SNP detection from de novo transcriptome sequencing in the bivalve Macoma balthica: marker development for evolutionary studies

PLoS One. 2012;7(12):e52302. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0052302. Epub 2012 Dec 26.

Abstract

Hybrid zones are noteworthy systems for the study of environmental adaptation to fast-changing environments, as they constitute reservoirs of polymorphism and are key to the maintenance of biodiversity. They can move in relation to climate fluctuations, as temperature can affect both selection and migration, or remain trapped by environmental and physical barriers. There is therefore a very strong incentive to study the dynamics of hybrid zones subjected to climate variations. The infaunal bivalve Macoma balthica emerges as a noteworthy model species, as divergent lineages hybridize, and its native NE Atlantic range is currently contracting to the North. To investigate the dynamics and functioning of hybrid zones in M. balthica, we developed new molecular markers by sequencing the collective transcriptome of 30 individuals. Ten individuals were pooled for each of the three populations sampled at the margins of two hybrid zones. A single 454 run generated 277 Mb from which 17K SNPs were detected. SNP density averaged 1 polymorphic site every 14 to 19 bases, for mitochondrial and nuclear loci, respectively. An [Formula: see text] scan detected high genetic divergence among several hundred SNPs, some of them involved in energetic metabolism, cellular respiration and physiological stress. The high population differentiation, recorded for nuclear-encoded ATP synthase and NADH dehydrogenase as well as most mitochondrial loci, suggests cytonuclear genetic incompatibilities. Results from this study will help pave the way to a high-resolution study of hybrid zone dynamics in M. balthica, and the relative importance of endogenous and exogenous barriers to gene flow in this system.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adaptation, Physiological / genetics
  • Animals
  • Bivalvia / genetics*
  • Bivalvia / physiology
  • Evolution, Molecular*
  • Gene Expression Profiling*
  • Genetic Loci / genetics
  • Genetic Markers / genetics*
  • Linkage Disequilibrium / genetics
  • Molecular Sequence Annotation
  • Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide / genetics*
  • Selection, Genetic

Substances

  • Genetic Markers

Grants and funding

The University of La Rochelle computing infrastructure \YMIR” was partly funded by the European Union (contract 31031-2008, European Regional Development Fund). This work was funded by the Agence Nationale de la Recherche (Hi-Flo project ANR-08-BLAN-0334-01); salaries for AR and EP were covered by a grant to the Poitou-Charente region (Contrat de Projet Etat-Region 2007­2013). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.