Activity profiles of regulatory elements and associations with the oogenesis-flight syndrome in a long-distance butterfly migrant.

• The oogenesis-flight syndrome reflects the temporal allocation of energy resources between dispersal / migration and reproduction and is a key concept in research on migratory behaviour in animals. Here, we used an experimental set-up to assess how variation in host plant abundance affected the activity of regulatory elements in the painted lady butterfly (Vanessa cardui), a model species for insect migratory behaviour studies. The results indicate that recently eclosed females that had access to host plants invested in reproduction at an earlier stage and that variation in host plant abundance triggered significant differences in regulatory element activity via acetylation. By analysing functions of genes in the vicinity of significant differences in regulatory activity we pinpointed a set of categories that can be relevant for how females perceive the environment and allocate resources for either migration or reproduction. The functions of genes in the vicinity of differentially activated regions were associated with metabolism, egg shell formation, female receptivity, muscle activity, pheromone binding and mini-chromosome maintenance. Our results provide a first glimpse into the regulatory underpinnings of the oogenesis-flight syndrome and a starting point for more detailed understanding of the links between environmental variation, gene regulation and migratory behaviour in butterflies.

Ämnesord

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Biologi -- Evolutionsbiologi (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Biological Sciences -- Evolutionary Biology (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

ChipSeq

Migration syndrome

Regulatory elements

Enhancer

Promoter

Vanessa cardui

Biology with specialization in Evolutionary Genetics

Biologi med inriktning mot evolutionär genetik

Publikations- och innehållstyp

vet (ämneskategori)

ovr (ämneskategori)