Genetic Complexity Underlying Hybrid Male Sterility in Drosophila

Genetics ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 166 (2) ◽  
pp. 789-796 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyoichi Sawamura ◽  
John Roote ◽  
Chung-I Wu ◽  
Masa-Toshi Yamamoto
Keyword(s):  
Male Sterility ◽  
Related Species ◽  
Synergistic Effects ◽  
Female Sterility ◽  
Hybrid Male ◽  
Hybrid Female ◽  
Hybrid Male Sterility ◽  
Closely Related Species ◽  
Genetic Complexity ◽  
Recessive Genes

Abstract Recent genetic analyses of closely related species of Drosophila have indicated that hybrid male sterility is the consequence of highly complex synergistic effects among multiple genes, both conspecific and heterospecific. On the contrary, much evidence suggests the presence of major genes causing hybrid female sterility and inviability in the less-related species, D. melanogaster and D. simulans. Does this contrast reflect the genetic distance between species? Or, generally, is the genetic basis of hybrid male sterility more complex than that of hybrid female sterility and inviability? To clarify this point, the D. simulans introgression of the cytological region 34D-36A to the D. melanogaster genome, which causes recessive male sterility, was dissected by recombination, deficiency, and complementation mapping. The 450-kb region between two genes, Suppressor of Hairless and snail, exhibited a strong effect on the sterility. Males are (semi-)sterile if this region of the introgression is made homozygous or hemizygous. But no genes in the region singly cause the sterility; this region has at least two genes, which in combination result in male sterility. Further, the males are less fertile when heterozygous with a larger introgression, which suggests that dominant modifiers enhance the effects of recessive genes of male sterility. Such an epistatic view, even in the less-related species, suggests that the genetic complexity is special to hybrid male sterility.

scholarly journals The Genetics of Reproductive Isolation in the Drosophila simulans Clade: X vs. Autosomal Effects and Male vs. Female Effects

Genetics ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 143 (3) ◽  
pp. 1243-1255 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hope Hollocher ◽  
Chug-I Wu
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Isolation ◽  
Male Sterility ◽  
X Chromosome ◽  
Hybrid Sterility ◽  
Drosophila Simulans ◽  
Female Sterility ◽  
Hybrid Male ◽  
Hybrid Female ◽  
Hybrid Male Sterility ◽  
Hybrid Inviability

Abstract A strong effect of homozygous autosomal regions on reproductive isolation was found for crosses between the species in the Drosophila simulans clade. Second chromosome regions were introgressed from D. mauritiana and D. sechellia into D. simulans and tested for their homozygous effects on hybrid male and hybrid female sterility and inviability. Most introgressions are fertile as heterozygotes, yet produce sterile male offspring when made homozygous. The density of homozygous autosomal factors contributing to hybrid male sterility is comparable to the density of X chromosome factors for this level of resolution. Female sterility was also revealed, yet the disparity between male and female levels of sterility was great, with male sterility being up to 23 times greater than female sterility. Complete hybrid inviability was also associated with some regions of the second chromosome, yet there were no strong sex differences. In conclusion, we find no evidence to support a strong X chromosome bias in the evolution of hybrid sterility or inviability but do find a very strong sex bias in the evolution of hybrid sterility. In light of these findings, we reevaluate the current models proposed to explain the genetic pattern of reproductive isolation.

scholarly journals Further characterization of the Odysseus locus of hybrid sterility in Drosophila: one gene is not enough.

Genetics ◽  
1995 ◽  
Vol 140 (1) ◽  
pp. 201-206 ◽  
Author(s):  
D E Perez ◽  
C I Wu
Keyword(s):  
Related Species ◽  
Genetic Background ◽  
Hybrid Sterility ◽  
Weak Effect ◽  
Hybrid Male ◽  
Hybrid Male Sterility ◽  
Closely Related Species ◽  
Drosophila Mauritiana ◽  
Average Gene

Abstract Previously we mapped by genetical and molecular means a gene that contributes to hybrid-male sterility between Drosophila mauritiana and D. simulans to the cytological interval of 16D. In this report, we refine the mapping of this gene, Odysseus (Ods) and show that it can be delineated to a region the size of an average gene. We further demonstrate that, while Ods appears to be a discrete element, it requires other nearby gene(s) to be cointrogressed to confer full hybrid sterility effect. This observation is in agreement with the view that reproductive isolation between closely related species of Drosophila is usually caused by several genes of weak effect from the same species that interact strongly among themselves as well as with the foreign genetic background.

scholarly journals Genetic Complexity Underlying Hybrid Male Sterility in Drosophila

Genetics ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 166 (2) ◽  
pp. 789-796 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyoichi Sawamura ◽  
John Roote ◽  
Chung-I Wu ◽  
Masa-Toshi Yamamoto
Keyword(s):  
Male Sterility ◽  
Hybrid Male ◽  
Hybrid Male Sterility ◽  
Genetic Complexity

scholarly journals The Broom of the Sorcerer's Apprentice: The Fine Structure of a Chromosomal Region Causing Reproductive Isolation Between Two Sibling Species of Drosophila

Genetics ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 143 (3) ◽  
pp. 1287-1298 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew W Davis ◽  
Chug-I Wu
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Isolation ◽  
Sibling Species ◽  
Related Species ◽  
Hybrid Sterility ◽  
Drosophila Genome ◽  
Hybrid Male ◽  
Hybrid Male Sterility ◽  
Closely Related Species ◽  
Drosophila Mauritiana ◽  
Two Factors

Abstract How many genes contribute to reproductive isolation between closely related species? We determined the number of genes located in the 9D-12B region of the Drosophila mauritiana X chromosome that cause hybrid male sterility in a D. simulans background. Previous low resolution studies suggested that a single hybrid sterility factor was associated with this region. In this study, by taking advantage of a cluster of visible and DNA markers, we identified three D. mauritiana factors in this region and then subjected one of them to detailed analysis. This factor again turned out to be comprised of three factors; one of which, mapped to within 200 kb, may in fact be two factors. The title refers to this exercise of splitting sterile introgressions into ever smaller ones, each of which retains partial or full sterility effects. In a region representing a mere 3% of the Drosophila genome, no fewer than six loci of hybrid sterility were identified between two sibling species that have not shown clear divergence at the molecular level. These results suggest that levels of genetic divergence between closely related species may be quite high for functionally important traits even when the opposite is true for randomly chosen loci.

Evidence for complex genic interactions between conspecific chromosomes underlying hybrid female sterility in the Drosophila simulans clade.

Genetics ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 137 (1) ◽  
pp. 191-199 ◽  
Author(s):  
A W Davis ◽  
E G Noonburg ◽  
C I Wu
Keyword(s):  
Hybrid Sterility ◽  
Drosophila Simulans ◽  
Female Sterility ◽  
Hybrid Male ◽  
Hybrid Female ◽  
Hybrid Male Sterility ◽  
Epistatic Interactions ◽  
X Chromosomes ◽  
F1 Hybrid ◽  
Drosophila Mauritiana

Abstract F1 hybrid females between the sibling species Drosophila simulans, Drosophila mauritiana and Drosophila sechellia are completely fertile. However, we have found that female sterility can be observed in F2 backcross females who are homozygous for D. simulans X chromosomes and homozygous for autosomal regions from either D. mauritiana or D. sechellia. Our results indicate that neither D. mauritiana autosome (2 or 3) can cause complete female sterility in a D. simulans background. The simultaneous presence of homozygous regions from both the second and third chromosomes of D. mauritiana, however, causes nearly complete female sterility which cannot be accounted for by their individual effects. The two autosomes of D. sechellia may show a similar pattern. From the same crosses, we also obtained evidence against a role for cytoplasmic or maternal effects in causing hybrid male sterility between these species. Taken with the results presented elsewhere, these observations suggest that epistatic interactions between conspecific genes in a hybrid background may be the prevalent mode of hybrid sterility between recently diverged species.

scholarly journals Hidden Effects of X Chromosome Introgressions on Spermatogenesis in Drosophila simulans × D. mauritiana Hybrids Unveiled by Interactions Among Minor Genetic Factors

Genetics ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 150 (2) ◽  
pp. 745-754 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xulio R Maside ◽  
José P Barral ◽  
Horacio F Naveira
Keyword(s):  
Male Sterility ◽  
X Chromosome ◽  
Seminal Vesicles ◽  
Genetic Dissection ◽  
Research Strategies ◽  
Hybrid Male ◽  
Hybrid Male Sterility ◽  
Epistatic Interactions ◽  
Drosophila Mauritiana ◽  
Chromosome Segments

Abstract One of the most frequent outcomes of interspecific hybridizations in Drosophila is hybrid male sterility. Genetic dissection of this reproductive barrier has revealed that the number of responsible factors is very high and that these factors are frequently engaged in complex epistatic interactions. Traditionally, research strategies have been based on contrasting introgressions of chromosome segments that produce male sterility with those that allow fertility. Few studies have investigated the phenotypes associated with the boundary between fertility and sterility. In this study, we cointrogressed three different X chromosome segments from Drosophila mauritiana into D. simulans. Hybrid males with these three segments are usually fertile, by conventional fertility assays. However, their spermatogenesis shows a significant slowdown, most manifest at lower temperatures. Each of the three introgressed segments retards the arrival of sperm to the seminal vesicles. Other small disturbances in spermatogenesis are evident, which altogether lead to an overall reduction in the amount of motile sperm in their seminal vesicles. These results suggest that a delay in the timing of spermatogenesis, which might be brought about by the cumulative action of many different factors of minor segment, may be the primary cause of hybrid male sterility.

A Novel System of Fertility Rescue in Drosophila Hybrids Reveals a Link Between Hybrid Lethality and Female Sterility

Genetics ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 163 (1) ◽  
pp. 217-226 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel A Barbash ◽  
Michael Ashburner
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Low Temperature ◽  
Genetic Basis ◽  
Female Sterility ◽  
Hybrid Lethality ◽  
Hybrid Male ◽  
Hybrid Female ◽  
F1 Hybrid ◽  
Drosophila Gene

Abstract Hybrid daughters of crosses between Drosophila melanogaster females and males from the D. simulans species clade are fully viable at low temperature but have agametic ovaries and are thus sterile. We report here that mutations in the D. melanogaster gene Hybrid male rescue (Hmr), along with unidentified polymorphic factors, rescue this agametic phenotype in both D. melanogaster/D. simulans and D. melanogaster/D. mauritiana F1 female hybrids. These hybrids produced small numbers of progeny in backcrosses, their low fecundity being caused by incomplete rescue of oogenesis as well as by zygotic lethality. F1 hybrid males from these crosses remained fully sterile. Hmr+ is the first Drosophila gene shown to cause hybrid female sterility. These results also suggest that, while there is some common genetic basis to hybrid lethality and female sterility in D. melanogaster, hybrid females are more sensitive to fertility defects than to lethality.

scholarly journals Age and genetic background modify hybrid male sterility in house mice

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel J. Widmayer ◽  
Mary Ann Handel ◽  
David L. Aylor
Keyword(s):  
Male Sterility ◽  
House Mouse ◽  
Genetic Background ◽  
Genetic Architecture ◽  
Hybrid Male ◽  
Hybrid Male Sterility ◽  
X Chromosomes ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Age Dependent ◽  
In The Wild

AbstractHybrid male sterility (HMS) contributes to reproductive isolation commonly observed among house mouse (Mus musculus) subspecies, both in the wild and in laboratory crosses. Incompatibilities involving specific Prdm9 alleles and certain Chromosome (Chr) X genotypes are known determinants of fertility and HMS, and previous work in the field has demonstrated that genetic background modifies these two major loci. We constructed hybrids that have identical genotypes at Prdm9 and identical X chromosomes, but differ widely across the rest of the genome. In each case, we crossed female PWK/PhJ mice representative of the M. m. musculus subspecies to males from a classical inbred strain representative of M. m. domesticus: 129S1/SvImJ, A/J, C57BL/6J, or DBA/2J. We detected three distinct trajectories of fertility among the hybrids using breeding experiments. The PWK129S1 males were always infertile. PWKDBA2 males were fertile, despite their genotypes at the major HMS loci. We also observed age-dependent changes in fertility parameters across multiple genetic backgrounds. The PWKB6 and PWKAJ males were always infertile before 15 weeks and after 35 weeks, yet some PWKB6 and PWKAJ males were fertile between fifteen and 35 weeks. This observation could resolve previous contradictory reports about the fertility of PWKB6. Taken together, these results point to multiple segregating HMS modifier alleles, some of which have age-related modes of action. The ultimate identification of these alleles and their age-related mechanisms will advance understanding both of the genetic architecture of HMS and of how reproductive barriers are maintained between house mouse subspecies.

scholarly journals Specific Interactions Between Autosome and X Chromosomes Cause Hybrid Male Sterility in Caenorhabditis Species

Genetics ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 212 (3) ◽  
pp. 801-813 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu Bi ◽  
Xiaoliang Ren ◽  
Runsheng Li ◽  
Qiutao Ding ◽  
Dongying Xie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Male Sterility ◽  
Male Fertility ◽  
Genetic Mechanism ◽  
Hybrid Male ◽  
Female Progeny ◽  
Hybrid Male Sterility ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
F1 Progeny ◽  
Asymmetric Hybrid ◽  
Parent Of Origin

Hybrid male progeny from interspecies crosses are more prone to sterility or inviability than hybrid female progeny, and the male sterility and inviability often demonstrate parent-of-origin asymmetry. However, the underlying genetic mechanism of asymmetric sterility or inviability remains elusive. We previously established a genome-wide hybrid incompatibility (HI) landscape between Caenorhabditis briggsae and C. nigoni by phenotyping a large collection of C. nigoni strains each carrying a C. briggsae introgression. In this study, we systematically dissect the genetic mechanism of asymmetric sterility and inviability in both hybrid male and female progeny between the two species. Specifically, we performed reciprocal crosses between C. briggsae and different C. nigoni strains that each carry a GFP-labeled C. briggsae genomic fragment referred to as introgression, and scored the HI phenotypes in the F1 progeny. The aggregated introgressions cover 94.6% of the C. briggsae genome, including 100% of the X chromosome. Surprisingly, we observed that two C. briggsaeX fragments that produce C. nigoni male sterility as an introgression rescued hybrid F1 sterility in males fathered by C. briggsae. Subsequent backcrossing analyses indicated that a specific interaction between the X-linked interaction and one autosome introgression is required to rescue the hybrid male sterility. In addition, we identified another two C. briggsae genomic intervals on chromosomes II and IV that can rescue the inviability, but not the sterility, of hybrid F1 males fathered by C. nigoni, suggesting the involvement of differential epistatic interactions in the asymmetric hybrid male fertility and inviability. Importantly, backcrossing of the rescued sterile males with C. nigoni led to the isolation of a 1.1-Mb genomic interval that specifically interacts with an X-linked introgression, which is essential for hybrid male fertility. We further identified three C. briggsae genomic intervals on chromosome I, II, and III that produced inviability in all F1 progeny, dependent on or independent of the parent-of-origin. Taken together, we identified multiple independent interacting loci that are responsible for asymmetric hybrid male and female sterility, and inviability, which lays a foundation for their molecular characterization.

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