Birth of a W sex chromosome by horizontal transfer of Wolbachia bacterial symbiont genome.

ABSTRACT: Sex determination is a fundamental developmental pathway governing male and female differentiation, with profound implications for morphology, reproductive strategies, and behavior. In animals, sex differences between males and females are generally determined by genetic factors carried by sex chromosomes. Sex chromosomes are remarkably variable in origin and can differ even between closely related species, indicating that transitions occur frequently and independently in different groups of organisms. The evolutionary causes underlying sex chromosome turnover are poorly understood, however. Here we provide evidence indicating that Wolbachia bacterial endosymbionts triggered the evolution of new sex chromosomes in the common pillbug Armadillidium vulgare We identified a 3-Mb insert of a fe

SUBMITTER: Leclercq S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5206520 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature