Cell-based assays and comparative genomics revealed the conserved and hidden effects of Wolbachia on insect sex determination.

ABSTRACT: It is advantageous for maternally transmitted endosymbionts to skew the sex ratio of their hosts toward females. Some endosymbiotic bacteria, such as Wolbachia, cause their insect hosts to exclusively produce female offspring through male killing (MK) or feminization. In some lepidopteran insects, MK is achieved by affecting the sex-determining process in males, and a unique mechanism of MK and its functional link with feminization have been implicated. However, comparative analysis of these phenotypes is often difficult because they have been analyzed in different host-symbiont systems, and transinfection of Wolbachia across different hosts is often challenging. In this study, we demonstrated the effects of nine Wolbachia strains on the splicing of sex-determining gen

SUBMITTER: Arai H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11370894 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature