ArticleBMC genomics2013
De novo characterization of the gene-rich transcriptomes of two color-polymorphic spiders, Theridion grallator and T. californicum (Araneae: Theridiidae), with special reference to pigment genes.
Article in BMC genomics, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 27 papers.
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Who cites it
27 citing papers in PubMed, 62 citations in OpenAlex.
- Gene Expression and Structural Differences Underpinning Black and White Colouration in Spiders.Molecular ecology · 2026Article
- The Genetic Basis of Color Polymorphism in the Orb-Web SpiderEcology and evolution · 2026Article
- The Role of Pigments in Light Color Variation of the FireflyEcology and evolution · 2025Article
- What Makes a Mimic? Orange, Red, and Black Color Production in the Mimic Poison Frog (Ranitomeya imitator).Genome biology and evolution · 2024Article
- Differential gene expression patterns between the head and thorax ofFrontiers in genetics · 2023Article
- Genomic signatures of recent convergent transitions to social life in spiders.Nature communications · 2022Article
- The Tetragnatha kauaiensis Genome Sheds Light on the Origins of Genomic Novelty in Spiders.Genome biology and evolution · 2021Article
- Pterin-based pigmentation in animals.Biology letters · 2021Article
- The genomics of mimicry: Gene expression throughout development provides insights into convergent and divergent phenotypes in a Müllerian mimicry system.Molecular ecology · 2021Article
- Morphological Characteristics and Comparative Transcriptome Analysis of Three Different Phenotypes ofFrontiers in genetics · 2019Article
- Structural origins of coloration in the spiderJournal of the Royal Society, Interface · 2018Article
- Article
- De novo characterization of venom apparatus transcriptome of Pardosa pseudoannulata and analysis of its gene expression in response to Bt protein.BMC biotechnology · 2017Article
- Comparative transcriptomes and reciprocal best hit analysis revealed potential pigment genes in two color forms of Tetranychus urticae.Experimental & applied acarology · 2017Article
- Comparative transcriptomics of Entelegyne spiders (Araneae, Entelegynae), with emphasis on molecular evolution of orphan genes.PloS one · 2017Article
- Light-induced depigmentation in planarians models the pathophysiology of acute porphyrias.eLife · 2016Article
- Article
- Positional cloning of a Bombyx pink-eyed white egg locus reveals the major role of cardinal in ommochrome synthesis.Heredity · 2016Article
- Optimizing and benchmarking de novo transcriptome sequencing: from library preparation to assembly evaluation.BMC genomics · 2015Article
- Morphological Characters and Transcriptome Profiles Associated with Black Skin and Red Skin in Crimson Snapper (Lutjanus erythropterus).International journal of molecular sciences · 2015Article
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundA number of spider species within the family Theridiidae exhibit a dramatic abdominal (opisthosomal) color polymorphism. The polymorphism is inherited in a broadly Mendelian fashion and in some species consists of dozens of discrete morphs that are convergent across taxa and populations. Few genomic resources exist for spiders. Here, as a first necessary step towards identifying the genetic basis for this trait we present the near complete transcriptomes of two species: the Hawaiian happy-face spider Theridion grallator and Theridion californicum. We mined the gene complement for pigment-pathway genes and examined differential expression (DE) between morphs that are unpatterned (plain yellow) and patterned (yellow with superimposed patches of red, white or very dark brown).
resultsBy deep sequencing both RNA-seq and normalized cDNA libraries from pooled specimens of each species we were able to assemble a comprehensive gene set for both species that we estimate to be 98-99% complete. It is likely that these species express more than 20,000 protein-coding genes, perhaps 4.5% (ca. 870) of which might be unique to spiders. Mining for pigment-associated Drosophila melanogaster genes indicated the presence of all ommochrome pathway genes and most pteridine pathway genes and DE analyses further indicate a possible role for the pteridine pathway in theridiid color patterning.
conclusionsBased upon our estimates, T. grallator and T. californicum express a large inventory of protein-coding genes. Our comprehensive assembly illustrates the continuing value of sequencing normalized cDNA libraries in addition to RNA-seq in order to generate a reference transcriptome for non-model species. The identification of pteridine-related genes and their possible involvement in color patterning is a novel finding in spiders and one that suggests a biochemical link between guanine deposits and the pigments exhibited by these species.
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