Karyotypic variation of two populations of the small freshwater stingray Potamotrygon wallacei Carvalho, Rosa & Araújo 2016: A classical and molecular approach

PLoS One. 2023 Jan 20;18(1):e0278828. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0278828. eCollection 2023.

Abstract

Potamotrygoninae comprises a group of Neotropical fishes with an ancient relationship with marine environments. In the last few years, 11 new Potamotrygon species were described, including Potamotrygon wallacei Carvalho, Araújo e Rosa 2016. Cytogenetic data about this species are limited to classical markers (Giemsa, C-Banding and Ag-NOR techniques), these studies highlighted a rare sexual chromosome system XX/X0 with males presenting 67 chromosomes and females 68 chromosomes. The classical analyses performed here reveled populational variation in the karyotype formula, as well as, in the heterochromatin regions. Besides the classical markers, our molecular experiments showed multiple sites for 18S rDNA sequence (including in the X chromosomes) and single sites for 5S rDNA sequence, we did not find interstitial telomeric sequences. In addition, (AC)15, (AG)15, and (CAC)15 microsatellites showed association with the several autosome pair, and the (GT)15 clutters were found in only one population. On the other hand, (GATA)4 sequence showed association with the sexual chromosomes X in all males and females analyzed. Our results showed that pericentric inversions, in addition to fusions, shaped the karyotype of P. wallacei once we found two populations with distinct karyotype formula and this could be a result of the past events recovered by our modeling experiments. Besides, here we described the association of 18S and (GATA)4 motifs with sexual chromosomes, which indicated that these sequences had a novel in the differentiation of sexual chromosomes in P. wallacei.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • DNA, Ribosomal / genetics
  • Female
  • Fresh Water
  • Karyotype
  • Male
  • Rosa* / genetics
  • Skates, Fish* / genetics
  • X Chromosome

Substances

  • DNA, Ribosomal

Grants and funding

This study was financed by the Centro de Estudos de Adaptação às Mudanças Ambientais na Amazonia (INCT ADAPTA II, FAPEAM/CNPq 573976/2008-2), FAPEAM/SEPLANCTI/Governo do Estado do Amazonas – POSGRAD Res. No. 003/2019, Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnológico (CNPq), PAPAC-FAPEAM (Edital PAPAC 005/2019), Universal/FAPEAM (EDITAL N. 002/2018), and Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Amazonas for the scholarship awarded to the student (Edital 003/2019). EF was the recipient of a fellowship from CNPq (Grant #301886/2019-9). Genetics, Conservation and Evolutionary Biology (INPA/GCBEv), given institutional support for this study. The funding agencies that financed this study had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.