Single-cell genome analysis of a feminizing <i>Wolbachia</i> in <i>Eurema</i> butterflies reveals a shared origin with male-killing <i>Wolbachia</i>.

ABSTRACT: Wolbachia is a ubiquitous endosymbiont in arthropods that is maternally transmitted and affects host reproduction in various ways. Among these, skewing the host sex ratio towards females, either by killing males (male killing) or producing exclusively functional females (feminization or parthenogenesis), is considered advantageous for Wolbachia. In the butterfly Eurema mandarina, individuals harbouring the Wolbachia strain wFem exclusively produce female offspring. This occurs through a two-step mechanism in which Wolbachia blocks the transmission of the Z chromosome from Z0 females and feminizes the resultant Z0 offspring. Given the unique characteristics of wFem, understanding its genomic features is crucial to uncover the evolution and me

SUBMITTER: Arai H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12662622 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature