2023-07-28 カリフォルニア工科大学(Caltech)
◆この研究では、遠い親戚にあたる別種のキイロショウジョウバエ(Drosophila mercatorum)の無性生殖に関連する遺伝子を特定し、それを実験的にD. melanogasterに組み込むことで、実験室での果実バエの無性生殖に成功しました。
◆これにより、農作物の害虫として重要な無性生殖を行う種の分子メカニズムを理解することが重要とされています。
<関連情報>
- https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/team-identifies-genes-for-asexual-reproduction-in-fruit-flies
- https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(23)00913-2
ショウジョウバエにおける通性単為生殖の遺伝的基盤 A genetic basis for facultative parthenogenesis in Drosophila
Alexis L. Sperling,Daniel K. Fabian,Erik Garrison,David M. Glover
Current Biology Published:July 28, 2023
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2023.07.006
Highlights
•Parthenogenetic D. mercatorum displays genomic and transcriptomic signatures
•A genetic cause underlies facultative parthenogenesis in drosophilids
•Facultative parthenogenesis can be genetically induced in D. melanogaster
•Induced parthenogenesis can result in polyploid D. melanogaster
Summary
Facultative parthenogenesis enables sexually reproducing organisms to switch between sexual and asexual parthenogenetic reproduction. To gain insights into this phenomenon, we sequenced the genomes of sexually reproducing and parthenogenetic strains of Drosophila mercatorum and identified differences in the gene expression in their eggs. We then tested whether manipulating the expression of candidate gene homologs identified in Drosophila mercatorum could lead to facultative parthenogenesis in the non-parthenogenetic species Drosophila melanogaster. This identified a polygenic system whereby increased expression of the mitotic protein kinase polo and decreased expression of a desaturase, Desat2, caused facultative parthenogenesis in the non-parthenogenetic species that was enhanced by increased expression of Myc. The genetically induced parthenogenetic Drosophila melanogaster eggs exhibit de novo centrosome formation, fusion of the meiotic products, and the onset of development to generate predominantly triploid offspring. Thus, we demonstrate a genetic basis for sporadic facultative parthenogenesis in an animal.
