A Unique Conjunction: Evidence for Gynogenesis Accompanying Haplodiploid Sex Determination in the Australian Ant Myrmecia impaternata Taylor

Myrmecia impaternata is an allodiploid all-female species of hybrid origin. Its parental taxa are confirmed here to be M. banksi and M. pilosula. We suggest that its queens produce diploid female offspring by gynogenetic parthenogenesis, a process which requires interaction between unreduced maternal oocytes and allospecific sperm cells obtained by copulation with another related species. We propose that impaternata queens almost certainly mate for this purpose with males reared in impaternata nests from eggs laid by impaternata females. Because sex in ants is determined by haplodiploidy (males haploid, females diploid), we posit that these males would in fact not be technically conspecific with the females in whose reproductive systems they developed, since they would each carry the haploid genome of one or other of the hybridic parental species. They would therefore be individually identical karyologically to males of either M. banksi or M. pilosula and appropriately allospecific to M. impaternata. We postulate that, unlike all other known gynogens, M. impaternata would have no need to maintain parasitic affiliation or sympatry with free-living sperm-donor host species. Its queens are arguably able to produce the required allospecific males by accessing their own genomes. M. impaternata apparently originated by instantaneous speciation when individuals of its parental species first successfully hybridized.

SELECTION OF NEW PROMISING SEEDLESS MANDARINS TRIPLOID HYBRIDS FROM CROSSES BETWEEN MONOEMBRYONIC DIPLOID FEMALE AND DIPLOID MALE PARENTS

Morocco is one of the major exporters of small citrus fruits, such as mandarin and Clementine. Seedlessness is a major criterion for this horticultural group. The present study focused on the selection of the best triploid mandarin hybrids (2n=3x=27) characterized by seedless fruits. A series of crosses between ‘Sidi Aissa’ clementine (female parent) and seven mandarin varieties (‘Lee’, ‘Wilking’, ‘Osceola’, ‘Carvalhal’, ‘Satsuma Frost’, ‘Satsuma Owari’ and ‘Chienka’) was performed by the National Institute for Agricultural Research. Forty triploid mandarins were obtained and planted since 2002 in an experimental field at El Menzeh. Varietal evaluation was focusing on fruit quality traits during seven years. Statistical analyzes showed that there is a significant difference for all studied characters and between hybrids. The number of seeds per fruit is the main criterion which differentiates between triploids mandarin’s hybrids and their diploid parent “clementine Sidi Aissa”. The best hybrids selected were: HT11, HT13, HT27, HT43, HT44, and HT49. The best crosses are C1 (‘Sidi Aissa’ × ‘Wilking’) andC2 (‘Sidi Aissa’ בOsceola’). These promising triploid hybrids of mandarin have been multiplied on several rootstock trials and are in the process of quantitative evaluation and multi-site testing.

Aneuploid progeny of the American oyster, Crassostrea virginica, produced by tetraploid × diploid crosses: another example of chromosome instability in polyploid oysters

The commercial production of triploids, and the creation of tetraploid broodstock to support it, has become an important technique in aquaculture of the eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica. Tetraploids are produced by cytogenetic manipulation of embryos and have been shown to undergo chromosome loss (to become a mosaic) with unknown consequences for breeding. Our objective was to determine the extent of aneuploidy in triploid progeny produced from both mosaic and non-mosaic tetraploids. Six families of triploids were produced using a single diploid female and crossed with three mosaic and non-mosaic tetraploid male oysters. A second set of crosses was performed with the reciprocals. Chromosome counts of the resultant embryos were tallied at 2–4 cell stage and as 6-hour(h)-old embryos. A significant level of aneuploidy was observed in 6-h-old embryos. For crosses using tetraploid males, aneuploidy ranged from 53% to 77% of observed metaphases, compared to 36% in the diploid control. For crosses using tetraploid females, 51%–71% of metaphases were aneuploidy versus 53% in the diploid control. We conclude that somatic chromosome loss may be a regular feature of early development in triploids, and perhaps polyploid oysters in general. Other aspects of chromosome loss in polyploid oysters are also discussed.

Partial Mole with a Coexistent Viable Fetus—A Clinical Dilemma: A Case Report with Review of Literature

ABSTRACT Gestational trophoblastic disease encompasses a diverse group of lesions. If molar changes in the placenta are known along with an alive fetus, then situation is difficult for both obstetrician and parents. On one hand, there may be a normal pregnancy whereas on the other hand the mother may be threatened by numerous complications caused by the hydatid mole, if the pregnancy is continued. We present successfully managed case of partial molar pregnancy with an alive fetus at 1st stage of preterm labor with premature rupture of membranes with anemia with a live diploid female fetus with good neonatal out come. Follow-up till 1 year showed no progression to malignant gestational trophoblastic diseases. How to cite this article Rathod AD, Pajai SP, Gaddikeri A. Partial Mole with a Coexistent Viable Fetus—A Clinical Dilemma: A Case Report with Review of Literature. J South Asian Feder Obst Gynae 2014;6(1):51-55.

Sequential generations of honey bee (Apis mellifera) queens produced using cryopreserved semen

Much of the world’s food production is dependent on honey bees for pollination, and expanding food production will further increase the demand for managed pollination services. Apiculturists outside the native range of the honey bee, in the Americas, Australia and eastern Asia, have used only a few of the 27 described subspecies of honey bees (Apis mellifera) for beekeeping purposes. Within the endemic ranges of a particular subspecies, hybridisation can threaten native subspecies when local beekeepers import and propagate non-native honey bees. For many threatened species, cryopreserved germplasm can provide a resource for the preservation of diversity and recovery of endangered populations. However, although instrumental insemination of queen honey bees is well established, the absence of an effective means to cryopreserve honey bee semen has limited the success of efforts to preserve genetic diversity within the species or to develop repositories of honey bee germplasm for breeding purposes. Herein we report that some queens inseminated with cryopreserved semen were capable of producing a substantial number of fertilised offspring. These diploid female larvae were used to produce two additional sequential generations of new queens, which were then back-crossed to the same stock of frozen semen. Our results demonstrate the ability to produce queens using cryopreserved honey bee spermatozoa and the potential for the establishment of a honey bee genetic repository.

Genome size in Humulus lupulus L. and H. japonicus Siebold and Zucc. (Cannabaceae)

We analysed chromosome lengths, karyotype structure, and nuclear DNA content (flow cytometry) in diploid (2n=20) and triploid (2n=30) European <em>H. lupulus</em> var. <em>lupulus</em>, American <em>H. lupulus</em> var. <em>neomexicanus</em> (2n=20) and Japanese ornamental hop, <em>H. japonicus</em> (F/2n=16; M/2n=17). Diploid female representatives of <em>H. lupulus</em> var. <em>lupulus</em> and <em>H. l.</em> var. <em>neomexicanus</em> differed in total length of the basal chromosome set (23.16 µm and 25.99 µm, respectively) and nuclear 2C DNA amount (5.598 pg and 6.064 pg) but showed similar karyotype structure. No deviation from the additivity, both in chromosome length and 2C DNA amount was evidenced in triploid monoecious <em>H. lupulus</em> (2n=30, XXY). <em>H. japonicus</em> showed different karyotype structure, smaller basal chromosome set (F/18.04 µm, M/20.66 µm) and lower nuclear DNA amount (F/3.208 pg and M/3.522 pg). There are first evaluations of nuclear genome size in diploid, not commercial representative of European <em>H. lupulus</em> var. <em>lupulus</em> and American <em>H. lupulus</em> var. <em>neomexicanus</em> and first attempt to determine the absolute male and female genome size in two Humulus species.