Genome elimination mediated by gene expression from a selfish chromosome.

Abstract

Numerous plants and animals harbor selfish B chromosomes that "drive" or transmit themselves at super-Mendelian frequencies, despite long-term fitness costs to the organism. Currently, it is unknown how B chromosome drive is mediated, and whether B-gene expression plays a role. We used modern sequencing technologies to analyze the fine-scale sequence composition and expression of paternal sex ratio (PSR), a B chromosome in the jewel wasp Nasonia vitripennis . PSR causes female-to-male conversion by destroying the sperm's hereditary material in young embryos to drive. Using RNA interference, we demonstrate that testis-specific expression of a PSR-linked gene, named haploidizer , facilitates this genome elimination-and-sex conversion effect. haploidizer encodes a putative protein with a DNA binding domain, suggesting a functional link with the sperm-derived chromatin.

Evidence profile

Study type

laboratory

Text reviewed by the copilot

Full text is available

Publication status

published

Corrections or retractions

none

Conflict statement

Not supplied in the PubMed record

Topics and methods

Ask about this paper