Sex and neo-sex chromosome evolution in beetles.

Beetles are the most species-rich group of animals and harbor diverse karyotypes. Most species have XY sex chromosomes, but X0 sex determination mechanisms are also common in some groups. We generated a whole-chromosome assembly of Tribolium confusum, which has a neo-sex chromosome, and utilize elev...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Ryan Bracewell, Anita Tran, Kamalakar Chatla, Doris Bachtrog
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2024-11-01
Series:PLoS Genetics
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.1011477
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Summary:Beetles are the most species-rich group of animals and harbor diverse karyotypes. Most species have XY sex chromosomes, but X0 sex determination mechanisms are also common in some groups. We generated a whole-chromosome assembly of Tribolium confusum, which has a neo-sex chromosome, and utilize eleven additional beetle genomes to reconstruct karyotype evolution across Coleoptera. We identify ancestral linkage groups, termed Stevens elements, that share a conserved set of genes across beetles. While the ancestral X chromosome is maintained across beetles, we find independent additions of autosomes to the ancestral sex chromosomes. These neo-sex chromosomes evolve the stereotypical properties of sex chromosomes, including the evolution of dosage compensation and a non-random distribution of genes with sex-biased expression. Beetles thus provide a novel model to gain a better understanding of the diverse forces driving sex chromosome evolution.
ISSN:1553-7390
1553-7404