Functional polymorphism of CYCLE underlies the diapause variation in moths

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Zheng, Shirui; Wang, Yaohui; Li, Guiyun; Qin, Sheng; Dong, Zhi; Yang, Xu; Xu, Xiaomiao; Fang, Gangqi; Li, Muwang; Zhan, Shuai
• 署名单位: Chinese Academy of Sciences; Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, CAS; Chinese Academy of Sciences; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, CAS; Anhui Agricultural University; Jiangsu University of Science & Technology; Zhejiang University; Duke University; Duke University
• 刊物名称: SCIENCE
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0036-13183
• DOI: 10.1126/science.ado2129
• 发表日期: 2025-05-29
• 关键词: quantitative trait loci; silkworm bombyx-mori; photoperiodic response; natural-selection; circadian clock; yields insights; read alignment; genome; transcription; sequence

摘要

Diapause is a common seasonal adaptive strategy that regulates annual timing in insects. Very few causal loci underlying diapause variation have yet been identified. By leveraging cross-mapping and genome-wide association analysis, we identified the N terminus of the clock protein CYCLE as a major causal effector underlying embryonic diapause differences in the silk moth. We found that the nondiapause phenotype in polyvoltine strains results from a specific deletion that disrupts an alternative isoform of CYCLE. We further demonstrated that different CYCLE isoforms contribute to a functional diversity in modulating circadian rhythms and diapause, which has been preserved in Lepidoptera for at least 110 million years. Our study proposes a model that explains how adaptive phenotypes can evolve rapidly without affecting related essential functions.