The Fruitless Gene in Nasonia Displays Complex Sex-Specific Splicing and Contains New Zinc Finger Domains
The Fruitless Gene in Nasonia Displays Complex Sex-Specific Splicing and Contains New Zinc Finger Domains
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DOI：
10.1093/molbev/msp067
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发表时间：
2009-07-01
影响因子：
10.7
通讯作者：
Beukeboom, Leo W.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Bertossa, Rinaldo C.;van de Zande, Louis;Beukeboom, Leo W.
转录因子Fruitless在果蝇发育过程中发挥着广泛的功能，其中最明显的是雄性性行为的决定。虽然在其他昆虫目中也发现了无果序列，但对双翅目以外的无果结构和功能知之甚少。我们对单倍体-二倍体黄蜂的无果转录本进行了彻底的分析，发现性别特异性和非性别特异性转录本与果蝇相似。然而，在纳索尼亚，一种新颖的、巨大的无果转录本只存在于雌性中。在纳索那蜂无果和双性以及蜜蜂双性转录本中发现的性别特异性剪接因子的结合位点足以在蜜蜂中鉴定出相应的雌性特异性无果外显子，这表明两种膜翅目昆虫中相似的因子可能负责这两种基因的性别特异性剪接。此外，在主要全变性昆虫的无果转录本中也发现了新的C2H2锌指结构域，但在果蝇中未发现。双翅目和膜翅目中重要结构域和性别特异性剪接的保存支持了一种假说，即无果基因是一种古老的基因，在昆虫中具有保守的功能。该基因其他部分的相当大的差异被认为是物种特异性差异的基础，并可能有助于解释昆虫性行为中观察到的多样性。
The transcription factor Fruitless exerts a broad range of functions during Drosophila development, the most apparent of which is the determination of sexual behavior in males. Although fruitless sequences are found in other insect orders, little is known about fruitless structure and function outside Diptera. We have performed a thorough analysis of fruitless transcripts in the haplo-diploid wasp Nasonia vitripennis and found both sex-specific and non-sex-specific transcripts similar to those found in Drosophila. In Nasonia, however, a novel, large fruitless transcript is present in females only. Putative binding sites for sex-specific splicing factors found in Nasonia fruitless and doublesex as well as Apis mellifera doublesex transcripts were sufficient to identify a corresponding female-specific fruitless exon in A. mellifera, suggesting that similar factors in both hymenopteran species could be responsible for sex-specific splicing of both genes. Furthermore, new C2H2 zinc finger domains found in Nasonia fruitless transcripts were also identified in the fruitless locus of major holometabolous insect species but not in drosophilids. Conservation of important domains and sex-specific splicing in Diptera and Hymenoptera support the hypothesis that fruitless is an ancient gene and has conserved functions in insects. Considerable divergences in other parts of the gene are expected to underlie species-specific differences and may help to explain diversity observed in insect sexual behaviors.