Horizontal Transposon Transfer and Its Implications for the Ancestral Ecology of Hydrophiine Snakes.

Galbraith, JD; Ludington, AJ; Sanders, KL; Amos, TG; Thomson, VA; Enosi Tuipulotu, D; Dunstan, N; Edwards, RJ; Suh, A; Adelson, DL

Horizontal Transposon Transfer and Its Implications for the Ancestral Ecology of Hydrophiine Snakes.

Galbraith, JD Ludington, AJ Sanders, KL Amos, TG Thomson, VA Enosi Tuipulotu, D

Dunstan, N Edwards, RJ Suh, A Adelson, DL

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Publisher:: MDPI
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Genes (Basel), 2022, 13, (2), pp. 217
Issue Date:: 2022-01-25

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Galbraith, JD
dc.contributor.author	Ludington, AJ
dc.contributor.author	Sanders, KL
dc.contributor.author	Amos, TG
dc.contributor.author	Thomson, VA
dc.contributor.author	Enosi Tuipulotu, D https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6442-4633
dc.contributor.author	Dunstan, N
dc.contributor.author	Edwards, RJ
dc.contributor.author	Suh, A
dc.contributor.author	Adelson, DL
dc.date.accessioned	2025-01-15T13:32:19Z
dc.date.available	2022-01-23
dc.date.available	2025-01-15T13:32:19Z
dc.date.issued	2022-01-25
dc.identifier.citation	Genes (Basel), 2022, 13, (2), pp. 217
dc.identifier.issn	2073-4425
dc.identifier.issn	2073-4425
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/183654
dc.description.abstract	Transposable elements (TEs), also known as jumping genes, are sequences able to move or copy themselves within a genome. As TEs move throughout genomes they often act as a source of genetic novelty, hence understanding TE evolution within lineages may help in understanding environmental adaptation. Studies into the TE content of lineages of mammals such as bats have uncovered horizontal transposon transfer (HTT) into these lineages, with squamates often also containing the same TEs. Despite the repeated finding of HTT into squamates, little comparative research has examined the evolution of TEs within squamates. Here we examine a diverse family of Australo-Melanesian snakes (Hydrophiinae) to examine if the previously identified, order-wide pattern of variable TE content and activity holds true on a smaller scale. Hydrophiinae diverged from Asian elapids ~30 Mya and have since rapidly diversified into six amphibious, ~60 marine and ~100 terrestrial species that fill a broad range of ecological niches. We find TE diversity and expansion differs between hydrophiines and their Asian relatives and identify multiple HTTs into Hydrophiinae, including three likely transferred into the ancestral hydrophiine from fish. These HTT events provide the first tangible evidence that Hydrophiinae reached Australia from Asia via a marine route.
dc.format	Electronic
dc.language	eng
dc.publisher	MDPI
dc.relation.ispartof	Genes (Basel)
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.3390/genes13020217
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.subject	0604 Genetics
dc.subject.classification	3105 Genetics
dc.subject.mesh	Animals
dc.subject.mesh	DNA Transposable Elements
dc.subject.mesh	Ecology
dc.subject.mesh	Ecosystem
dc.subject.mesh	Elapidae
dc.subject.mesh	Mammals
dc.subject.mesh	Animals
dc.subject.mesh	Mammals
dc.subject.mesh	Elapidae
dc.subject.mesh	DNA Transposable Elements
dc.subject.mesh	Ecology
dc.subject.mesh	Ecosystem
dc.subject.mesh	Animals
dc.subject.mesh	DNA Transposable Elements
dc.subject.mesh	Ecology
dc.subject.mesh	Ecosystem
dc.subject.mesh	Elapidae
dc.subject.mesh	Mammals
dc.title	Horizontal Transposon Transfer and Its Implications for the Ancestral Ecology of Hydrophiine Snakes.
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	13
utslib.location.activity	Switzerland
utslib.for	0604 Genetics
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science/School of Life Sciences
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*
dc.rights.license	This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.date.updated	2025-01-15T13:32:16Z
pubs.issue	2
pubs.publication-status	Published online
pubs.volume	13
utslib.citation.issue	2

Abstract:

Transposable elements (TEs), also known as jumping genes, are sequences able to move or copy themselves within a genome. As TEs move throughout genomes they often act as a source of genetic novelty, hence understanding TE evolution within lineages may help in understanding environmental adaptation. Studies into the TE content of lineages of mammals such as bats have uncovered horizontal transposon transfer (HTT) into these lineages, with squamates often also containing the same TEs. Despite the repeated finding of HTT into squamates, little comparative research has examined the evolution of TEs within squamates. Here we examine a diverse family of Australo-Melanesian snakes (Hydrophiinae) to examine if the previously identified, order-wide pattern of variable TE content and activity holds true on a smaller scale. Hydrophiinae diverged from Asian elapids ~30 Mya and have since rapidly diversified into six amphibious, ~60 marine and ~100 terrestrial species that fill a broad range of ecological niches. We find TE diversity and expansion differs between hydrophiines and their Asian relatives and identify multiple HTTs into Hydrophiinae, including three likely transferred into the ancestral hydrophiine from fish. These HTT events provide the first tangible evidence that Hydrophiinae reached Australia from Asia via a marine route.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/183654