Evolutionary Dynamics of Satellite DNA Repeats across the Tettigoniidae Family: Insights from Genomic Analysis

Abstract

Satellite DNA repeats are repetitive DNA sequences found in eukaryotic genomes, typically consisting of short DNA motifs repeated in tandem arrays. Despite the vast body of literature on satellite DNA repeats in other taxa, investigations specifically targeting Tettigoniidae remain conspicuously absent. Our study aims to fill a critical gap in our understanding of satellitome evolutionary processes shaping Tettigoniidae genomes. Repeatome analysis revealed that the Meconema thalassinum genome comprises 92%, and Phryganogryllacris superangulata had the lowest value of 34%, with an average of 67% in other Tettigoniidae species. The analysis reveals significant variation in the number of satellite DNA repeats across species of the Tettigoniidae family, with M. thalassinum exhibiting the highest count, 246, reported in insects to date and the lowest count, 10, in Pholidoptera griseoptera. Ruspolia dubia and Ruspolia yunnana, which are congeneric species, showcase distinct counts of 104 and 84 families, respectively. Satellite DNA repeats in R. dubia exhibit the highest abundance, constituting 17.2% of the total genome, while the lowest abundance was reported in P. griseoptera, at 5.65%. The genome size correlates weakly with the satellite DNA family count (rs = 0.42, p = 0.29), but a strong correlation exists between satellite abundance and family number (rs = 0.73, p = 0.03). Moreover, the analysis of satellite DNA gain and loss patterns provides insights into the amplification and homogenization of satellite DNA families within the genome, with species-specific repeats exhibiting a positive trend toward amplification. The chromosomal distribution in M. thalassinum displayed that the highest accumulation was observed on Chr12, Chr01, and Chr04, constituting 17.79%, 17.4%, and 17.22% of the total chromosome size, respectively. The chromosome-specific propagation of satellite DNA families was evident, with MthSat01 solely on chromosome 1 and MthSat170 on chromosome 2, sharing 1.64% and 2.33%. The observed conservation and variations in satellite DNA number and abundances, along with distinct patterns of gain and loss, indicate the influence of potentially diverse evolutionary processes shaping the genomic landscape of these insects, which requires further investigation. Furthermore, the differential accumulation of satellite DNA on specific chromosomes implies that potential chromosome-specific functions or structural features influence the retention and proliferation of satellite sequences.