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Lee J, Fujimoto T, Yamaguchi K, Shigenobu S, Sahara K, Toyoda A, Shimada T. W chromosome sequences of two bombycid moths provide an insight into the origin of Fem. Mol Ecol 2024; 33:e17434. [PMID: 38867501 DOI: 10.1111/mec.17434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2024] [Revised: 05/24/2024] [Accepted: 05/31/2024] [Indexed: 06/14/2024]
Abstract
Fem is a W-linked gene that encodes a piRNA precursor, and its product, Fem piRNA, is a master factor of female determination in Bombyx mori. Fem has low similarity to any known sequences, and the origin of Fem remains unclear. So far, two hypotheses have been proposed for the origin of Fem: The first hypothesis is that Fem is an allele of Masc, which assumes that the W chromosome was originally a homologous chromosome of the Z chromosome. The second hypothesis is that Fem arose by the transposition of Masc to the W chromosome. To explore the origin of Fem, we determined the W chromosome sequences of B. mori and, as a comparison, a closely relative bombycid species of Trilocha varians with a Fem-independent sex determination system. To our surprise, although the sequences of W and Z chromosomes show no homology to each other, a few pairs of homologues are shared by W and Z chromosomes, indicating the W chromosome of both species originated from Z chromosome. In addition, the W chromosome of T. varians lacks Fem, while the W chromosome of B. mori has over 100 copies of Fem. The high-quality assembly of the W chromosome of B. mori arose the third hypothesis about the origin of Fem: Fem is a chimeric sequence of multiple transposons. More than half of one transcriptional unit of Fem shows a significant homology to RTE-BovB. Moreover, the Fem piRNA-producing region could correspond to the boundary of the two transposons, gypsy and satellite DNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jung Lee
- Department of Life Science, Faculty of Science, Gakushuin University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Toshiaki Fujimoto
- Laboratory of Applied Entomology, Faculty of Agriculture, Iwate University, Morioka, Japan
| | - Katsushi Yamaguchi
- Trans-Omics Facility, National Institute for Basic Biology, Okazaki, Japan
| | - Shuji Shigenobu
- Trans-Omics Facility, National Institute for Basic Biology, Okazaki, Japan
| | - Ken Sahara
- Laboratory of Applied Entomology, Faculty of Agriculture, Iwate University, Morioka, Japan
| | - Atsushi Toyoda
- Comparative Genomics Laboratory, Advanced Genomics Center, National Institute of Genetics, Shizuoka, Japan
| | - Toru Shimada
- Department of Life Science, Faculty of Science, Gakushuin University, Tokyo, Japan
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Pospíšilová K, Van't Hof AE, Yoshido A, Kružíková R, Visser S, Zrzavá M, Bobryshava K, Dalíková M, Marec F. Masculinizer gene controls male sex determination in the codling moth, Cydia pomonella. INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2023; 160:103991. [PMID: 37536576 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2023.103991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2023] [Revised: 07/13/2023] [Accepted: 07/29/2023] [Indexed: 08/05/2023]
Abstract
The molecular mechanisms of sex determination in moths and butterflies (Lepidoptera) with female heterogamety (WZ/ZZ) are poorly understood, except in the silkworm Bombyx mori. However, the Masculinizer (Masc) gene that controls male development and dosage compensation in B. mori, appears to be conserved in Lepidoptera, as its masculinizing function was recently confirmed in several moth species. In this work, we investigated the role of the Masc gene in sex determination of the codling moth Cydia pomonella (Tortricidae), a globally important pest of pome fruits and walnuts. The gene structure of the C. pomonella Masc ortholog, CpMasc, is similar to B. mori Masc. However, unlike B. mori, we identified 14 splice variants of CpMasc in the available transcriptomes. Subsequent screening for sex specificity and genetic variation using publicly available data and RT-PCR revealed three male-specific splice variants. Then qPCR analysis of these variants revealed sex-biased expression showing a peak only in early male embryos. Knockdown of CpMasc by RNAi during early embryogenesis resulted in a shift from male-to female-specific splicing of the C. pomonella doublesex (Cpdsx) gene, its downstream effector, in ZZ embryos, leading to a strongly female-biased sex ratio. These data clearly demonstrate that CpMasc functions as a masculinizing gene in the sex-determining cascade of C. pomonella. Our study also showed that CpMasc transcripts are provided maternally, as they were detected in unfertilized eggs after oviposition and in mature eggs dissected from virgin females. This finding is unique, as maternal provision of mRNA has rarely been studied in Lepidoptera.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristýna Pospíšilová
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, 370 05, České Budějovice, Czech Republic; Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, 370 05, České Budějovice, Czech Republic.
| | - Arjen E Van't Hof
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, 370 05, České Budějovice, Czech Republic.
| | - Atsuo Yoshido
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, 370 05, České Budějovice, Czech Republic.
| | - Renata Kružíková
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, 370 05, České Budějovice, Czech Republic; Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, 370 05, České Budějovice, Czech Republic.
| | - Sander Visser
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, 370 05, České Budějovice, Czech Republic; School of Science and Engineering, University of Groningen, 9700 CC, Groningen, the Netherlands.
| | - Magda Zrzavá
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, 370 05, České Budějovice, Czech Republic; Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, 370 05, České Budějovice, Czech Republic.
| | - Kseniya Bobryshava
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, 370 05, České Budějovice, Czech Republic.
| | - Martina Dalíková
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, 370 05, České Budějovice, Czech Republic; Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 66045, USA.
| | - František Marec
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, 370 05, České Budějovice, Czech Republic.
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Kiuchi T, Shoji K, Izumi N, Tomari Y, Katsuma S. Non-gonadal somatic piRNA pathways ensure sexual differentiation, larval growth, and wing development in silkworms. PLoS Genet 2023; 19:e1010912. [PMID: 37733654 PMCID: PMC10513339 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1010912] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2023] [Accepted: 08/09/2023] [Indexed: 09/23/2023] Open
Abstract
PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) guide PIWI proteins to target transposons in germline cells, thereby suppressing transposon activity to preserve genome integrity in metazoans' gonadal tissues. Piwi, one of three Drosophila PIWI proteins, is expressed in the nucleus and suppresses transposon activity by forming heterochromatin in an RNA cleavage-independent manner. Recently, Piwi was reported to control cell metabolism in Drosophila fat body, providing an example of piRNAs acting in non-gonadal somatic tissues. However, mutant flies of the other two PIWI proteins, Aubergine (Aub) and Argonaute3 (Ago3), show no apparent phenotype except for infertility, blurring the importance of the piRNA pathway in non-gonadal somatic tissues. The silkworm, Bombyx mori, possesses two PIWI proteins, Siwi (Aub homolog) and BmAgo3 (Ago3 homolog), whereas B. mori does not have a Piwi homolog. Siwi and BmAgo3 are mainly expressed in gonadal tissues and play a role in repressing transposon activity by cleaving transposon RNA in the cytoplasm. Here, we generated Siwi and BmAgo3 loss-of-function mutants of B. mori and found that they both showed delayed larval growth and failed to become adult moths. They also exhibited defects in wing development and sexual differentiation. Transcriptome analysis revealed that loss of somatic piRNA biogenesis pathways results in abnormal expression of not only transposons but also host genes, presumably causing severe growth defects. Our results highlight the roles of non-gonadal somatic piRNAs in B. mori development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takashi Kiuchi
- Department of Agricultural and Environmental Biology, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Yayoi 1-1-1, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Keisuke Shoji
- Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, The University of Tokyo, Yayoi 1-1-1, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Natsuko Izumi
- Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, The University of Tokyo, Yayoi 1-1-1, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yukihide Tomari
- Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, The University of Tokyo, Yayoi 1-1-1, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
- Department of Computational Biology and Medical Sciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Susumu Katsuma
- Department of Agricultural and Environmental Biology, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Yayoi 1-1-1, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
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Seth RK, Yadav P, Reynolds SE. Dichotomous sperm in Lepidopteran insects: a biorational target for pest management. FRONTIERS IN INSECT SCIENCE 2023; 3:1198252. [PMID: 38469506 PMCID: PMC10926456 DOI: 10.3389/finsc.2023.1198252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 03/13/2024]
Abstract
Lepidoptera are unusual in possessing two distinct kinds of sperm, regular nucleated (eupyrene) sperm and anucleate (apyrene) sperm ('parasperm'). Sperm of both types are transferred to the female and are required for male fertility. Apyrene sperm play 'helper' roles, assisting eupyrene sperm to gain access to unfertilized eggs and influencing the reproductive behavior of mated female moths. Sperm development and behavior are promising targets for environmentally safer, target-specific biorational control strategies in lepidopteran pest insects. Sperm dimorphism provides a wide window in which to manipulate sperm functionality and dynamics, thereby impairing the reproductive fitness of pest species. Opportunities to interfere with spermatozoa are available not only while sperm are still in the male (before copulation), but also in the female (after copulation, when sperm are still in the male-provided spermatophore, or during storage in the female's spermatheca). Biomolecular technologies like RNAi, miRNAs and CRISPR-Cas9 are promising strategies to achieve lepidopteran pest control by targeting genes directly or indirectly involved in dichotomous sperm production, function, or persistence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rakesh K. Seth
- Department of Zoology, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
| | - Priya Yadav
- Department of Zoology, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
| | - Stuart E. Reynolds
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Bath, Bath, United Kingdom
- Milner Centre for Evolution, University of Bath, Bath, United Kingdom
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Chen W, Amir MB, Liao Y, Yu H, He W, Lu Z. New Insights into the Plutella xylostella Detoxifying Enzymes: Sequence Evolution, Structural Similarity, Functional Diversity, and Application Prospects of Glucosinolate Sulfatases. JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY 2023; 71:10952-10969. [PMID: 37462091 PMCID: PMC10375594 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.3c03246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/27/2023]
Abstract
Brassica plants have glucosinolate (GLs)-myrosinase defense mechanisms to deter herbivores. However, Plutella xylostella specifically feeds on Brassica vegetables. The larvae possess three glucosinolate sulfatases (PxGSS1-3) that compete with plant myrosinase for shared GLs substrates and produce nontoxic desulfo-GLs (deGLs). Although PxGSSs are considered potential targets for pest control, the lack of a comprehensive review has hindered the development of PxGSSs-targeted pest control methods. Recent advances in integrative multi-omics analysis, substrate-enzyme kinetics, and molecular biological techniques have elucidated the evolutionary origin and functional diversity of these three PxGSSs. This review summarizes research progress on PxGSSs over the past 20 years, covering sequence properties, evolution, protein modification, enzyme activity, structural variation, substrate specificity, and interaction scenarios based on functional diversity. Finally, we discussed the potential applications of PxGSSs-targeted pest control technologies driven by artificial intelligence, including CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene drive, transgenic plant-mediated RNAi, small-molecule inhibitors, and peptide inhibitors. These technologies have the potential to overcome current management challenges and promote the development and field application of PxGSSs-targeted pest control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Chen
- Ganzhou Key Laboratory of Greenhouse Vegetable, School of Life Sciences, Gannan Normal University, Ganzhou 341000, China
| | - Muhammad Bilal Amir
- Ganzhou Key Laboratory of Greenhouse Vegetable, School of Life Sciences, Gannan Normal University, Ganzhou 341000, China
- South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China
| | - Yuan Liao
- Ganzhou Key Laboratory of Greenhouse Vegetable, School of Life Sciences, Gannan Normal University, Ganzhou 341000, China
| | - Haizhong Yu
- Ganzhou Key Laboratory of Greenhouse Vegetable, School of Life Sciences, Gannan Normal University, Ganzhou 341000, China
| | - Weiyi He
- State Key Laboratory for Ecological Pest Control of Fujian and Taiwan Crops, International Joint Research Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Zhanjun Lu
- Ganzhou Key Laboratory of Greenhouse Vegetable, School of Life Sciences, Gannan Normal University, Ganzhou 341000, China
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Fukui T, Shoji K, Kiuchi T, Suzuki Y, Katsuma S. Masculinizer is not post-transcriptionally regulated by female-specific piRNAs during sex determination in the Asian corn borer, Ostrinia furnacalis. INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2023; 156:103946. [PMID: 37075905 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2023.103946] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2023] [Revised: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 04/16/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Lepidopteran insects are heterogametic in females, although most insect species are heterogametic in males. In a lepidopteran model species, the silkworm Bombyx mori (Bombycoidea), the uppermost sex determinant Feminizer (Fem) has been identified on the female-specific W chromosome. Fem is a precursor of PIWI-interacting small RNA (piRNA). Fem piRNA forms a complex with Siwi, one of the two B. mori PIWI-clade Argonaute proteins. In female embryos, Fem piRNA-Siwi complex cleaves the mRNA of the male-determining gene Masculinizer (Masc), directing the female-determining pathway. In male embryos, Masc activates the male-determining pathway in the absence of Fem piRNA. Recently, W chromosome-derived piRNAs complementary to Masc mRNA have also been identified in the diamondback moth Plutella xylostella (Yponomeutoidea), indicating the convergent evolution of piRNA-dependent sex determination in Lepidoptera. Here, we show that this is not the case in the Asian corn borer, Ostrinia furnacalis (Pyraloidea). Although our previous studies demonstrated that O. furnacalis Masc (OfMasc) has a masculinizing function in the embryonic stage, the expression level of OfMasc was indistinguishable between the sexes at the timing of sex determination. Deep sequencing analysis identified no female-specific small RNAs mapped onto OfMasc mRNA. Embryonic knockdown of two PIWI genes did not affect the expression level of OfMasc in either sex. These results demonstrated that piRNA-dependent reduction of Masc mRNA in female embryos is not a common strategy of sex determination, which suggests the possibility of divergent evolution of sex determinants across the order Lepidoptera.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takahiro Fukui
- Department of Agricultural and Environmental Biology, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8657, Japan
| | - Keisuke Shoji
- Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0032, Japan
| | - Takashi Kiuchi
- Department of Agricultural and Environmental Biology, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8657, Japan
| | - Yutaka Suzuki
- Department of Computational Biology, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba, 277-8581, Japan
| | - Susumu Katsuma
- Department of Agricultural and Environmental Biology, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8657, Japan.
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Harvey-Samuel T, Xu X, Anderson MAE, Carabajal Paladino LZ, Purusothaman D, Norman VC, Reitmayer CM, You M, Alphey L. Silencing RNAs expressed from W-linked PxyMasc "retrocopies" target that gene during female sex determination in Plutella xylostella. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2206025119. [PMID: 36343250 PMCID: PMC9674220 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2206025119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2022] [Accepted: 08/29/2022] [Indexed: 07/27/2023] Open
Abstract
The Lepidoptera are an insect order of cultural, economic, and environmental importance, representing ∼10% of all described living species. Yet, for all but one of these species (silkmoth, Bombyx mori), the molecular genetics of how sexual fate is determined remains unknown. We investigated this in the diamondback moth (Plutella xylostella), a globally important, highly invasive, and economically damaging pest of cruciferous crops. Our previous work uncovered a regulator of male sex determination in P. xylostella-PxyMasc, a homolog of B. mori Masculinizer-which, although initially expressed in embryos of both sexes, is then reduced in female embryos, leading to female-specific splicing of doublesex. Here, through sequencing small RNA libraries generated from early embryos and sexed larval pools, we identified a variety of small silencing RNAs (predominantly Piwi-interacting RNAs [piRNAs]) complementary to PxyMasc, whose temporal expression correlated with the reduction in PxyMasc transcript observed previously in females. Analysis of these small RNAs showed that they are expressed from tandemly arranged, multicopy arrays found exclusively on the W (female-specific) chromosome, which we term "Pxyfem". Analysis of the Pxyfem sequences showed that they are partial complementary DNAs (cDNAs) of PxyMasc messenger RNA (mRNA) transcripts, likely integrated into transposable element graveyards by the noncanonical action of retrotransposons (retrocopies), and that their apparent similarity to B. mori feminizer more probably represents convergent evolution. Our study helps elucidate the sex determination cascade in this globally important pest and highlights the "shortcuts" that retrotransposition events can facilitate in the evolution of complex molecular cascades, including sex determination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tim Harvey-Samuel
- Arthropod Genetics Group, The Pirbright Institute, Woking, Pirbright GU24 0NF, United Kingdom
| | - Xuejiao Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Institute of Applied Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | | | | | - Deepak Purusothaman
- Arthropod Genetics Group, The Pirbright Institute, Woking, Pirbright GU24 0NF, United Kingdom
| | - Victoria. C. Norman
- Arthropod Genetics Group, The Pirbright Institute, Woking, Pirbright GU24 0NF, United Kingdom
| | - Christine. M. Reitmayer
- Arthropod Genetics Group, The Pirbright Institute, Woking, Pirbright GU24 0NF, United Kingdom
| | - Minsheng You
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Institute of Applied Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Luke Alphey
- Arthropod Genetics Group, The Pirbright Institute, Woking, Pirbright GU24 0NF, United Kingdom
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