Title
Environment specific adaptation of antiviral genes in threespine stickleback fish
Date of Award
Spring 5-28-2016
Document Type
Honors Project
University Scholars Director
Dr. Jeff Keuss
First Advisor/Committee Member
Dr. Charlotte Pratt
Second Advisor/Committee Member
Dr. Catherine Peichel
Keywords
stickleback, antiviral, Mx, evolution, adaptation
Abstract
The threespine stickleback fish (Gasterosteus aculeatus) is a diverse teleost species inhabiting both marine and freshwater environments in the Northern Hemisphere following divergence events 15,000 years ago. Inhabiting either freshwater or marine niches dictates the behavioral and morphological diversity between stickleback populations. Known suites of external factors, such as predators and water conditions, drive this variation in environments. Similarly, the presence of different viruses could increase selective pressure on host antiviral proteins depending upon the environment. We searched stickleback antiviral genes for evidence of selective pressure at the nucleotide and protein sequence levels. From an initial list of 104 stickleback gene transcripts, ten transcripts appear to be under positive selection. Specifically Myxovirus resistance protein (MxA) and Protein Kinase R (PKR) were chosen for further analysis. Analysis of freshwater and marine sequences reveals amino acid residues that segregate between freshwater and marine ecotypes. Many of these residues are completely fixed between ecotypes. We suggest that the alterations found in stickleback antiviral genes are lineage-independent and environmentally-determined. Encounters with different viruses or viral pressures may lead to divergence between the marine and freshwater ecotypes.
Recommended Citation
Belleville, Andrea E., "Environment specific adaptation of antiviral genes in threespine stickleback fish" (2016). Honors Projects. 56.
https://digitalcommons.spu.edu/honorsprojects/56
Copyright Status
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Additional Rights Information
Copyright held by author.
Comments
A project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the University Scholars Program