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The Nicrophorus vespilloides genome and methylome, a beetle with complex social behavior

Christopher B. Cunningham, Lexiang Ji, R. Axel W. Wiberg, Jennifer Shelton, Elizabeth C. McKinney, Darren J. Parker, Richard B. Meagher, Kyle M. Benowitz, Eileen M. Roy-Zokan, Michael G. Ritchie, Susan J. Brown, Robert J. Schmitz, Allen J. Moore
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/023093
Christopher B. Cunningham
1Department of Genetics, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
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  • For correspondence: cbc83@uga.edu ajmoore@uga.edu
Lexiang Ji
2Institute of Bioinformatics, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
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R. Axel W. Wiberg
3Centre for Biological Diversity, School of Biology, University of St. Andrews, Fife, KY16 9TH, UK
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Jennifer Shelton
4Division of Biology & Bioinformatics Center & Arthropod Genomics Center, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas, USA
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Elizabeth C. McKinney
1Department of Genetics, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
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Darren J. Parker
3Centre for Biological Diversity, School of Biology, University of St. Andrews, Fife, KY16 9TH, UK
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Richard B. Meagher
1Department of Genetics, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
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Kyle M. Benowitz
1Department of Genetics, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
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Eileen M. Roy-Zokan
1Department of Genetics, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
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Michael G. Ritchie
3Centre for Biological Diversity, School of Biology, University of St. Andrews, Fife, KY16 9TH, UK
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Susan J. Brown
4Division of Biology & Bioinformatics Center & Arthropod Genomics Center, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas, USA
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Robert J. Schmitz
1Department of Genetics, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
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Allen J. Moore
1Department of Genetics, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
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  • For correspondence: cbc83@uga.edu ajmoore@uga.edu
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Abstract

Testing for conserved and novel mechanisms underlying phenotypic evolution requires a diversity of genomes available for comparison spanning multiple independent lineages. For example, complex social behavior in insects has been investigated primarily with eusocial lineages, nearly all of which are Hymenoptera. If conserved genomic influences on sociality do exist, we need data from a wider range of taxa that also vary in their levels of sociality. Here we present information on the genome of the subsocial beetle Nicrophorus vespilloides, a species long used to investigate evolutionary questions of complex social behavior. We used this genome to address two questions. First, does life history predict overlap in gene models more strongly than phylogenetic groupings? Second, like other insects with highly developed social behavior but unlike other beetles, does N. vespilloides have DNA methylation? We found the overlap in gene models was similar between N. vespilloides and all other insect groups regardless of life history. Unlike previous studies of beetles, we found strong evidence of DNA methylation, which allows this species to be used to address questions about the potential role of methylation in social behavior. The addition of this genome adds a coleopteran resource to answer questions about the evolution and mechanistic basis of sociality.

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Posted July 23, 2015.
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The Nicrophorus vespilloides genome and methylome, a beetle with complex social behavior
Christopher B. Cunningham, Lexiang Ji, R. Axel W. Wiberg, Jennifer Shelton, Elizabeth C. McKinney, Darren J. Parker, Richard B. Meagher, Kyle M. Benowitz, Eileen M. Roy-Zokan, Michael G. Ritchie, Susan J. Brown, Robert J. Schmitz, Allen J. Moore
bioRxiv 023093; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/023093
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The Nicrophorus vespilloides genome and methylome, a beetle with complex social behavior
Christopher B. Cunningham, Lexiang Ji, R. Axel W. Wiberg, Jennifer Shelton, Elizabeth C. McKinney, Darren J. Parker, Richard B. Meagher, Kyle M. Benowitz, Eileen M. Roy-Zokan, Michael G. Ritchie, Susan J. Brown, Robert J. Schmitz, Allen J. Moore
bioRxiv 023093; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/023093

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