Expression of HIF-1α and Its Target Genes in the Nanorana parkeri Heart：Implications for High Altitude Adaptation

Hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha（HIF-1α） and its target genes vascular endothelial growth factor（VEGF） and transferrins（TF） play an important role in native endothermic animals＇ adaptation to the high altitude environments. For ectothermic animals – especially frogs – it remains undetermined whether HIF-1α and its target genes（VEGF and TF） play an important role in high altitude adaptation, too. In this study, we compared the gene sequences and expression of HIF-1α and its target genes（VEGF and TF） between three Nanorana parkeri populations from different altitudes（3008 m a.s.l., 3440 m a.s.l. and 4312 m a.s.l.）. We observed that the c DNA sequences of HIF-1A exhibited high sequence similarity（99.38%） among the three altitudinally separated populations; but with increasing altitude, the expression of HIF-1A and its target genes（VEGF and TF） increased significantly. These results indicate that HIF-1α plays an important role in N. parkeri adaptation to the high altitude, similar to its role in endothermic animals.

The Expression Plasticity of Hypoxia Related Genes in High-Altitude and Plains Nanorana parkeri Populations

For species that have a broad geographic distribution, adaptive variation may be attributable to gene expression plasticity. Nanorana parkeri is an anuran endemic to the southern Tibetan Plateau where it has an extensive altitudinal range（2850 to 5100 m asl）. Low oxygen concentration is one of the main environmental characteristics of the Tibetan Plateau. Hypoxia-inducible factor α subunits（HIF-1α and HIF-2α, encoded by Endothelial PAS domain protein 1（EPAS1）） and associated genes（e.g., vascular endothelial growth factor（VEGF） and Erythropoietin（EPO）） play crucial roles in maintaining oxygen homeostasis. In this study, we compared the expression of HIF-1A, VEGF, EPAS1 and EPO mRNA between two populations of N. parkeri： one population inhabiting the native high altitudes, and the second living in, and being acclimated to, the lower plains（70 m asl）. The expression of HIF-1A, VEGF and EPAS1 mRNA in the high altitude population were significantly higher than in the acclimated population, whereas there was no significant difference for EPO between two groups. Our results indicated that gene expression plasticity may make significant contributions to local adaptation of species that have broad altitudinal distributions. In addition, we deepen our understanding of the adaptive potential of this species by evaluating the experiments in the scope of its evolutionary history.

Avian introgression in the genomic era

Introgression,the incorporation of genetic material from one(sub)species into the gene pool of another by means of hybridization and backcrossing,is a common phenomenon in birds and can provide important insights into the speciation process.In the last decade,the toolkit for studying introgression has expanded together with the development of molecular markers.In this review,we explore how genomic data,the most recent step in this methodological progress,impacts different aspects in the study of avian introgression.First,the detection of hybrids and backcrosses has improved dramatically.The most widely used software package is STRUCTURE.Phylogenetic discordance(i.e.different loci resulting in discordant gene trees) is another means for the detection of introgression,although it should be regarded as a starting point for further analyses,not as a definitive proof of introgression.Specifically,disentangling introgression from other biological processes,such as incomplete lineage sorting,remains a challenging endeavour,although new techniques,such as the D-statistic,are being developed.In addition,phylogenetics might require a shift from trees to networks.Second,the study of hybrid zones by means of geographical or genomic cline analysis has led to important insights into the complex interplay between hybridization and speciation.However,because each hybrid zone study is just a single snapshot of a complex and continuously changing interaction,hybrid zones should be studied across different temporal and/or spatial scales.A third powerful tool is the genome scan.The debate on which evolutionary processes underlie the genomic landscape is still ongoing,as is the question whether loci involved in reproductive isolation cluster together in ‘islands of speciation' or whether they are scattered throughout the genome.Exploring genomic landscapes across the avian tree of life will be an exciting field for further research.Finally,the findings from these different methods should be incorporated into specific speciation scenarios,which can consequently be tested using a modelling approach.All in all,this genomic perspective on avian hybridization and speciation will further our understanding in evolution in general.