Almudi, IsabelWyatt, Christopher Douglas Robert, 1988-Cruz, FernandoGómez-Garrido, JèssicaGut, MartaAlioto, TylerIrimia Martínez, ManuelCasares, Fernando2020-10-222020-10-222020Almudi I, Vizueta J, Wyatt CDR, Mendoza A, Marlétaz F, Firbas PN et al. Genomic adaptations to aquatic and aerial life in mayflies and the origin of insect wings. Nat Commun. 2020 May 26; 11(1): 2631. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-16284-82041-1723http://hdl.handle.net/10230/45553The evolution of winged insects revolutionized terrestrial ecosystems and led to the largest animal radiation on Earth. However, we still have an incomplete picture of the genomic changes that underlay this diversification. Mayflies, as one of the sister groups of all other winged insects, are key to understanding this radiation. Here, we describe the genome of the mayfly Cloeon dipterum and its gene expression throughout its aquatic and aerial life cycle and specific organs. We discover an expansion of odorant-binding-protein genes, some expressed specifically in breathing gills of aquatic nymphs, suggesting a novel sensory role for this organ. In contrast, flying adults use an enlarged opsin set in a sexually dimorphic manner, with some expressed only in males. Finally, we identify a set of wing-associated genes deeply conserved in the pterygote insects and find transcriptomic similarities between gills and wings, suggesting a common genetic program. Globally, this comprehensive genomic and transcriptomic study uncovers the genetic basis of key evolutionary adaptations in mayflies and winged insects.application/pdfeng© Isabel Almudi et al. 2020. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were madeGenòmicaFauna marinaInsectesinfo:eu-repo/semantics/articlehttp://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-16284-8info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess