Satellitome of the Red Palm Weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), the Most Diverse Among Insects

Abstract

The red palm weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus, is the most harmful species among those pests affecting palm trees. Its impact causes important economic losses around the World. Nevertheless, the genetic information of Rh. ferrugineus is very scarce. Last year, the first genome assembly was published including a rough description of its repeatome. However, no information has been added about one of the main components of repeated DNA, the satellite DNA. Herein, we presented the characterization of the satellitome of this important species that includes 112 satellite DNA families, the largest number in an insect genome. These satellite DNA families made up around 25% of the genome while the most abundant family, RferSat01-169, alone represented 20.4%. Chromosomal location of most abundant satellite DNA families performed by fluorescence in situ hybridization showed that all of them are dispersed in the euchromatin on all chromosomes but some of them are also specifically accumulated either on the pericentromeric heterochromatic regions of all chromosomes or on specific chromosomes. Finally, the transcription of satellitome families was analyzed through Rh. ferrugineus development. It was found that 55 out of 112 satellite DNA families showed transcription, some families seemed to be transcribed across all stages while a few appeared to be stage-specific, indicating a possible role of those satellite DNA sequences in the development of this species.

Satellite DNAs—From Localized to Highly Dispersed Genome Components

“…Its satellitome builds 25% of the genome, and abundant families were found to be dominantly deposited in euchromatin, although they are also distributed in the pericentromeric heterochromatin of all chromosomes or on specific chromosomes only. Interestingly, the copy number of some satDNA families is increased in populations that invaded new habitats most recently [ 114 ].…”

Omics in the Red Palm Weevil Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae): A Bridge to the Pest

“…The study of repeats in the RPW genome is in its infancy, but the use of genomics has greatly accelerated its progress. In the past year, two studies were published using short-read sequencing to characterize microsatellites and satDNAs in the RPW [ 72 , 87 ]. Manee et al [ 72 ] generated a new low-coverage draft genome of the adult female RPW to search for microsatellite content (1–6 bp long) and compare it to other beetles from the Curculionidae family, including the two publicly available draft genomes of the RPW [ 72 ].…”

“…Montiel et al [ 87 ] carried out the first attempt to characterize satDNAs of the RPW genome [ 87 ]. These authors found 121 satDNA families in the RPW, comprising 25% of its genome, the highest diversity of satDNA families of any insect to date.…”

“…These authors found 121 satDNA families in the RPW, comprising 25% of its genome, the highest diversity of satDNA families of any insect to date. Interestingly, Montiel et al [ 87 ] found that the most abundant satDNAs can be detected as dispersed signals in euchromatin, in addition to the more classic heterochromatic locations. The authors also analyzed the transcription of satDNAs across RPW life stages and found stage-specifically transcribed families, suggesting a potential role for these transcripts in developmental processes [ 87 ].…”

Satellite DNAs in Health and Disease

“…Variable occurrence of satellite DNA in different strains and isolates of the parasitic flatworm Schistosoma mansoni also points to the possible mobile nature of the satellite, affecting genetic variability and might be important for the evolution and biology of the species [ 91 ]. Satellite DNAs are known to be subjected to a high evolutionary turnover, resulting in not only a rapid copy number change [ 92 , 93 , 94 ], but also the emergence of new satellites [ 95 ]. One such example is the newly amplified satellite DNA in the New World Monkey genus Aotus , which enables night vision [ 96 ].…”