Article
Ecology
Christina A. Muirhead, Daven C. Presgraves
Summary: Sex chromosomes are susceptible to selfish meiotic drive elements that can lead to evolutionary arms races and genetically suppressed drive systems. In Drosophila species, complex interactions among different classes of selfish DNAs result in the genomic consequences of these evolutionary arms races.
NATURE ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Eric C. Lai, Aaron A. Vogan
Summary: Killer meiotic drive elements are genetic entities that manipulate the sexual cycle to promote their own inheritance. Recent research has shown that many of these systems are caused by a single gene, and similar molecular genetic studies in fruit flies have identified individual loci that distort gamete sex. These meiotic drive elements can easily duplicate, forming gene families that provide the basis for their rapid functional diversification.
CURRENT OPINION IN GENETICS & DEVELOPMENT
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jesper Svedberg, Aaron A. Vogan, Nicholas A. Rhoades, Dilini Sarmarajeewa, David J. Jacobson, Martin Lascoux, Thomas M. Hammond, Hanna Johannesson
Summary: This study identifies the gene responsible for spore killing in the Sk-1 element in the filamentous ascomycete Neurospora sitophila, naming it Spk-1. Through molecular dissection and phylogenetic analysis, the study shows that Spk-1 likely originated from a closely related species and that spore killing can be suppressed through an RNA interference-based genome defense pathway. Spk-1 is unique to Neurospora and sheds light on meiotic drive genes and their interaction with the host genome.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Stacey L. Hanlon, R. Scott Hawley
Summary: Selfish genetic elements use various mechanisms to ensure their inheritance and survival at the expense of the host. However, our understanding of the suppression systems against such selfish behavior is limited. In this study, the biased transmission of non-essential B chromosomes in Drosophila melanogaster was achieved in a specific genetic background. The combination of a mutant of the matrimony gene and the TM3 balancer chromosome created a female-specific driving genotype for the biased transmission of the B chromosomes. The abnormal localization of B chromosomes during meiosis suggests a failure in the mechanism responsible for their proper distribution.
Article
Biology
Sasha L. Bradshaw, Lara Meade, Jessica Tarlton-Weatherall, Andrew Pomiankowski
Summary: This study examined the sex ratio X-linked meiotic drive system in stalk-eyed flies and found that the testes of drive males were enlarged at eclosion, contrary to previous predictions, and there was no evidence that this affected the growth of the accessory glands. Furthermore, further experiments are proposed to investigate the effects of copulation and nutritional stress on the size of the accessory glands.
Article
Cell Biology
Findley Finseth
Summary: Female meiosis is asymmetric, providing a platform for genetic elements to compete for inclusion in the egg. Centromeres can evolve through 'female meiotic drive', which creates an arms race between selfish centromeres and kinetochore proteins. This study focuses on maize as a model to understand the mechanistic basis of female meiotic drive and monkeyflowers as a model to uncover the dynamics of active selfish centromeres in nature.
CURRENT OPINION IN GENETICS & DEVELOPMENT
(2023)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Carl Mackintosh, Andrew Pomiankowski, Michael F. Scott
Summary: X-linked meiotic drivers can lead to an imbalance in sex ratios by producing an excess of X-bearing sperm in male carriers. The spread and fixation of X-linked alleles depend on sex-specific selection and transmission, rather than time spent in each sex. These drivers can enhance population size and persistence by increasing productivity, but can also lead to population extinction if the sex ratio becomes too skewed.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Frances E. Clark, Takashi Akera
Summary: Female meiotic drive is a phenomenon where a selfish genetic element alters chromosome segregation during female meiosis to transmit more frequently to the next generation. Despite known examples for many years, a molecular understanding of the underlying mechanisms has been challenging. Recent advances in several model species have prompted a comparative re-examination of these drive systems.
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Liyuan Wang, Shoupu He, Souleymane Dia, Gaofei Sun, Xiyan Liu, Xiaoyang Wang, Zhaoe Pan, Yinhua Jia, Liru Wang, Baoyin Pang, Xuezhen Sun, Xianliang Song, Xiongming Du
Summary: This study utilized a superior fiber strength line derived from interspecific hybridization to identify key genetic loci potentially influencing fiber quality and confirmed the importance of an alien fragment introgressed region for fiber strength improvement.
INDUSTRIAL CROPS AND PRODUCTS
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Evgeny Brud
Summary: The phenomenon of equal allotment of gametes to each allele at a locus, known as Mendel's law of segregation, is a common feature in sexual populations. This study explores the exceptions to Mendel's law and investigates the reasons behind the rarity of non-Mendelian segregation using modifier theory. The results show that the stability of the Mendelian scheme disappears when sex-specific modifier effects are allowed, and invasion conditions favoring the repeal of Mendelian law are derived for different populations.
THEORETICAL POPULATION BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Cedric Schindfessel, Nico De Storme, Hoang Khai Trinh, Danny Geelen
Summary: The susceptibility of the reproductive system to temperature fluctuations poses a recurrent problem for crop production. This study focuses on the impact of short periods of elevated temperature on male meiosis in tomatoes. The heat stress resulted in impaired homolog synapsis, leading to the formation of aneuploid spores. However, most heat-stressed meiotic buds exhibited dyads, indicating a propensity to execute meiotic restitution and produce clonal spores.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
Jun Kitano, Kohta Yoshida
Summary: This article discusses the importance of intrinsic hybrid incompatibility as a barrier between species, especially in organisms with sex chromosomes. It explains two rules, Haldane's rule and large-X effects, that contribute to intrinsic hybrid incompatibility. The hypothesis suggests that sex chromosomes serve as hotspots for meiotic drivers that cause this incompatibility. Although empirical data supports this hypothesis, further research is needed to understand the occurrence of these mechanisms in nature, particularly in relation to speciation with gene flow.
CURRENT OPINION IN GENETICS & DEVELOPMENT
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Carl Veller
Summary: The study found that the invasion rate of suppressors is a decreasing function of the recombination fraction between the drive and suppressor loci. The relative likelihood of unlinked vs. linked suppression increases with the strength of drive and is insensitive to the fitness costs of the driver allele.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Xiaoyan Long, Franz J. Weissing
Summary: The study examines the diversity in parental roles between and within species. By using individual-based evolutionary simulations, the authors find that differences in care between males and females can arise from conflicts between the sexes and sexual selection. The study reveals that the care pattern drives sexual selection, and rapid switches between parental care patterns can occur even in constant environments. The findings challenge the predictions of mathematical models and highlight the importance of transient within-sex polymorphisms in parental strategies.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Biology
Mickael De Carvalho, Guo-Song Jia, Ananya Nidamangala Srinivasa, R. Blake Billmyre, Yan-Hui Xu, Jeffrey J. Lange, Ibrahim M. Sabbarini, Li-Lin Du, Sarah E. Zanders
Summary: Meiotic drivers are selfish elements that can bias their own transmission in the genetic offspring and are thought to have short evolutionary lifespan. However, the study on the evolutionary history of wtf meiotic drivers in fission yeast suggests that these driving systems can still be maintained for a long time.