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Evolutionary history of the Azteca-like mariner transposons and their host ants

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Abstract

Three different complete mariner elements were found in the genome of the ant Tapinoma nigerrimum. One (Tnigmar-Mr) was interrupted by a 900-bp insertion that corresponded to an incomplete member of a fourth mariner element, called Azteca. In this work, we isolate and characterize full-length Tnigmar-Az elements in T. nigerrimum. The purpose of this study is to clarify the evolutionary history of Azteca elements and their hosts as well as the possible existence of horizontal transfer processes. For this, Azteca-like elements were also retrieved from the available sequences of various ant genomes, representing four different ant subfamilies: Dolichoderinae, Formicinae, Myrmicinae, and Ponerinae. The tree topology resulting for the Azteca-like elements bore very little resemblance to that of their respective hosts. The pervasive presence of Azteca-like elements in all ant genomes, together with the observation that extant copies are usually younger than the genomes that host them, could be explained either by lineage sorting or by recent horizontal transfer of active elements. However, the finding of closer genetic relationships between elements than between the ants that host them is consistent with the latter scenario. This is clearly observed in Sinvmar-Az, Tnigmar-Az, Acepmar-Az, and Cflomar-Az elements, suggesting the existence of horizontal transfer processes. On the contrary, some elements displayed more divergence than did the hosts harboring them. This may reflect either further horizontal transfer events or random lineage sorting.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Spanish Junta de Andalucía (through the programs “Ayudas a Grupos de Investigación,” Group BIO220 and “Incentivos a proyectos de investigación de excelencia,” project CVI-6807, co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund) and by the Spanish Ministerio de Educación e Innovación (through project CGL2011-23841, co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund).

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  1. Departamento de Biología Experimental, Universidad de Jaén, 23071, Jaén, Spain

    Teresa Palomeque, Olivia Sanllorente, Jesús Vela, Pablo Mora, María I. Torres & Pedro Lorite

  2. Departamento de Anatomía Patolóxica e Ciencias Forenses, Centro de Investigación en Medicina Molecular y Enfermedades Crónicas (CIMUS), Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 15782, Santiago de Compostela, Spain

    Xulio Maside

  3. Institut de Recherche sur la Biologie de l’Insecte, Université F. Rabelais, U.F.R des Sciences et Techniques, Parc Grandmont, 37200, Tours, France

    Georges Periquet

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  1. Teresa Palomeque
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Correspondence to Pedro Lorite.

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Communicated by: Sven Thatje

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Palomeque, T., Sanllorente, O., Maside, X. et al. Evolutionary history of the Azteca-like mariner transposons and their host ants. Sci Nat 102, 44 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-015-1294-3

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