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Tong H, Omar MAA, Wang Y, Li M, Li Z, Li Z, Ao Y, Wang Y, Jiang M, Li F. Essential roles of histone lysine methyltransferases EZH2 and EHMT1 in male embryo development of Phenacoccus solenopsis. Commun Biol 2024; 7:1021. [PMID: 39164404 PMCID: PMC11336100 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-06705-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2023] [Accepted: 08/08/2024] [Indexed: 08/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Paternal genome elimination (PGE) is an intriguing but poorly understood reproductive strategy in which females are typically diploid, but males lose paternal genomes. Paternal genome heterochromatin (PGH) occurs in arthropods with germline PGE, such as the mealybug, coffee borer beetles, and booklice. Here, we present evidence that PGH initially occurs during early embryo development at around 15 h post-mating (hpm) in the cotton mealybug, Phenacoccus solenopsis Tinsley. Transcriptome analysis followed by qPCR validation indicated that six histone lysine methyltransferase (KMT) genes are predominantly expressed in adult females. We knocked down these five genes through dsRNA microinjection. We found that downregulation of two KMT genes, PsEZH2-X1 and PsEHMT1, resulted in a decrease of heterochromatin-related methylations, including H3K27me1, H3K27me3, and H3K9me3 in the ovaries, fewer PGH male embryos, and reduced male offspring. For further confirmation, we obtained two strains of transgenic tobacco highly expressing dsRNA targeting PsEZH2-X1 and PsEHMT1, respectively. Similarly, fewer PGH embryos and fewer male offspring were observed when feeding on these transgenic tobacco plants. Overall, we present evidence that PsEZH2-X1 and PsEHMT1 have essential roles in male embryo survival by regulating PGH formation in cotton mealybugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haojie Tong
- College of Life Sciences, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou, China.
- Ministry of Agriculture Key Lab of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insect Pests, Institute of Insect Sciences, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
| | - Mohamed A A Omar
- Ministry of Agriculture Key Lab of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insect Pests, Institute of Insect Sciences, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture (Saba Basha), Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt
| | - Yuan Wang
- Ministry of Agriculture Key Lab of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insect Pests, Institute of Insect Sciences, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Meizhen Li
- Ministry of Agriculture Key Lab of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insect Pests, Institute of Insect Sciences, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Zicheng Li
- Ministry of Agriculture Key Lab of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insect Pests, Institute of Insect Sciences, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Zihao Li
- Ministry of Agriculture Key Lab of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insect Pests, Institute of Insect Sciences, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yan Ao
- Ministry of Agriculture Key Lab of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insect Pests, Institute of Insect Sciences, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Ying Wang
- Ministry of Agriculture Key Lab of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insect Pests, Institute of Insect Sciences, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Mingxing Jiang
- Ministry of Agriculture Key Lab of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insect Pests, Institute of Insect Sciences, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
| | - Fei Li
- Ministry of Agriculture Key Lab of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insect Pests, Institute of Insect Sciences, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
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Hodson CN, Hamilton PT, Dilworth D, Nelson CJ, Curtis CI, Perlman SJ. Paternal Genome Elimination in Liposcelis Booklice (Insecta: Psocodea). Genetics 2017; 206:1091-1100. [PMID: 28292917 PMCID: PMC5499165 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.117.199786] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2017] [Accepted: 03/07/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
How sex is determined in insects is diverse and dynamic, and includes male heterogamety, female heterogamety, and haplodiploidy. In many insect lineages, sex determination is either completely unknown or poorly studied. We studied sex determination in Psocodea-a species-rich order of insects that includes parasitic lice, barklice, and booklice. We focus on a recently discovered species of Liposcelis booklice (Psocodea: Troctomorpha), which are among the closest free-living relatives of parasitic lice. Using genetic, genomic, and immunohistochemical approaches, we show that this group exhibits paternal genome elimination (PGE), an unusual mode of sex determination that involves genomic imprinting. Controlled crosses, following a genetic marker over multiple generations, demonstrated that males only transmit to offspring genes they inherited from their mother. Immunofluorescence microscopy revealed densely packed chromocenters associated with H3K9me3-a conserved marker for heterochromatin-in males, but not in females, suggesting silencing of chromosomes in males. Genome assembly and comparison of read coverage in male and female libraries showed no evidence for differentiated sex chromosomes. We also found that females produce more sons early in life, consistent with facultative sex allocation. It is likely that PGE is widespread in Psocodea, including human lice. This order represents a promising model for studying this enigmatic mode of sex determination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina N Hodson
- Department of Biology, University of Victoria, V8P 5C2, Canada
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, EH9 3JG, United Kingdom
| | | | - Dave Dilworth
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Victoria, V8P 5C2, Canada
| | - Chris J Nelson
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Victoria, V8P 5C2, Canada
| | | | - Steve J Perlman
- Department of Biology, University of Victoria, V8P 5C2, Canada
- Integrated Microbial Biodiversity Program, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Toronto M5G 1Z8, Canada
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