Misdirection of dosage compensation underlies bidirectional sex-specific death in Wolbachia-infected Ostrinia scapulalis

• Published in: Insect biochemistry and molecular biology Vol. 66; pp. 72 - 76
• Main Authors: Sugimoto, Takafumi N., Kayukawa, Takumi, Shinoda, Tetsuro, Ishikawa, Yukio, Tsuchida, Tsutomu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.11.2015
• Subjects: Animals; Death; Dosage compensation; Dosage Compensation, Genetic; Female; Feminization; Genotype; Larva - genetics; Larva - growth & development; Larva - microbiology; Male; Male killing; Moths - genetics; Moths - growth & development; Moths - microbiology; Ostrinia scapulalis; Sex Chromosomes; Sex Differentiation; Sex Ratio; Sex-specific death; Tetracycline - pharmacology; Wolbachia; Wolbachia - physiology; Feminization; Male killing; Dosage compensation; Sex-specific death; Ostrinia scapulalis; Wolbachia
• ISSN: 0965-1748; 1879-0240
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2015.10.001

Endosymbiotic bacteria of the genus Wolbachia often manipulate the reproductive system of their hosts to propagate themselves in host populations. Ostrinia scapulalis moths infected with Wolbachia (wSca) produce female-only progeny (sex chromosomes: ZW), whereas females cured of the infection by antibiotic treatment produce male-only progeny (ZZ). The occurrence of female- and male-only progeny has been attributed to the specific death of the opposite sex during embryonic and larval development. In this bidirectional sex-specific lethality, embryos destined to die express a phenotypic sex opposite to their genotypic sex. On the basis of these findings, we suggested that wSca carries a genetic factor that feminizes the male host, the W chromosome of the host has lost its feminizing function, and discordance between the genotypic and phenotypic sexes underlies this sex-specific death. In the present study, we examined whether the failure of dosage compensation was responsible for this sex-specific mortality. Quantitative PCRs showed that Z-linked gene expression levels in embryos destined to die were not properly dosage compensated; they were approximately two-fold higher in the male progeny of wSca-infected females and approximately two-fold lower in the female progeny of infected-and-cured females. These results support our hypothesis that misdirection of dosage compensation underlies the sex-specific death. [Display omitted] •Male progeny of the moth Ostrinia scapulalis infected with Wolbachia die.•Conversely, female progeny die when these moths are cured of the infection.•Z-linked genes were dosage compensated in the progeny of normal uninfected moths.•Dosage compensation was misdirected in male and female progeny destined to die.