Our work on the genetics and evolution of a sexual mimicry polymorphism is now out in @CurrentBiology!. Link to paper:

RT @fangbohao: How do SVs, satellite DNA & gene content shape avian genome evolution? We analyzed 45 HiFi genomes across 3 Scrub-Jay specie….

RT @psudmant: Our paper on the evolution of structural variation at the amylase locus is out today in Nature! congr….

Excited to talk about structural variation and pigmentation at #SMBE2024! Today @ 4pm in the Structural Variation Symposium (Costa Alegre - upstairs)

RT @CitiusMag: D3➡️D1➡️Olympics‼️. Matthew Wilkinson’s great 2024 reaches a crescendo with a runner-up finish at the Olympic Trials in 8:23….

RT @Bernard_Y_Kim: Very stoked to share that I am joining @Princeton EEB as an Assistant Professor in Jan 2025. If studying evolution using….

It’s been a real pleasure working on this project with Molly Schumer, @Daniel_L_Powell and many others! Lots more on Xiphophorus pigmentation and balancing selection in the works!.

Together, this study uncovers the genetic basis and selective mechanisms underpinning a sexual mimicry trait. Large chromosomal inversions are well known to underpin polymorphisms, but we show here that small SVs can cause balanced polymorphisms by changing nearby gene expression.

Regarding selective mechanisms, lab trials suggest FGS males experience less aggression (but also more courtship) from other males. We also found some females disdain the spot. Together, these factors may contribute to the maintenance of this sexual mimicry polymorphism in nature

The FGS is polymorphic across the species range, including bottlenecked populations where simulations suggest most neutral polymorphisms should be lost. Moreover, the inverted region is an outlier in terms of diversity and balancing selection tests based on the SFS

Mechanistically, the FGS haplotypes drive cis-regulatory increases of kitlga expression in specific tissues. The FGS kitlga transcript was upregulated in the pigmented tissue, but not in other tissues. And kitlga was the only differentially expressed gene within 300kb of the SV

Extensive long-read sequencing indicates this SV is perfectly associated with the phenotype across X. birchmanni populations. Unexpectedly, we found 5 structurally variable FGS haplotypes among 8 sequenced, but only 2 distinct non-FGS haplotypes among 18 sequenced

An initial alignment in this region between the FGS and non-FGS haplotypes revealed a complex structural rearrangement perfectly overlaps the GWAS peak. This SV contains two distinct segmental duplications, an inversion, and a TE insertion, which are all in high LD

Genome-wide association mapping yielded a strong signal 1.5kb upstream of kitlga, a gene involved in melanocyte recruitment and maintenance in many other species

Females and some males develop a visually similar melanic spot during puberty, but the anatomical basis differs. In females, a dark tissue containing internal organs expands during oogenesis. In males, the muscle controlling movement of the male mating organ becomes pigmented

In X. birchmanni, 40% of males develop a false gravid spot (FGS), which mimics the “pregnancy spot” found in females. We uncovered a complex structural rearrangement upregulating kitlga causing the spot, and identified behavioral mechanisms likely contributing to its maintenance.

Pleased to share our work on a balanced sexual mimicry polymorphism in Xiphophorus!

RT @_cheyenne_payne: So excited to see this massive project led by @Ben_M_Moran on ☠️ hybrid mitonuclear incompatibilities 🧬 in swordtails….

RT @lh3lh3: @richard_durbin and I have been working on a review titled "Genome assembly in the telomere-to-telomere era". We have put the p….

I’ll be presenting on the genetic architecture of swordtail pigmentation traits. If you like pretty fish pictures and Manhattan plots, feel free to drop by! #SMBE2023.