A male-transmitted B chromosome undergoes strong meiotic drag in females of the jewel wasp Nasonia vitripennis.

ABSTRACT: Many organisms carry extra, non-essential chromosomes known as B chromosomes (Bs), which are selfishly transmitted at super-mendelian levels to offspring. This heightened transmission, termed drive, occurs during gametogenesis, usually in one of the two parents. In some cases, Bs can experience an opposing process, drag, which reduces their transmission. If these processes occur together in the same organism, one in each parental sex, then they may facilitate the spread of Bs while countering their accumulation in the genome to harmful levels. While previous studies have elucidated mechanistic aspects of B drive, little is known about drag or other factors that govern the inheritance of these selfish genetic elements. Here, we examined the inheritance of Paternal Sex Ratio (PSR), a single-

SUBMITTER: Ferree PM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12826520 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature