMPORTANCEFungal pathogens must rapidly adapt their growth, morphology, and stress responses to survive within the host, requiring precise coordination of cellular signaling pathways. The conserved striatin-interacting phosphatase and kinase (STRIPAK) complex controls key developmental programs in eukaryotes, but its roles in fungal pathogenesis are not fully defined. We previously showed that STRIPAK is important for genome stability, development, and virulence in the opportunistic human fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans. Here, we define how individual STRIPAK subunits differentially regulate fungal morphogenesis, genome plasticity, host adaptation, and virulence, revealing both shared and subunit-specific functions within this conserved signaling complex. Core STRIPAK mutants exhibit severe growth and stress-response defects and attenuation of virulence, whereas loss of the Mob3 subunit promotes hypervirulence by enhancing dissemination and persistence within the host. Phosphoproteomic profiling reveals that individual STRIPAK components exert shared yet distinct control over phosphorylation networks that shape host-pathogen interactions, establishing STRIPAK as a central signaling hub and a potential target for antifungal intervention.

Cryptococcus neoformans↗