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. 2013 Jun 4;8(6):e65600.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0065600. Print 2013.

Lack of variation at phosphoglucose isomerase (pgi) in bumblebees: implications for conservation genetics studies

Jonathan S Ellis  1 , Lucy M Turner, Mairi E Knight
Affiliations

Lack of variation at phosphoglucose isomerase (pgi) in bumblebees: implications for conservation genetics studies

Jonathan S Ellis et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Assessing genetic variation underlying ecologically important traits is increasingly of interest and importance in population and conservation genetics. For some groups generally useful markers exist for examining the relative role of selection and drift in shaping genetic diversity e.g. the major histocompatibility complex in vertebrates and self-incompatibility loci in plants. For invertebrates there is no such generally useful locus. However, phosphoglucose isomerase (Pgi) has been proposed as a useful functional marker in the conservation genetics of invertebrates. Where thermal microclimate varies, balanced polymorphisms may be maintained due to trade-offs between thermally stable and kinetically advantageous allelic forms. We here report very low levels of Pgi variation in bumblebees rendering this locus to be of little use as an adaptive marker in a conservation genetics context in this group. Potential explanations for this lack of variation are considered.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Map showing general sampling localities.
(a) (1) Manchester, (2) South-West England, (3) Brittany; (b) Detailed map of sampling localities in South-West England: 1. Plymouth; 2. Wembury; 3. Dartmoor; 4. Kit Hill; 5. Boscastle; 6. Tintagel; 7. Pentire Point; 8. Trevose Head; 9. Park Head.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Schematic diagram representing the proportion of Apis mellifera Pgi mRNA covered by Bombus Pgi coding region sequenced in this study (above) and proportion of predicted A. mellifera and B. terrestris phosphoglycerate mutase covered by Bombus Pgm coding regions sequenced in this study (below).
Figures indicate the base positions in the Apis mRNA sequence where the Bombus sequence begins and ends.
Figure 3
Figure 3. Network showing the relation between phosphoglucose isomerase haplotypes for all regions (coding and non-coding).
PC = B. pascuorum, HU = B. humilis, PT = B. pratorum, M = B. monticola, L = B. lapidarius. Numbers along the connecting lines indicate the number of mutated positions between haplotypes. Nodes are not proportional to haplotype frequencies.
Figure 4
Figure 4. Network showing the relation between phosphoglucose isomerase haplotypes for coding regions only.
PC = B. pascuorum, HU = B. humilis, PT = B. pratorum, M = B. monticola, L = B. lapidarius. Numbers along the connecting lines indicate the number of mutated positions between haplotypes. Nodes are not proportional to haplotype frequencies.
Figure 5
Figure 5. Network showing the relation between phosphoglycerate mutase haplotypes for all regions (coding and non-coding).
HR = B. hortorum, PC = B. pascuorum, HU = B. humilis, PT = B. pratorum, M = B. monticola, L = B. lapidarius. Numbers along the connecting lines indicate the number of mutated positions between haplotypes. Nodes are not proportional to haplotype frequencies.
Figure 6
Figure 6. Network showing the relation between phosphoglycerate mutase haplotypes for coding regions only.
HR = B. hortorum, PC = B. pascuorum, HU = B. humilis, PT = B. pratorum, M = B. monticola, L = B. lapidarius. Numbers along the connecting lines indicate the number of mutated positions between haplotypes. Nodes are not proportional to haplotype frequencies.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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