1
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Lyth S, Betancourt AJ, Price TAR, Verspoor RL. The suppression of a selfish genetic element increases a male's mating success in a fly. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10719. [PMID: 37964789 PMCID: PMC10641306 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10719] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Revised: 10/20/2023] [Accepted: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 11/16/2023] Open
Abstract
X chromosome meiotic drive (XCMD) kills Y-bearing sperm during spermatogenesis, leading to the biased transmission of the selfish X chromosome. Despite this strong transmission, some natural XCMD systems remain at low and stable frequencies, rather than rapidly spreading through populations. The reason may be that male carriers can have reduced fitness, as they lose half of their sperm, only produce daughters, and may carry deleterious alleles associated with XCMD. Thus, females may benefit from avoiding mating with male carriers, yielding a further reduction in fitness. Genetic suppressors of XCMD, which block the killing of Y sperm and restore fair Mendelian inheritance, are also common and could prevent the spread of XCMD. However, whether suppressed males are as fit as a wild-type male remains an open question, as the effect that genetic suppressors may have on a male's mating success is rarely considered. Here, we investigate the mating ability of XCMD males and suppressed XCMD males in comparison to wild-type males in the fruit fly Drosophila subobscura, where drive remains at a stable frequency of 20% in wild populations where it occurs. We use both competitive and non-competitive mating trials to evaluate male mating success in this system. We found no evidence that unsuppressed XCMD males were discriminated against. Remarkably, however, their suppressed XCMD counterparts had a higher male mating success compared to wild-type controls. Unsuppressed XCMD males suffered 12% lower offspring production in comparison to wild-type males. This cost appears too weak to counter the transmission advantage of XCMD, and thus the factors preventing the spread of XCMD remain unclear.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie Lyth
- Institute of InfectionVeterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of LiverpoolLiverpoolUK
| | - Andrea J. Betancourt
- Institute of InfectionVeterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of LiverpoolLiverpoolUK
| | - Tom A. R. Price
- Institute of InfectionVeterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of LiverpoolLiverpoolUK
| | - Rudi L. Verspoor
- Institute of InfectionVeterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of LiverpoolLiverpoolUK
- Institute of SystemsMolecular, and Integrative Biology, University of LiverpoolLiverpoolUK
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2
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Kim J, Harris KD, Kim IK, Shemesh S, Messer PW, Greenbaum G. Incorporating ecology into gene drive modelling. Ecol Lett 2023; 26 Suppl 1:S62-S80. [PMID: 37840022 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2022] [Revised: 02/13/2023] [Accepted: 02/15/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023]
Abstract
Gene drive technology, in which fast-spreading engineered drive alleles are introduced into wild populations, represents a promising new tool in the fight against vector-borne diseases, agricultural pests and invasive species. Due to the risks involved, gene drives have so far only been tested in laboratory settings while their population-level behaviour is mainly studied using mathematical and computational models. The spread of a gene drive is a rapid evolutionary process that occurs over timescales similar to many ecological processes. This can potentially generate strong eco-evolutionary feedback that could profoundly affect the dynamics and outcome of a gene drive release. We, therefore, argue for the importance of incorporating ecological features into gene drive models. We describe the key ecological features that could affect gene drive behaviour, such as population structure, life-history, environmental variation and mode of selection. We review previous gene drive modelling efforts and identify areas where further research is needed. As gene drive technology approaches the level of field experimentation, it is crucial to evaluate gene drive dynamics, potential outcomes, and risks realistically by including ecological processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaehee Kim
- Department of Computational Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - Keith D Harris
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Isabel K Kim
- Department of Computational Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - Shahar Shemesh
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Philipp W Messer
- Department of Computational Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - Gili Greenbaum
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
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3
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Diamond SE, Martin RA, Bellino G, Crown KN, Prileson EG. Urban evolution of thermal physiology in a range-expanding, mycophagous fruit fly, Drosophila tripunctata. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2022. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blac094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
In Drosophila spp., their often high number of annual generations, large population sizes and large amounts of standing genetic variation should predispose them to undergo contemporary adaptation to climatic warming. However, a number of laboratory experimental evolution studies in this group of organisms suggest strong limits on the rate and magnitude of contemporary thermal adaptation. Here, we explore this discrepancy by examining the potential for rapid evolutionary divergence between wild populations of Drosophila tripunctata Loew, 1862 from rural and urban sites. We performed a multi-generation common garden study and found evidence for the evolution of higher heat tolerance (critical thermal maximum) in flies from urban populations. We also detected evolutionary divergence in cold resistance (chill coma recovery time), with diminished cold resistance in flies from urban populations, although the effect was weaker than the shift in heat tolerance. Our study provides evidence of contemporary urban thermal adaptation, although the magnitude of phenotypic change lagged the magnitude of environmental temperature change across the urbanization gradient, suggesting potential limits on the evolution of urban thermal physiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah E Diamond
- Department of Biology, Case Western Reserve University , Cleveland, OH 44106 , USA
| | - Ryan A Martin
- Department of Biology, Case Western Reserve University , Cleveland, OH 44106 , USA
| | - Grace Bellino
- Department of Biology, Case Western Reserve University , Cleveland, OH 44106 , USA
| | - K Nicole Crown
- Department of Biology, Case Western Reserve University , Cleveland, OH 44106 , USA
| | - Eric G Prileson
- Department of Biology, Case Western Reserve University , Cleveland, OH 44106 , USA
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4
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Ma WJ, Knoles EM, Patch KB, Shoaib MM, Unckless RL. Hoisted with his own petard: How sex-ratio meiotic drive in Drosophila affinis creates resistance alleles that limit its spread. J Evol Biol 2022; 35:1765-1776. [PMID: 35997297 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.14077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2022] [Revised: 06/20/2022] [Accepted: 07/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Meiotic drivers are selfish genetic elements that tinker with gametogenesis to bias their own transmission into the next generation of offspring. Such tinkering can have significant consequences on gametogenesis and end up hampering the spread of the driver. In Drosophila affinis, sex-ratio meiotic drive is caused by an X-linked complex that, when in males with a susceptible Y chromosome, results in broods that are typically more than 95% female. Interestingly, D. affinis males lacking a Y chromosome (XO) are fertile and males with the meiotic drive X and no Y produce only sons-effectively reversing the sex-ratio effect. Here, we show that meiotic drive dramatically increases the rate of nondisjunction of the Y chromosome (at least 750X), meaning that the driver is creating resistant alleles through the process of driving. We then model how the O might influence the spread, dynamics and equilibrium of the sex-ratio X chromosome. We find that the O can prevent the spread or reduce the equilibrium frequency of the sex-ratio X chromosome, and it can even lead to oscillations in frequency. Finally, with reasonable parameters, the O is unlikely to lead to the loss of the Y chromosome, but we discuss how it might lead to sex-chromosome turnover indirectly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen-Juan Ma
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, USA
| | - Emma M Knoles
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, USA
| | - Kistie B Patch
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, USA
| | - Murtaza M Shoaib
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, USA
| | - Robert L Unckless
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, USA
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5
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Bastide H, Ogereau D, Montchamp-Moreau C, Gérard PR. The fate of a suppressed X-linked meiotic driver: experimental evolution in Drosophila simulans. Chromosome Res 2022; 30:141-150. [PMID: 35635636 DOI: 10.1007/s10577-022-09698-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2022] [Revised: 04/21/2022] [Accepted: 04/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Sex-ratio (SR) meiotic drivers are X-linked selfish genetic elements that promote their own transmission by preventing the production of Y-bearing sperm, which usually lowers male fertility. The spread of SR drivers in populations is expected to trigger the evolution of unlinked drive suppressors, a theoretically predicted co-evolution that has been observed in nature. Once completely suppressed, the drivers are expected either to decline if they still affect the fitness of their carriers, or to evolve randomly and possibly get fixed if the suppressors eliminate their deleterious effects. To explore this issue, we used the Paris sex-ratio system of Drosophila simulans in which drive results from the joint effect of two elements on the X chromosome: a segmental duplication and a deficient allele of the HP1D2 gene. We set up six experimental populations starting with 2/3 of X chromosomes carrying both elements (XSR) in a fully suppressing background. We let them evolve independently during almost a hundred generations under strong sexual competition, a condition known to cause the rapid disappearance of unsuppressed Paris XSR in previous experimental populations. In our study, the fate of XSR chromosomes varied among populations, from extinction to their maintenance at a frequency close to the starting one. While the reasons for these variable outcomes are still to be explored, our results show that complete suppression can prevent the demise of an otherwise deleterious XSR chromosome, turning a genetic conflict into cooperation between unlinked loci. Observations in natural populations suggest a contrasting fate of the two elements: disappearance of the duplication and maintenance of deficient HP1D2 alleles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Héloïse Bastide
- UMR Evolution, Génomes, Comportement et Ecologie, CNRS, IRD, Université Paris-Saclay, 91272, Gif-sur-Yvette, France.
| | - David Ogereau
- UMR Evolution, Génomes, Comportement et Ecologie, CNRS, IRD, Université Paris-Saclay, 91272, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Catherine Montchamp-Moreau
- UMR Evolution, Génomes, Comportement et Ecologie, CNRS, IRD, Université Paris-Saclay, 91272, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Pierre R Gérard
- UMR Génétique Quantitative et Evolution, INRAE, CNRS, AgroParisTech, Université Paris-Saclay, 91272, Gif-sur-Yvette, France.
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6
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Birand A, Cassey P, Ross JV, Russell JC, Thomas P, Prowse TAA. Gene drives for vertebrate pest control: realistic spatial modelling of eradication probabilities and times for island mouse populations. Mol Ecol 2022; 31:1907-1923. [PMID: 35073448 PMCID: PMC9303646 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2021] [Revised: 01/07/2022] [Accepted: 01/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Invasive alien species continue to threaten global biodiversity. CRISPR‐based gene drives, which can theoretically spread through populations despite imparting a fitness cost, could be used to suppress or eradicate pest populations. We develop an individual‐based, spatially explicit, stochastic model to simulate the ability of CRISPR‐based homing and X chromosome shredding drives to eradicate populations of invasive house mice (Mus muculus) from islands. Using the model, we explore the interactive effect of the efficiency of the drive constructs and the spatial ecology of the target population on the outcome of a gene‐drive release. We also consider the impact of polyandrous mating and sperm competition, which could compromise the efficacy of some gene‐drive strategies. Our results show that both drive strategies could be used to eradicate large populations of mice. Whereas parameters related to drive efficiency and demography strongly influence drive performance, we find that sperm competition following polyandrous mating is unlikely to impact the outcome of an eradication effort substantially. Assumptions regarding the spatial ecology of mice influenced the probability of and time required for eradication, with short‐range dispersal capacities and limited mate‐search areas producing ‘chase’ dynamics across the island characterized by cycles of local extinction and recolonization by mice. We also show that highly efficient drives are not always optimal, when dispersal and mate‐search capabilities are low. Rapid local population suppression around the introduction sites can cause loss of the gene drive before it can spread to the entire island. We conclude that, although the design of efficient gene drives is undoubtedly critical, accurate data on the spatial ecology of target species are critical for predicting the result of a gene‐drive release.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aysegul Birand
- Invasion Science and Wildlife Ecology Lab, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Phillip Cassey
- Invasion Science and Wildlife Ecology Lab, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Joshua V Ross
- School of Mathematical Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
| | - James C Russell
- School of Biological Sciences, Department of Statistics, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Paul Thomas
- School of Medicine, Robinson Research Institute, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia.,South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Thomas A A Prowse
- Invasion Science and Wildlife Ecology Lab, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
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7
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Mackintosh C, Pomiankowski A, Scott MF. X-linked meiotic drive can boost population size and persistence. Genetics 2021; 217:1-11. [PMID: 33683360 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyaa018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2020] [Accepted: 11/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
X-linked meiotic drivers cause X-bearing sperm to be produced in excess by male carriers, leading to female-biased sex ratios. Here, we find general conditions for the spread and fixation of X-linked alleles. Our conditions show that the spread of X-linked alleles depends on sex-specific selection and transmission rather than the time spent in each sex. Applying this logic to meiotic drive, we show that polymorphism is heavily dependent on sperm competition induced both by female and male mating behavior and the degree of compensation to gamete loss in the ejaculate size of drive males. We extend these evolutionary models to investigate the demographic consequences of biased sex ratios. Our results suggest driving X-alleles that invade and reach polymorphism (or fix and do not bias segregation excessively) will boost population size and persistence time by increasing population productivity, demonstrating the potential for selfish genetic elements to move sex ratios closer to the population-level optimum. However, when the spread of drive causes strong sex-ratio bias, it can lead to populations with so few males that females remain unmated, cannot produce offspring, and go extinct. This outcome is exacerbated when the male mating rate is low. We suggest that researchers should consider the potential for ecologically beneficial side effects of selfish genetic elements, especially in light of proposals to use meiotic drive for biological control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carl Mackintosh
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK.,CoMPLEX, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Andrew Pomiankowski
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK.,CoMPLEX, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Michael F Scott
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK.,School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK
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8
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Verspoor RL, Price TAR, Wedell N. Selfish genetic elements and male fertility. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2020; 375:20200067. [PMID: 33070738 PMCID: PMC7661447 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Selfish genetic elements (SGEs) are diverse and near ubiquitous in Eukaryotes and can be potent drivers of evolution. Here, we discuss SGEs that specifically act on sperm to gain a transmission advantage to the next generation. The diverse SGEs that affect sperm often impose costs on carrier males, including damaging ejaculates, skewing offspring sex ratios and in particular reducing sperm-competitive success of SGE-carrying males. How males and females tolerate and mitigate against these costs is a dynamic and expanding area of research. The intense intra-genomic conflict that these selfish elements generate could also have implications for male fertility and spermatogenesis more widely. This article is part of the theme issue 'Fifty years of sperm competition'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rudi L. Verspoor
- Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZB, UK
| | - Tom A. R. Price
- Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZB, UK
| | - Nina Wedell
- Biosciences, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn TR10 9FE, UK
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9
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Price TAR, Windbichler N, Unckless RL, Sutter A, Runge JN, Ross PA, Pomiankowski A, Nuckolls NL, Montchamp-Moreau C, Mideo N, Martin OY, Manser A, Legros M, Larracuente AM, Holman L, Godwin J, Gemmell N, Courret C, Buchman A, Barrett LG, Lindholm AK. Resistance to natural and synthetic gene drive systems. J Evol Biol 2020; 33:1345-1360. [PMID: 32969551 PMCID: PMC7796552 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13693] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2020] [Revised: 08/10/2020] [Accepted: 08/13/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Scientists are rapidly developing synthetic gene drive elements intended for release into natural populations. These are intended to control or eradicate disease vectors and pests, or to spread useful traits through wild populations for disease control or conservation purposes. However, a crucial problem for gene drives is the evolution of resistance against them, preventing their spread. Understanding the mechanisms by which populations might evolve resistance is essential for engineering effective gene drive systems. This review summarizes our current knowledge of drive resistance in both natural and synthetic gene drives. We explore how insights from naturally occurring and synthetic drive systems can be integrated to improve the design of gene drives, better predict the outcome of releases and understand genomic conflict in general.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tom A. R. Price
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behaviour, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZB, UK
| | - Nikolai Windbichler
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London SW7 2AZ, UK
| | | | - Andreas Sutter
- School of Biological Sciences, Norwich Research Park, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK
| | - Jan-Niklas Runge
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Perran A. Ross
- Bio21 and the School of Biosciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Andrew Pomiankowski
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | | | - Catherine Montchamp-Moreau
- Evolution Génome Comportement et Ecologie, CNRS, IRD, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif sur Yvette 91190, France
| | - Nicole Mideo
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Willcocks Street, Toronto, ON M5S 3B2 Canada
| | - Oliver Y. Martin
- Department of Biology (D-BIOL) & Institute of Integrative Biology (IBZ), ETH Zurich, Universitätsstrasse 16, CH 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Andri Manser
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behaviour, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZB, UK
| | - Matthieu Legros
- CSIRO Agriculture and Food, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | | | - Luke Holman
- School of Biosciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - John Godwin
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
| | - Neil Gemmell
- Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand
| | - Cécile Courret
- Evolution Génome Comportement et Ecologie, CNRS, IRD, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif sur Yvette 91190, France
- Department of Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Anna Buchman
- University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093
- Verily Life Sciences, 269 E Grand Ave, South San Francisco, CA 94080
| | - Luke G. Barrett
- CSIRO Agriculture and Food, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Anna K. Lindholm
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
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10
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Simoni A, Hammond AM, Beaghton AK, Galizi R, Taxiarchi C, Kyrou K, Meacci D, Gribble M, Morselli G, Burt A, Nolan T, Crisanti A. A male-biased sex-distorter gene drive for the human malaria vector Anopheles gambiae. Nat Biotechnol 2020; 38:1054-1060. [PMID: 32393821 PMCID: PMC7473848 DOI: 10.1038/s41587-020-0508-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2019] [Accepted: 04/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Only female insects transmit diseases such as malaria, dengue and Zika; therefore, control methods that bias the sex ratio of insect offspring have long been sought. Genetic elements such as sex-chromosome drives can distort sex ratios to produce unisex populations that eventually collapse, but the underlying molecular mechanisms are unknown. We report a male-biased sex-distorter gene drive (SDGD) in the human malaria vector Anopheles gambiae. We induced super-Mendelian inheritance of the X-chromosome-shredding I-PpoI nuclease by coupling this to a CRISPR-based gene drive inserted into a conserved sequence of the doublesex (dsx) gene. In modeling of invasion dynamics, SDGD was predicted to have a quicker impact on female mosquito populations than previously developed gene drives targeting female fertility. The SDGD at the dsx locus led to a male-only population from a 2.5% starting allelic frequency in 10–14 generations, with population collapse and no selection for resistance. Our results support the use of SDGD for malaria vector control. A sex-distorter gene drive causes population collapse in the malaria mosquito.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alekos Simoni
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK.,Polo d'Innovazione Genomica, Genetica e Biologia, Terni, Italy
| | - Andrew M Hammond
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK.,W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | | | - Roberto Galizi
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK.,Centre for Applied Entomology and Parasitology, School of Life Sciences, Keele University, Keele, UK
| | | | - Kyros Kyrou
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Dario Meacci
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Matthew Gribble
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Giulia Morselli
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Austin Burt
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park, Ascot, UK
| | - Tony Nolan
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK.,Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK
| | - Andrea Crisanti
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK. .,Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.
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11
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Meade L, Finnegan SR, Kad R, Fowler K, Pomiankowski A. Maintenance of Fertility in the Face of Meiotic Drive. Am Nat 2020; 195:743-751. [DOI: 10.1086/707372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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12
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Keais GL, Lu S, Perlman SJ. Autosomal suppression and fitness costs of an old driving X chromosome in Drosophila testacea. J Evol Biol 2020; 33:619-628. [PMID: 31990433 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13596] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2019] [Revised: 12/18/2019] [Accepted: 01/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Driving X chromosomes (XD s) bias their own transmission through males by killing Y-bearing gametes. These chromosomes can in theory spread rapidly in populations and cause extinction, but many are found as balanced polymorphisms or as "cryptic" XD s shut down by drive suppressors. The relative likelihood of these outcomes and the evolutionary pathways through which they come about are not well understood. An XD was recently discovered in the mycophagous fly, Drosophila testacea, presenting the opportunity to compare this XD with the well-studied XD of its sister species, Drosophila neotestacea. Comparing features of independently evolved XD s in young sister species is a promising avenue towards understanding how XD s and their counteracting forces change over time. In contrast to the XD of D. neotestacea, we find that the XD of D. testacea is old, with its origin predating the radiation of three species: D. testacea, D. neotestacea and their shared sister species, Drosophila orientacea. Motivated by the suggestion that older XD s should be more deleterious to carriers, we assessed the effect of the XD on both male and female fertility. Unlike what is known from D. neotestacea, we found a strong fitness cost in females homozygous for the XD in D. testacea: a large proportion of homozygous females failed to produce offspring after being housed with males for several days. Our male fertility experiments show that although XD male fertility is lower under sperm-depleting conditions, XD males have comparable fertility to males carrying a standard X chromosome under a free-mating regime, which may better approximate conditions in wild populations of D. testacea. Lastly, we demonstrate the presence of autosomal suppression of X chromosome drive. Our results provide support for a model of XD evolution where the dynamics of young XD s are governed by fitness consequences in males, whereas in older XD systems, both suppression and fitness consequences in females likely supersede male fitness costs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Graeme L Keais
- Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada.,Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Sijia Lu
- Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada
| | - Steve J Perlman
- Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada
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13
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Price TAR, Verspoor R, Wedell N. Ancient gene drives: an evolutionary paradox. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 286:20192267. [PMID: 31847767 PMCID: PMC6939918 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.2267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2019] [Accepted: 11/19/2019] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Selfish genetic elements such as selfish chromosomes increase their transmission rate relative to the rest of the genome and can generate substantial cost to the organisms that carry them. Such segregation distorters are predicted to either reach fixation (potentially causing population extinction) or, more commonly, promote the evolution of genetic suppression to restore transmission to equality. Many populations show rapid spread of segregation distorters, followed by the rapid evolution of suppression. However, not all drivers display such flux, some instead persisting at stable frequencies in natural populations for decades, perhaps hundreds of thousands of years, with no sign of suppression evolving or the driver spreading to fixation. This represents a major evolutionary paradox. How can drivers be maintained in the long term at stable frequencies? And why has suppression not evolved as in many other gene drive systems? Here, we explore potential factors that may explain the persistence of drive systems, focusing on the ancient sex-ratio driver in the fly Drosophila pseudoobscura. We discuss potential solutions to the evolutionary mystery of why suppression does not appear to have evolved in this system, and address how long-term stable frequencies of gene drive can be maintained. Finally, we speculate whether ancient drivers may be functionally and evolutionarily distinct to young drive systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- T. A. R. Price
- Institution for Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZB, UK
| | - R. Verspoor
- Institution for Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZB, UK
| | - N. Wedell
- Biosciences, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn TR10 9FE, Cornwall, UK
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14
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Larner W, Price T, Holman L, Wedell N. An X-linked meiotic drive allele has strong, recessive fitness costs in female Drosophila pseudoobscura. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 286:20192038. [PMID: 31771473 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.2038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Selfish 'meiotic drive' alleles are transmitted to more than 50% of offspring, allowing them to rapidly invade populations even if they reduce the fitness of individuals carrying them. Theory predicts that drivers should either fix or go extinct, yet some drivers defy these predictions by persisting at low, stable frequencies for decades. One possible explanation for this discrepancy is that drivers are especially costly when homozygous, although empirical tests of this idea are rare and equivocal. Here, we measure the fitness of female Drosophila pseudoobscura carrying zero, one or two copies of the X-linked driver sex ratio (SR). SR had strong negative effects on female offspring production and the probability of reproductive failure, and these effects were largely similar across four genetic backgrounds. SR was especially costly when homozygous. We used our fitness measurements to parametrize a population genetic model, and found that the female fitness costs observed here can explain the puzzlingly low allele frequency of SR in nature. We also use the model to show how spatial variation in female mating behaviour, fitness costs of SR and the reduced siring success of SR males can jointly explain the north-south cline in SR frequencies across North America.
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Affiliation(s)
- William Larner
- Biosciences, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn TR10 9FE, UK
| | - Tom Price
- Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZB, UK
| | - Luke Holman
- School of Biosciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Nina Wedell
- Biosciences, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn TR10 9FE, UK
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15
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Lea JK, Unckless RL. An assessment of the immune costs associated with meiotic drive elements in Drosophila. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 286:20191534. [PMID: 31530140 PMCID: PMC6784720 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.1534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2019] [Accepted: 08/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Most organisms are constantly adapting to pathogens and parasites that exploit their host for their own benefit. Less studied, but perhaps more ubiquitous, are intragenomic parasites or selfish genetic elements. These include transposable elements, selfish B chromosomes and meiotic drivers that promote their own replication without regard to fitness effects on hosts. Therefore, intragenomic parasites are also a constant evolutionary pressure on hosts. Gamete-killing meiotic drive elements are often associated with large chromosomal inversions that reduce recombination between the drive and wild-type chromosomes. This reduced recombination is thought to reduce the efficacy of selection on the drive chromosome and allow for the accumulation of deleterious mutations. We tested whether gamete-killing meiotic drive chromosomes were associated with reduced immune defence against two bacterial pathogens in three species of Drosophila. We found little evidence of reduced immune defence in lines with meiotic drive. One line carrying the Drosophila melanogaster autosomal Segregation Distorter did show reduced defence, but we were unable to attribute that reduced defence to either genotype or immune gene expression differences. Our results suggest that though gamete-killing meiotic drive chromosomes probably accumulate deleterious mutations, those mutations do not result in reduced capacity for immune defence.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Robert L. Unckless
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA
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16
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Finnegan SR, White NJ, Koh D, Camus MF, Fowler K, Pomiankowski A. Meiotic drive reduces egg-to-adult viability in stalk-eyed flies. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 286:20191414. [PMID: 31480972 PMCID: PMC6742991 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.1414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2019] [Accepted: 08/09/2019] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
A number of species are affected by Sex-Ratio (SR) meiotic drive, a selfish genetic element located on the X-chromosome that causes dysfunction of Y-bearing sperm. SR is transmitted to up to 100% of offspring, causing extreme sex ratio bias. SR in several species is found in a stable polymorphism at a moderate frequency, suggesting there must be strong frequency-dependent selection resisting its spread. We investigate the effect of SR on female and male egg-to-adult viability in the Malaysian stalk-eyed fly, Teleopsis dalmanni. SR meiotic drive in this species is old, and appears to be broadly stable at a moderate (approx. 20%) frequency. We use large-scale controlled crosses to estimate the strength of selection acting against SR in female and male carriers. We find that SR reduces the egg-to-adult viability of both sexes. In females, homozygous females experience greater reduction in viability (sf = 0.242) and the deleterious effects of SR are additive (h = 0.511). The male deficit in viability (sm = 0.214) is not different from that in homozygous females. The evidence does not support the expectation that deleterious side effects of SR are recessive or sex-limited. We discuss how these reductions in egg-to-adult survival, as well as other forms of selection acting on SR, may maintain the SR polymorphism in this species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sam Ronan Finnegan
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Nathan Joseph White
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2NT, UK
| | - Dixon Koh
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - M. Florencia Camus
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Kevin Fowler
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Andrew Pomiankowski
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
- CoMPLEX, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
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17
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Meade LC, Dinneen D, Kad R, Lynch DM, Fowler K, Pomiankowski A. Ejaculate sperm number compensation in stalk-eyed flies carrying a selfish meiotic drive element. Heredity (Edinb) 2019; 122:916-926. [PMID: 30467401 PMCID: PMC6781104 DOI: 10.1038/s41437-018-0166-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2018] [Revised: 10/19/2018] [Accepted: 11/03/2018] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Meiotic drive genes cause the degeneration of non-carrier sperm to bias transmission in their favour. Males carrying meiotic drive are expected to suffer reduced fertility due to the loss of sperm and associated harmful side-effects of the mechanisms causing segregation distortion. However, sexual selection should promote adaptive compensation to overcome these deleterious effects. We investigate this using SR, an X-linked meiotic drive system in the stalk-eyed fly, Teleopsis dalmanni. Despite sperm destruction caused by drive, we find no evidence that SR males transfer fewer sperm to the female's spermathecae (long-term storage organs). Likewise, migration from the spermathecae to the ventral receptacle for fertilisation is similar for SR and wildtype male sperm, both over short and long time-frames. In addition, sperm number in storage is similar even after males have mated multiple times. Our study challenges conventional assumptions about the deleterious effects of drive on male fertility. This suggests that SR male ejaculate investment per ejaculate has been adjusted to match sperm delivery by wildtype males. We interpret these results in the light of recent theoretical models that predict how ejaculate strategies evolve when males vary in the resources allocated to reproduction or in sperm fertility. Adaptive compensation is likely in species where meiotic drive has persisted over many generations and predicts a higher stable frequency of drive maintained in wild populations. Future research must determine exactly how drive males compensate for failed spermatogenesis, and how such compensation may trade-off with investment in other fitness traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lara C Meade
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Deidre Dinneen
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Ridhima Kad
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Dominic M Lynch
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Kevin Fowler
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Andrew Pomiankowski
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK.
- CoMPLEX, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK.
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18
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Pieper KE, Unckless RL, Dyer KA. A fast-evolving X-linked duplicate of importin-α2 is overexpressed in sex-ratio drive in Drosophila neotestacea. Mol Ecol 2018; 27:5165-5179. [PMID: 30411843 DOI: 10.1111/mec.14928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2018] [Revised: 10/21/2018] [Accepted: 10/25/2018] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Selfish genetic elements that manipulate gametogenesis to achieve a transmission advantage are known as meiotic drivers. Sex-ratio X chromosomes (SR) are meiotic drivers that prevent the maturation of Y-bearing sperm in male carriers to result in the production of mainly female progeny. The spread of an SR chromosome can affect host genetic diversity and genome evolution, and can even cause host extinction if it reaches sufficiently high prevalence. Meiotic drivers have evolved independently many times, though only in a few cases is the underlying genetic mechanism known. In this study we use a combination of transcriptomics and population genetics to identify widespread expression differences between the standard (ST) and sex-ratio (SR) X chromosomes of the fly Drosophila neotestacea. We found the X chromosome is enriched for differentially expressed transcripts and that many of these X-linked differentially expressed transcripts had elevated Ka /Ks values between ST and SR, indicative of potential functional differences. We identified a set of candidate transcripts, including a testis-specific, X-linked duplicate of the nuclear transport gene importin-α2 that is overexpressed in SR. We find suggestions of positive selection in the lineage leading to the duplicate and that its molecular evolutionary patterns are consistent with relaxed purifying selection in ST. As these patterns are consistent with involvement in the mechanism of drive in this species, this duplicate is a strong candidate worthy of further functional investigation. Nuclear transport may be a common target for genetic conflict, as the mechanism of the autosomal Segregation Distorter drive system in D. melanogaster involves the same pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Robert L Unckless
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas
| | - Kelly A Dyer
- Department of Genetics, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia
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19
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Verspoor RL, Smith JML, Mannion NLM, Hurst GDD, Price TAR. Strong hybrid male incompatibilities impede the spread of a selfish chromosome between populations of a fly. Evol Lett 2018; 2:169-179. [PMID: 30283674 PMCID: PMC6121854 DOI: 10.1002/evl3.55] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2017] [Accepted: 03/22/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Meiotically driving sex chromosomes manipulate gametogenesis to increase their transmission at a cost to the rest of the genome. The intragenomic conflicts they produce have major impacts on the ecology and evolution of their host species. However, their ecological dynamics remain poorly understood. Simple population genetic models predict meiotic drivers will rapidly reach fixation in populations and spread across landscapes. In contrast, natural populations commonly show spatial variation in the frequency of drivers, with drive present in clines or mosaics across species ranges. For example, Drosophila subobscura harbors a sex ratio distorting drive chromosome (SRs) at 15-25% frequency in North Africa, present at less than 2% frequency in adjacent southern Spain, and absent in other European populations. Here, we investigate the forces preventing the spread of the driver northward. We show that SRs has remained at a constant frequency in North Africa, and failed to spread in Spain. We find strong evidence that spread is impeded by genetic incompatibility between SRs and Spanish autosomal backgrounds. When we cross SRs from North Africa onto Spanish genetic backgrounds we observe strong incompatibilities specific to hybrids bearing SRs. The incompatibilities increase in severity in F2 male hybrids, leading to almost complete infertility. We find no evidence supporting an alternative hypothesis, that there is resistance to drive in Spanish populations. We conclude that the source of the stepped frequency variation is genetic incompatibility between the SRs chromosome and the genetic backgrounds of the adjacent population, preventing SRs spreading northward. The low frequency of SRs in South Spain is consistent with recurrent gene flow across the Strait of Gibraltar combined with selection against the SRs element through genetic incompatibility. This demonstrates that incompatibilities between drive chromosomes and naïve populations can prevent the spread of drive between populations, at a continental scale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rudi L. Verspoor
- Institute of Integrative BiologyUniversity of LiverpoolLiverpoolL69 7ZBUnited Kingdom
| | - Jack M. L. Smith
- Institute of Integrative BiologyUniversity of LiverpoolLiverpoolL69 7ZBUnited Kingdom
| | - Natasha L. M. Mannion
- Institute of Integrative BiologyUniversity of LiverpoolLiverpoolL69 7ZBUnited Kingdom
| | - Gregory D. D. Hurst
- Institute of Integrative BiologyUniversity of LiverpoolLiverpoolL69 7ZBUnited Kingdom
| | - Tom A. R. Price
- Institute of Integrative BiologyUniversity of LiverpoolLiverpoolL69 7ZBUnited Kingdom
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20
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Keais GL, Hanson MA, Gowen BE, Perlman SJ. X chromosome drive in a widespread Palearctic woodland fly, Drosophila testacea. J Evol Biol 2017; 30:1185-1194. [PMID: 28402000 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2017] [Revised: 03/20/2017] [Accepted: 04/04/2017] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Selfish genes that bias their own transmission during meiosis can spread rapidly in populations, even if they contribute negatively to the fitness of their host. Driving X chromosomes provide a clear example of this type of selfish propagation. These chromosomes have important evolutionary and ecological consequences, and can be found in a broad range of taxa including plants, mammals and insects. Here, we report a new case of X chromosome drive (X drive) in a widespread woodland fly, Drosophila testacea. We show that males carrying the driving X (SR males) sire 80-100% female offspring and possess a diagnostic X chromosome haplotype that is perfectly associated with the sex ratio distortion phenotype. We find that the majority of sons produced by SR males are sterile and appear to lack a Y chromosome, suggesting that meiotic defects involving the Y chromosome may underlie X drive in this species. Abnormalities in sperm cysts of SR males reflect that some spermatids are failing to develop properly, confirming that drive is acting during gametogenesis. By screening wild-caught flies using progeny sex ratios and a diagnostic marker, we demonstrate that the driving X is present in wild populations at a frequency of ~ 10% and that suppressors of drive are segregating in the same population. The testacea species group appears to be a hot spot for X drive, and D. testacea is a promising model to compare driving X chromosomes in closely related species, some of which may even be younger than the chromosomes themselves.
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Affiliation(s)
- G L Keais
- Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada
| | - M A Hanson
- Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada
| | - B E Gowen
- Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada
| | - S J Perlman
- Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada
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21
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Pieper KE, Dyer KA. Occasional recombination of a selfish X-chromosome may permit its persistence at high frequencies in the wild. J Evol Biol 2016; 29:2229-2241. [PMID: 27423061 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.12948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2015] [Revised: 07/12/2016] [Accepted: 07/13/2016] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
The sex-ratio X-chromosome (SR) is a selfish chromosome that promotes its own transmission to the next generation by destroying Y-bearing sperm in the testes of carrier males. In some natural populations of the fly Drosophila neotestacea, up to 30% of the X-chromosomes are SR chromosomes. To investigate the molecular evolutionary history and consequences of SR, we sequenced SR and standard (ST) males at 11 X-linked loci that span the ST X-chromosome and at seven arbitrarily chosen autosomal loci from a sample of D. neotestacea males from throughout the species range. We found that the evolutionary relationship between ST and SR varies among individual markers, but genetic differentiation between SR and ST is chromosome-wide and likely due to large chromosomal inversions that suppress recombination. However, SR does not consist of a single multilocus haplotype: we find evidence for gene flow between ST and SR at every locus assayed. Furthermore, we do not find long-distance linkage disequilibrium within SR chromosomes, suggesting that recombination occurs in females homozygous for SR. Finally, polymorphism on SR is reduced compared to that on ST, and loci displaying signatures of selection on ST do not show similar patterns on SR. Thus, even if selection is less effective on SR, our results suggest that gene flow with ST and recombination between SR chromosomes may prevent the accumulation of deleterious mutations and allow its long-term persistence at relatively high frequencies.
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Affiliation(s)
- K E Pieper
- Department of Genetics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA.
| | - K A Dyer
- Department of Genetics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
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22
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Verspoor RL, Hurst GD, Price TA. The ability to gain matings, not sperm competition, reduces the success of males carrying a selfish genetic element in a fly. Anim Behav 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2016.03.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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23
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Lindholm AK, Dyer KA, Firman RC, Fishman L, Forstmeier W, Holman L, Johannesson H, Knief U, Kokko H, Larracuente AM, Manser A, Montchamp-Moreau C, Petrosyan VG, Pomiankowski A, Presgraves DC, Safronova LD, Sutter A, Unckless RL, Verspoor RL, Wedell N, Wilkinson GS, Price TA. The Ecology and Evolutionary Dynamics of Meiotic Drive. Trends Ecol Evol 2016; 31:315-326. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2016.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 172] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2015] [Revised: 01/29/2016] [Accepted: 02/01/2016] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
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24
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Taylor ML, Price TAR, Skeats A, Wedell N. Temperature can shape a cline in polyandry, but only genetic variation can sustain it over time. Behav Ecol 2016; 27:462-469. [PMID: 27004012 PMCID: PMC4797379 DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arv172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2015] [Revised: 09/18/2015] [Accepted: 09/25/2015] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Multiple mating by females (polyandry) is a widespread behavior occurring in diverse taxa, species, and populations. Polyandry can also vary widely within species, and individual populations, so that both monandrous and polyandrous females occur together. Genetic differences can explain some of this intraspecific variation in polyandry, but environmental factors are also likely to play a role. One environmental factor that influences many fundamental biological processes is temperature. Higher temperatures have been shown to directly increase remating in laboratory studies of insects. In the longer term, high temperature could also help to drive the evolution of larger-scale patterns of behavior by changing the context-dependent balance of costs and benefits of polyandry across environments. We examined the relative influence of rearing and mating temperatures on female remating in populations of Drosophila pseudoobscura that show a latitudinal cline in polyandry in nature, using a range of ecologically relevant temperatures. We found that females of all genotypes remated more at cooler temperatures, which fits with the observation of higher average frequencies of polyandry at higher latitudes in this species. However, the impact of temperature was outweighed by the strong genetic control of remating in females in this species. It is likely that genetic factors provide the primary explanation for the latitudinal cline in polyandry in this species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michelle L Taylor
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Biosciences, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn, Cornwall TR10 9FE, UK and
| | - Tom A R Price
- Institute for Integrative Biology, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Liverpool, Crown Street, Liverpool L69 7ZB, UK
| | - Alison Skeats
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Biosciences, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn, Cornwall TR10 9FE, UK and
| | - Nina Wedell
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Biosciences, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn, Cornwall TR10 9FE, UK and
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25
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Kaňuch P, Jarčuška B, Kovács L, Krištín A. Environmentally driven variability in size-selective females’ mating frequency of bush-cricket Pholidoptera griseoaptera. Evol Ecol 2015. [DOI: 10.1007/s10682-015-9784-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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26
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Sutter A, Lindholm AK. Detrimental effects of an autosomal selfish genetic element on sperm competitiveness in house mice. Proc Biol Sci 2015; 282:rspb.2015.0974. [PMID: 26136452 PMCID: PMC4528557 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2015.0974] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2015] [Accepted: 06/02/2015] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Female multiple mating (polyandry) is widespread across many animal taxa and indirect genetic benefits are a major evolutionary force favouring polyandry. An incentive for polyandry arises when multiple mating leads to sperm competition that disadvantages sperm from genetically inferior mates. A reduction in genetic quality is associated with costly selfish genetic elements (SGEs), and studies in invertebrates have shown that males bearing sex ratio distorting SGEs are worse sperm competitors than wild-type males.We used a vertebrate model species to test whether females can avoid an autosomal SGE, the t haplotype, through polyandry. The t haplotype inhouse mice exhibits strong drive in t heterozygous males by affecting spermatogenesis and is associated with homozygous in utero lethality. We used controlled matings to test the effect of the t haplotype on sperm competitiveness. Regardless of mating order, t heterozygous males sired only 11% of zygotes when competing against wild-type males, suggesting a very strong effect of the t haplotype on sperm quality. We provide, to our knowledge,the first substantial evidence that polyandry ameliorates the harmful effects of an autosomal SGE arising through genetic incompatibility. We discuss potential mechanisms in our study species and the broader implications for the benefits of polyandry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Sutter
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, Zurich 8057, Switzerland
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27
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28
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Holman L, Price TAR, Wedell N, Kokko H. Coevolutionary dynamics of polyandry and sex-linked meiotic drive. Evolution 2015; 69:709-20. [DOI: 10.1111/evo.12595] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2013] [Accepted: 12/15/2014] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Luke Holman
- Centre of Excellence in Biological Interactions, Division of Ecology, Evolution & Genetics, Research School of Biology; Australian National University; Canberra ACT 2601 Australia
| | - Thomas A. R. Price
- Institute of Integrative Biology; University of Liverpool; Liverpool L69 7ZB United Kingdom
| | - Nina Wedell
- Biosciences, University of Exeter; Cornwall Campus; Penryn TR10 9FE United Kingdom
| | - Hanna Kokko
- Centre of Excellence in Biological Interactions, Division of Ecology, Evolution & Genetics, Research School of Biology; Australian National University; Canberra ACT 2601 Australia
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Sciences; University of Zurich; Winterthurerstrasse 190 CH-8057 Zurich Switzerland
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29
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Abstract
Genetic elements that cheat Mendelian segregation by biasing transmission in their favor gain a significant fitness benefit. Several examples of sex-ratio meiotic drive, where one sex chromosome biases its own transmission at the cost of the opposite sex chromosome, exist in animals and plants. While the distorting sex chromosome gains a significant advantage by biasing sex ratio, the autosomes, and especially the opposite sex chromosome, experience strong selection to resist this transmission bias. In most well-studied sex-ratio meiotic drive systems, autosomal and/or Y-linked resistance has been identified. We specifically surveyed for Y-linked resistance to sex-ratio meiotic drive in Drosophila affinis by scoring the sex ratio of offspring sired by males with a driving X and one of several Y chromosomes. Two distinct types of resistance were identified: a restoration to 50/50 sex ratios and a complete reversal of sex ratio to all sons. We confirmed that fathers siring all sons lacked a Y chromosome, consistent with previously published work. Considerable variation in Y-chromosome morphology exists in D. affinis, but we showed that morphology does not appear to be associated with resistance to sex-ratio meiotic drive. We then used two X chromosomes (driving and standard) and three Y chromosomes (susceptible, resistant, and lacking) to examine fertility effects of all possible combinations. We find that both the driving X and resistant and lacking Y have significant fertility defects manifested in microscopic examination of testes and a 48-hr sperm depletion assay. Maintenance of variation in this sex-ratio meiotic drive system, including both the X-linked distorter and the Y-resistant effects, appear to be mediated by a complex interaction between fertility fitness and transmission dynamics.
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30
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Abstract
Sex chromosome drivers are selfish elements that subvert Mendel's first law of segregation and therefore are overrepresented among the products of meiosis. The sex-biased progeny produced then fuels an extended genetic conflict between the driver and the rest of the genome. Many examples of sex chromosome drive are known, but the occurrence of this phenomenon is probably largely underestimated because of the difficulty to detect it. Remarkably, nearly all sex chromosome drivers are found in two clades, Rodentia and Diptera. Although very little is known about the molecular and cellular mechanisms of drive, epigenetic processes such as chromatin regulation could be involved in many instances. Yet, its evolutionary consequences are far-reaching, from the evolution of mating systems and sex determination to the emergence of new species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quentin Helleu
- Laboratoire Évolution Génomes et Spéciation, CNRS UPR9034, Gif-sur-Yvette, France and Université Paris-Sud, Orsay, France
| | - Pierre R Gérard
- Laboratoire Évolution Génomes et Spéciation, CNRS UPR9034, Gif-sur-Yvette, France and Université Paris-Sud, Orsay, France
| | - Catherine Montchamp-Moreau
- Laboratoire Évolution Génomes et Spéciation, CNRS UPR9034, Gif-sur-Yvette, France and Université Paris-Sud, Orsay, France
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31
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Taylor ML, Price TA, Wedell N. Polyandry in nature: a global analysis. Trends Ecol Evol 2014; 29:376-83. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2014.04.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 172] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2013] [Revised: 04/08/2014] [Accepted: 04/10/2014] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
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32
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Price TAR, Bretman A, Gradilla AC, Reger J, Taylor ML, Giraldo-Perez P, Campbell A, Hurst GDD, Wedell N. Does polyandry control population sex ratio via regulation of a selfish gene? Proc Biol Sci 2014; 281:20133259. [PMID: 24695427 PMCID: PMC3996604 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2013.3259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The extent of female multiple mating (polyandry) can strongly impact on the intensity of sexual selection, sexual conflict, and the evolution of cooperation and sociality. More subtly, polyandry may protect populations against intragenomic conflicts that result from the invasion of deleterious selfish genetic elements (SGEs). SGEs commonly impair sperm production, and so are likely to be unsuccessful in sperm competition, potentially reducing their transmission in polyandrous populations. Here, we test this prediction in nature. We demonstrate a heritable latitudinal cline in the degree of polyandry in the fruitfly Drosophila pseudoobscura across the USA, with northern population females remating more frequently in both the field and the laboratory. High remating was associated with low frequency of a sex-ratio-distorting meiotic driver in natural populations. In the laboratory, polyandry directly controls the frequency of the driver by undermining its transmission. Hence we suggest that the cline in polyandry represents an important contributor to the cline in sex ratio in nature. Furthermore, as the meiotic driver causes sex ratio bias, variation in polyandry may ultimately determine population sex ratio across the USA, a dramatic impact of female mating decisions. As SGEs are ubiquitous it is likely that the reduction of intragenomic conflict by polyandry is widespread.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tom A R Price
- Biosciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, , Cornwall Campus, Penryn TR10 9EZ, UK, School of Biology, University of Leeds, , Leeds LS2 9JT, UK, Centro de Biología Molecular 'Severo Ochoa' (CSIC-UAM), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, , Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain, Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, , Sheffield S10 2TN, UK, Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, , Liverpool L69 7ZB, UK
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