Possible stochastic sex determination in Bursaphelenchus nematodes

Ryoji Shinya, Simo Sun, Mehmet Dayi, Isheng Jason Tsai, Atsushi Miyama, Anthony Fu Chen, Koichi Hasegawa, Igor Antoshechkin, Taisei Kikuchi () and Paul W. Sternberg ()
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Ryoji Shinya: Meiji University
Simo Sun: University of Miyazaki
Mehmet Dayi: University of Miyazaki
Isheng Jason Tsai: Academia Sinica
Atsushi Miyama: Meiji University
Anthony Fu Chen: California Institute of Technology
Koichi Hasegawa: Chubu University
Igor Antoshechkin: California Institute of Technology
Taisei Kikuchi: University of Miyazaki
Paul W. Sternberg: California Institute of Technology

Nature Communications, 2022, vol. 13, issue 1, 1-14

Abstract: Abstract Sex determination mechanisms evolve surprisingly rapidly, yet little is known in the large nematode phylum other than for Caenorhabditis elegans, which relies on chromosomal XX-XO sex determination and a dosage compensation mechanism. Here we analyze by sex-specific genome sequencing and genetic analysis sex determination in two fungal feeding/plant-parasitic Bursaphelenchus nematodes and find that their sex differentiation is more likely triggered by random, epigenetic regulation than by more well-known mechanisms of chromosomal or environmental sex determination. There is no detectable difference in male and female chromosomes, nor any linkage to sexual phenotype. Moreover, the protein sets of these nematodes lack genes involved in X chromosome dosage counting or compensation. By contrast, our genetic screen for sex differentiation mutants identifies a Bursaphelenchus ortholog of tra-1, the major output of the C. elegans sex determination cascade. Nematode sex determination pathways might have evolved by “bottom-up” accretion from the most downstream regulator, tra-1.

Date: 2022
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nat:natcom:v:13:y:2022:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-022-30173-2

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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-30173-2

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