Widespread divergence between incipient Anopheles gambiae species revealed by whole genome sequences.
The Afrotropical mosquito Anopheles gambiae sensu stricto, a major vector of malaria, is currently undergoing speciation into the M and S molecular forms. These forms have diverged in larval ecology and reproductive behavior through unknown genetic mechanisms, despite considerable levels of hybridization. Previous genome-wide scans using gene-based microarrays uncovered divergence between M and S that was largely confined to gene-poor pericentromeric regions, prompting a speciation-with-ongoing-gene-flow model that implicated only about 3% of the genome near centromeres in the speciation process. Here, based on the complete M and S genome sequences, we report widespread and heterogeneous genomic divergence inconsistent with appreciable levels of interform gene flow, suggesting a more advanced speciation process and greater challenges to identify genes critical to initiating that process.
Lawniczak
M K N
MK
Division of Cell and Molecular Biology, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London SW7 2AZ, UK.
Emrich
S J
SJ
Holloway
A K
AK
Regier
A P
AP
Olson
M
M
White
B
B
Redmond
S
S
Fulton
L
L
Appelbaum
E
E
Godfrey
J
J
Farmer
C
C
Chinwalla
A
A
Yang
S-P
SP
Minx
P
P
Nelson
J
J
Kyung
K
K
Walenz
B P
BP
Garcia-Hernandez
E
E
Aguiar
M
M
Viswanathan
L D
LD
Rogers
Y-H
YH
Strausberg
R L
RL
Saski
C A
CA
Lawson
D
D
Collins
F H
FH
Kafatos
F C
FC
Christophides
G K
GK
Clifton
S W
SW
Kirkness
E F
EF
Besansky
N J
NJ
D000818:Animals; D000852:Anopheles / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D005260:Female; D051456:Gene Flow; D049810:Genetic Speciation; D049750:Genome, Insect; D008297:Male; D008957:Models, Genetic; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide