A Genome-Wide Hybrid Incompatibility Landscape between Caenorhabditis briggsae and C. nigoni

Yu Bi, Xiaoliang Ren, Cheung Yan, Jiaofang Shao, Dongying Xie, Zhongying Zhao*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articlepeer-review

34 Citations (Scopus)
36 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Systematic characterization of ẖybrid incompatibility (HI) between related species remains the key to understanding speciation. The genetic basis of HI has been intensively studied in Drosophila species, but remains largely unknown in other species, including nematodes, which is mainly due to the lack of a sister species with which C. elegans can mate and produce viable progeny. The recent discovery of a C. briggsae sister species, C. nigoni, has opened up the possibility of dissecting the genetic basis of HI in nematode species. However, the paucity of dominant and visible marker prevents the efficient mapping of HI loci between the two species. To elucidate the genetic basis of speciation in nematode species, we first generated 96 chromosomally integrated GFP markers in the C. briggsae genome and mapped them into the defined locations by PCR and Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS). Aided by the marker, we backcrossed the GFP-associated C. briggsae genomic fragments into C. nigoni for at least 15 generations and produced 111 independent introgressions. The introgression fragments cover most of the C. briggsae genome. We finally dissected the patterns of HI by scoring the embryonic lethality, larval arrest, sex ratio and male sterility for each introgression line, through which we identified pervasive HI loci and produced a genome-wide landscape of HI between the two nematode species, the first of its type for any non-Drosophila species. The HI data not only provided insights into the genetic basis of speciation, but also established a framework for the possible cloning of HI loci between the two nematode species. Furthermore, the data on hybrids confirmed Haldane’s rule and suggested the presence of a large X effect in terms of fertility between the two species. Importantly, this work opens a new avenue for studying speciation genetics between nematode species and allows parallel comparison of the HI with that in Drosophila and other species.

Original languageEnglish
Article numbere1004993
Pages (from-to)1-26
Number of pages26
JournalPLoS Genetics
Volume11
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 18 Feb 2015

Scopus Subject Areas

  • Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics
  • Genetics(clinical)
  • Cancer Research

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