Authors: Steven M. Van Belleghem, Angelo A. Ruggieri, Carolina Concha, Luca Livraghi, Laura Hebberecht, Edgardo Santiago Rivera, James G. Ogilvie, Joseph J. Hanly, Ian A. Warren, Silvia Planas, Yadira Ortiz-Ruiz, Robert Reed, James J. Lewis, Chris D. Jiggins, Brian A. Counterman, W. Owen McMillan, Riccardo Papa
Published: 2023-03-29
Source: Full article
Little is known about the extent to which species use homologous regulatory architectures to achieve phenotypic convergence. By characterizing chromatin accessibility and gene expression in developing wing tissues, we compared the regulatory architecture of convergence between a pair of mimetic butterfly species. Although a handful of color pattern genes are known to be involved in their convergence, our data suggest that different mutational paths underlie the integration of these genes into wing pattern development. This is supported by a large fraction of accessible chromatin being exclusive to each species, including the de novo lineage-specific evolution of a modular