scholarly journals Evolution of sexually dimorphic pheromone profiles coincides with increased number of male‐specific chemosensory organs in Drosophila prolongata

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (23) ◽  
pp. 13608-13618 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yige Luo ◽  
Yunwei Zhang ◽  
Jean‐Pierre Farine ◽  
Jean‐François Ferveur ◽  
Santiago Ramírez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sexually Dimorphic ◽  
Male Specific ◽  
Chemosensory Organs

scholarly journals Nixalone is sufficient to convert femaleAedes aegyptiinto fertile males andmyo-sexis needed for male flight

2020 ◽  
Vol 117 (30) ◽  
pp. 17702-17709 ◽  
Author(s):  
Azadeh Aryan ◽  
Michelle A. E. Anderson ◽  
James K. Biedler ◽  
Yumin Qi ◽  
Justin M. Overcash ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mosquito Control ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Reproductive Organs ◽  
Dominant Male ◽  
Chain Gene ◽  
Sexually Dimorphic ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Transgenic Lines ◽  
Male Sex ◽  
Male Specific

A dominant male-determining locus (M-locus) establishes the male sex (M/m) in the yellow fever mosquito,Aedes aegypti.Nix, a gene in the M-locus, was shown to be a male-determining factor (M factor) as somatic knockout ofNixled to feminized males (M/m) while transient expression ofNixresulted in partially masculinized females (m/m), with male reproductive organs but retained female antennae. It was not clear whether any of the other 29 genes in the 1.3-Mb M-locus are also needed for complete sex-conversion. Here, we report the generation of multiple transgenic lines that expressNixunder the control of its own promoter. Genetic and molecular analyses of these lines provided insights unattainable from previous transient experiments. We show that theNixtransgene alone, in the absence of the M-locus, was sufficient to convert females into males with all male-specific sexually dimorphic features and male-like gene expression. The converted m/m males are flightless, unable to perform the nuptial flight required for mating. However, they were able to father sex-converted progeny when presented with cold-anesthetized wild-type females. We show thatmyo-sex, a myosin heavy-chain gene also in the M-locus, was required for male flight as knockout ofmyo-sexrendered wild-type males flightless. We also show thatNix-mediated female-to-male conversion was 100% penetrant and stable over many generations. Therefore,Nixhas great potential for developing mosquito control strategies to reduce vector populations by female-to-male sex conversion, or to aid in a sterile insect technique that requires releasing only non-biting males.

scholarly journals NANOS2 suppresses the cell cycle by repressing mTORC1 activators in embryonic male germ cells

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryuki Shimada ◽  
Hiroko Koike ◽  
Takamasa Hirano ◽  
Yumiko Saga
Keyword(s):  
Cell Cycle ◽  
Germ Cell ◽  
Germ Cells ◽  
Rna Binding ◽  
Initial Step ◽  
Sexually Dimorphic ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Male Germ Cells ◽  
Cycle Arrest ◽  
Male Specific

AbstractDuring murine germ cell development, male germ cells enter the mitotically arrested G0 stage, which is an initial step of sexually dimorphic differentiation. The male specific RNA-binding protein NANOS2 has a key role in suppressing the cell cycle in germ cells. However, the detailed mechanism of how NANOS2 regulates the cell cycle remains unclear. Using single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), we extracted the cell cycle state of each germ cell in wild-type and Nanos2-KO testes, and revealed that Nanos2 expression starts in mitotic cells and induces mitotic arrest. We also found that NANOS2 and p38 MAPK work in parallel to regulate the cell cycle, suggesting that several different cascades are involved in the induction of cell cycle arrest. Furthermore, we identified Rheb, a regulator of mTORC1, and Ptma as possible targets of NANOS2. We propose that the repression of the cell cycle is a primary function of NANOS2 and that it is mediated via the suppression of mTORC1 activity by repressing Rheb in a post-transcriptional manner.

scholarly journals Direct glia-to-neuron transdifferentiation gives rise to a pair of male-specific neurons that ensure nimble male mating

eLife ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Molina-García ◽  
Carla Lloret-Fernández ◽  
Steven J Cook ◽  
Byunghyuk Kim ◽  
Rachel C Bonnington ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Fate ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Male Mating ◽  
Sexually Dimorphic ◽  
Innate Behaviour ◽  
One Step ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Direct Transdifferentiation ◽  
Male Specific ◽  
Mating Sequence

Sexually dimorphic behaviours require underlying differences in the nervous system between males and females. The extent to which nervous systems are sexually dimorphic and the cellular and molecular mechanisms that regulate these differences are only beginning to be understood. We reveal here a novel mechanism by which male-specific neurons are generated in Caenorhabditis elegans through the direct transdifferentiation of sex-shared glial cells. This glia-to-neuron cell fate switch occurs during male sexual maturation under the cell-autonomous control of the sex-determination pathway. We show that the neurons generated are cholinergic, peptidergic, and ciliated putative proprioceptors which integrate into male-specific circuits for copulation. These neurons ensure coordinated backward movement along the mate’s body during mating. One step of the mating sequence regulated by these neurons is an alternative readjustment movement performed when intromission becomes difficult to achieve. Our findings reveal programmed transdifferentiation as a developmental mechanism underlying flexibility in innate behaviour.

scholarly journals Timing mechanism of sexually dimorphic nervous system differentiation

eLife ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Pereira ◽  
Florian Aeschimann ◽  
Chen Wang ◽  
Hannah Lawson ◽  
Esther Serrano-Saiz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nervous System ◽  
Transcription Factors ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Sex Chromosome ◽  
Sexually Dimorphic ◽  
Neuron Type ◽  
Chromosome Configuration ◽  
Opposite Sex ◽  
Male Specific ◽  
Spatial Specificity

The molecular mechanisms that control the timing of sexual differentiation in the brain are poorly understood. We found that the timing of sexually dimorphic differentiation of postmitotic, sex-shared neurons in the nervous system of the Caenorhabditis elegans male is controlled by the temporally regulated miRNA let-7 and its target lin-41, a translational regulator. lin-41 acts through lin-29a, an isoform of a conserved Zn finger transcription factor, expressed in a subset of sex-shared neurons only in the male. Ectopic lin-29a is sufficient to impose male-specific features at earlier stages of development and in the opposite sex. The temporal, sexual and spatial specificity of lin-29a expression is controlled intersectionally through the lin-28/let-7/lin-41 heterochronic pathway, sex chromosome configuration and neuron-type-specific terminal selector transcription factors. Two Doublesex-like transcription factors represent additional sex- and neuron-type specific targets of LIN-41 and are regulated in a similar intersectional manner.

scholarly journals Distinct developmental mechanisms influence sexual dimorphisms in the milkweed bug Oncopeltus fasciatus

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Josefine Just ◽  
Mara Laslo ◽  
Ye Jin Lee ◽  
Michael C Yarnell ◽  
Zhuofan Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sex Determination ◽  
The Body ◽  
Oncopeltus Fasciatus ◽  
Sexually Dimorphic ◽  
Specific Expression ◽  
X Chromosomes ◽  
Milkweed Bug ◽  
Multiple Transcripts ◽  
Complex Protein ◽  
Male Specific

Sexual dimorphism is a common feature of animals. Sex determination mechanisms vary widely among species and evolve rapidly. Until recently studies have found consistent mechanisms across the body of each individual determine female or male dimorphic body structures. In sexually dimorphic cells throughout the body of Drosophila, the relative dosage of autosomes and X chromosomes leads indirectly to alternatively spliced transcripts from the gene doublesex. The female Dsx isoform interacts with the mediator complex protein encoded by intersex to activate female development in flies. In males the transcription factor encoded by fruitless promotes male-specific behavior. In the milkweed bug Oncopeltus fasciatus, we find a requirement for different combinations of these genes during development of distinct dimorphic structures, within the same sex, suggesting a previously unappreciated level of diversity in sex determination. While intersex and fruitless are structurally conserved, doublesex has a history of duplication and divergence among Paraneoptera. Three doublesex paralogs in O. fasciatus produce multiple transcripts with sex- and tissue-specific expression. intersex and fruitless are expressed across the body, in females and males. RNA interference reveals only one doublesex paralog functions in somatic sex determination. Knockdown of doublesex and fruitless produces intersex phenotypic conditions in two sexually dimorphic structures: genitalia and abdominal sternites. In contrast, intersex is required for dimorphic development of female and male genitalia, but not for sternite dimorphism. These results reveal sex determination roles for intersex and fruitless distinct from their orthologs in other insects. Our results illuminate a novel form of developmental diversity in insect sex determination.

Geometric morphometrics uncovers a new species of ponyfish (Teleostei: Leiognathidae: Equulites), with comments on the taxonomic status of Equula berbis Valenciennes

Zootaxa ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 2427 (1) ◽  
pp. 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
PROSANTA CHAKRABARTY ◽  
J.JEANETTE CHU ◽  
LUTHFUN NAHAR ◽  
JOHN S. SPARKS
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Taxonomic Status ◽  
Sexually Dimorphic ◽  
Light Organ ◽  
Geometric Morphometric ◽  
The Family ◽  
External Feature ◽  
Family Level ◽  
Male Specific ◽  
A New Species

A new species of Equulites is revealed using geometric morphometric techniques and is herein described. Based on features recovered in recent comparative analyses, members of Equulites have been diagnosed on the basis of internal and external male-specific traits related to their light-organ system (LOS; Sparks et al., 2005; Sparks, 2006; Sparks and Chakrabarty, 2007; Chakrabarty and Sparks, 2008). These sexually-dimorphic traits are hypothesized to allow males to signal to conspecific females in photic sexual displays using bacterially-generated luminescence (Woodland et al., 2002; Sasaki et al., 2003; Wada et al., 2005). The holotype and sole name-bearing type of Equulites leuciscus (BMNH 1858.4.21.243, 104.9 mm SL) is an adult female, and therefore lacks the diagnostic external feature of the LOS, a large, translucent flank patch, used to identify species in this genus. Geometric morphometric shape analysis of individuals ascribed to Equulites leuciscus, a traditionally widespread, "catch-all" taxon, reveals two discrete shape groups. Based on the results presented below, members of one of these groups correspond to a morphological variant that represents the new species (Equulites absconditus Chakrabarty & Sparks) described herein, whereas the other group corresponds to traditional E. leuciscus. In addition, the taxonomic status of Equula berbis Valenciennes, to which many female and poorly preserved specimens of the new species have erroneously been attributed, is reviewed and E. berbis is concluded to be a nomen dubium of uncertain placement beyond the family level.

scholarly journals Sex-specific regulation ofLgr3inDrosophilaneurons

2016 ◽  
Vol 113 (9) ◽  
pp. E1256-E1265 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geoffrey W. Meissner ◽  
Shengzhan D. Luo ◽  
Brian G. Dias ◽  
Michael J. Texada ◽  
Bruce S. Baker
Keyword(s):  
Abdominal Ganglion ◽  
Sexually Dimorphic ◽  
Central Brain ◽  
Specific Regulation ◽  
Ganglion Neurons ◽  
Male Specific ◽  
G Protein Coupled ◽  
Dimorphic Behavior ◽  
Relaxin Receptor ◽  
Receptor Family

The development of sexually dimorphic morphology and the potential for sexually dimorphic behavior inDrosophilaare regulated by the Fruitless (Fru) and Doublesex (Dsx) transcription factors. Several direct targets of Dsx have been identified, but direct Fru targets have not been definitively identified. We show thatDrosophilaleucine-rich repeat G protein-coupled receptor 3 (Lgr3) is regulated by Fru and Dsx in separate populations of neurons.Lgr3is a member of the relaxin-receptor family and a receptor for Dilp8, necessary for control of organ growth.Lgr3expression in the anterior central brain of males is inhibited by the B isoform of Fru, whose DNA binding domain interacts with a short region of anLgr3intron. Fru A and C isoform mutants had no observed effect onLgr3expression. The female form of Dsx (DsxF) separately up- and down-regulatesLgr3expression in distinct neurons in the abdominal ganglion through female- and male-specificLgr3enhancers. Excitation of neural activity in the DsxF–up-regulated abdominal ganglion neurons inhibits female receptivity, indicating the importance of these neurons for sexual behavior. Coordinated regulation ofLgr3by Fru and Dsx marks a point of convergence of the two branches of the sex-determination hierarchy.

scholarly journals The role of cell death in sexually dimorphic muscle development: Male-specific muscles are retained in femalebax/bakknockout mice

2008 ◽  
Vol 68 (11) ◽  
pp. 1303-1314 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dena A. Jacob ◽  
Theresa Ray ◽  
C. Lynn Bengston ◽  
Tullia Lindsten ◽  
Junmin Wu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Death ◽  
Muscle Development ◽  
Sexually Dimorphic ◽  
Male Specific
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