Chromosome-Level Assemblies of the Pieris mannii Butterfly Genome Suggest Z-Origin and Rapid Evolution of the W Chromosome.

ABSTRACT: The insect order Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths) represents the largest group of organisms with ZW/ZZ sex determination. While the origin of the Z chromosome predates the evolution of the Lepidoptera, the W chromosomes are considered younger, but their origin is debated. To shed light on the origin of the lepidopteran W, we here produce chromosome-level genome assemblies for the butterfly Pieris mannii and compare the sex chromosomes within and between P. mannii and its sister species Pieris rapae. Our analyses clearly indicate a common origin of the W chromosomes of the two Pieris species and reveal similarity between the Z and W in chromosome sequence and structure. This supports the view that the W in these species originates from Z-autosome fusion rather than from a redundant B chr

SUBMITTER: Berner D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10306273 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature