title: Environmentally selected aphid variants in clonality context display differential patterns of methylation in the genome.
abstract: Heritability of acquired phenotypic traits is an adaptive evolutionary process that appears more complex than the basic allele selection guided by environmental pressure. In insects, the trans-generational transmission of epigenetic marks in clonal and/or sexual species is poorly documented. Aphids were used as a model to explore this feature because their asexual phase generates a stochastic and/or environment-oriented repertoire of variants. The a priori unchanged genome in clonal individuals prompts us to hypothesize whether covalent methyl DNA marks might be associated to the phenotypic variability and fitness selection. The full differential transcriptome between two environmentally selected clonal variants that originated from the same founder mother was mapped on the entire genomic scaffolds, in parallel with the methyl cytosine distribution. Data suggest that the assortments of heavily methylated DNA sites are distinct in these two clonal phenotypes. This might constitute an epigenetic mechanism that confers the robust adaptation of insect species to various environments involving clonal reproduction.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Developmental Biology and Cancer, CNRS, University Nice Sophia Antipolis, Sophia Antipolis, France.
authors.forename: Claude
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pasquier
authors.affiliation: Institute Sophia Agrobiotech, INRA/CNRS/UNS, University Nice Sophia Antipolis, Sophia Antipolis, France.
authors.forename: Mathilde
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Clément
authors.affiliation: Institute Sophia Agrobiotech, INRA/CNRS/UNS, University Nice Sophia Antipolis, Sophia Antipolis, France; Institute of Plant Protection, Volcani Center, Rehovot, Israel.
authors.forename: Aviv
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dombrovsky
authors.affiliation: Beckman Coulter Genomics SA, Grenoble, France.
authors.forename: Stéphanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Penaud
authors.affiliation: Institute Sophia Agrobiotech, INRA/CNRS/UNS, University Nice Sophia Antipolis, Sophia Antipolis, France.
authors.forename: Martine
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Da Rocha
authors.affiliation: Institute Sophia Agrobiotech, INRA/CNRS/UNS, University Nice Sophia Antipolis, Sophia Antipolis, France.
authors.forename: Corinne
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rancurel
authors.affiliation: Institute Sophia Agrobiotech, INRA/CNRS/UNS, University Nice Sophia Antipolis, Sophia Antipolis, France.
authors.forename: Neil
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ledger
authors.affiliation: Institute Sophia Agrobiotech, INRA/CNRS/UNS, University Nice Sophia Antipolis, Sophia Antipolis, France.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Capovilla
authors.affiliation: Institute Sophia Agrobiotech, INRA/CNRS/UNS, University Nice Sophia Antipolis, Sophia Antipolis, France.
authors.forename: Alain
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Robichon
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001042:Aphids / Q000235:genetics*; D018899:CpG Islands / Q000235:genetics; D019175:DNA Methylation; D004777:Environment; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D005260:Female; D018703:Founder Effect; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D063990:Gene Ontology; D014644:Genetic Variation; D049750:Genome, Insect / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D010641:Phenotype; D010858:Pigmentation / Q000235:genetics; D012641:Selection, Genetic