scholarly journals Decision letter: GUY1 confers complete female lethality and is a strong candidate for a male-determining factor in Anopheles stephensi

2016 ◽  
eLife ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank Criscione ◽  
Yumin Qi ◽  
Zhijian Tu

Despite their importance in sexual differentiation and reproduction, Y chromosome genes are rarely described because they reside in repeat-rich regions that are difficult to study. Here, we show that Guy1, a unique Y chromosome gene of a major urban malaria mosquito Anopheles stephensi, confers 100% female lethality when placed on the autosomes. We show that the small GUY1 protein (56 amino acids in length) causes female lethality and that males carrying the transgene are reproductively more competitive than their non-transgenic siblings under laboratory conditions. The GUY1 protein is a primary signal from the Y chromosome that affects embryonic development in a sex-specific manner. Our results have demonstrated, for the first time in mosquitoes, the feasibility of stable transgenic manipulation of sex ratios using an endogenous gene from the male-determining chromosome. These results provide insights into the elusive M factor and suggest exciting opportunities to reduce mosquito populations and disease transmission.


eLife ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yumin Qi ◽  
Yang Wu ◽  
Randy Saunders ◽  
Xiao-Guang Chen ◽  
Chunhong Mao ◽  
...  

We previously showed that Guy1, a primary signal expressed from the Y chromosome, is a strong candidate for a male-determining factor that confers female-specific lethality in Anopheles stephensi (Criscione et al., 2016). Here, we present evidence that Guy1 increases X gene expression in Guy1-transgenic females from two independent lines, providing a mechanism underlying the Guy1-conferred female lethality. The median level gene expression (MGE) of X-linked genes is significantly higher than autosomal genes in Guy1-transgenic females while there is no significant difference in MGE between X and autosomal genes in wild-type females. Furthermore, Guy1 significantly upregulates at least 40% of the 996 genes across the X chromosome in transgenic females. Guy1-conferred female-specific lethality is remarkably stable and completely penetrant. These findings indicate that Guy1 regulates dosage compensation in An. stephensi and components of dosage compensation may be explored to develop novel strategies to control mosquito-borne diseases.


2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (S2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ludvik M. Gomulski ◽  
Marina Mariconti ◽  
Alessandro Di Cosimo ◽  
Francesca Scolari ◽  
Mosè Manni ◽  
...  

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa C. Keinath ◽  
Nataliya Timoshevskaya ◽  
Vladimir A. Timoshevskiy ◽  
S. Randal Voss ◽  
Jeramiah J. Smith

ABSTRACTIn the Mexican axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum) sex is known to be determined by a single Mendelian factor, yet the sex chromosomes of this model salamander do not exhibit morphological differentiation that is typical of many vertebrate taxa that possess a single sex-determining locus. Differentiated sex chromosomes are thought to evolve rapidly in the context of a Mendelian sex-determining gene and, therefore, undifferentiated chromosomes provide an exceptional opportunity to reconstruct early events in sex chromosome evolution. Whole chromosome sequencing, whole genome resequencing (48 individuals from a backcross of axolotl and tiger salamander) and in situ hybridization were used to identify a homomorphic chromosome that carries an A. mexicanum sex determining factor and identify sequences that are present only on the W chromosome. Altogether, these sequences cover ~300 kb, or roughly 1/100,000th of the ~32 Gb genome. Notably, these W-specific sequences also contain a recently duplicated copy of the ATRX gene: a known component of mammalian sex-determining pathways. This gene (designated ATRW) is one of the few functional (non-repetitive) genes in the chromosomal segment and maps to the tip of chromosome 9 near the marker E24C3, which was previously found to be linked to the sex-determining locus. These analyses provide highly predictive markers for diagnosing sex in A. mexicanum and identify ATRW as a strong candidate for the primary sex determining locus or alternately a strong candidate for a recently acquired, sexually antagonistic gene.AUTHOR SUMMARYSex chromosomes are thought to follow fairly stereotypical evolutionary trajectories that result in differentiation of sex-specific chromosomes. In the salamander A. mexicanum (the axolotl), sex is determined by a single Mendelian locus, yet the sex chromosomes are essentially undifferentiated, suggesting that these sex chromosomes have recently acquired a sex locus and are in the early stages of differentiating. Although Mendelian sex determination was first reported for the axolotl more than 70 years ago, no sex-specific sequences have been identified for this important model species. Here, we apply new technologies and approaches to identify and validate a tiny region of female-specific DNA within the gigantic genome of the axolotl (1/100,000th of the genome). This region contains a limited number of genes, including a duplicate copy of the ATRX gene which, has been previously shown to contribute to mammalian sex determination. Our analyses suggest that this gene, which we refer to as ATRW, evolved from a recent duplication and presents a strong candidate for the primary sex determining factor of the axolotl, or alternately a recently evolved sexually antagonistic gene.


Author(s):  
K.L. More ◽  
R.A. Lowden ◽  
T.M. Besmann

Silicon nitride possesses an attractive combination of thermo-mechanical properties which makes it a strong candidate material for many structural ceramic applications. Unfortunately, many of the conventional processing techniques used to produce Si3N4, such as hot-pressing, sintering, and hot-isostatic pressing, utilize significant amounts of densification aids (Y2O3, Al2O3, MgO, etc.) which ultimately lowers the utilization temperature to well below that of pure Si3N4 and also decreases the oxidation resistance. Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is an alternative processing method for producing pure Si3N4. However, deposits made at temperatures less than ~1200°C are usually amorphous and at slightly higher temperatures, the deposition of crystalline material requires extremely low deposition rates (~5 μm/h). Niihara and Hirai deposited crystalline α-Si3N4 at 1400°C at a deposition rate of ~730 μm/h. Hirai and Hayashi successfully lowered the CVD temperature for the growth of crystalline Si3N4 by adding TiCl4 vapor to the SiCl4, NH3, and H2 reactants. This resulted in the growth of α-Si3N4 with small amounts of TiN at temperatures as low as 1250°C.


2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 78-87
Author(s):  
Petru TĂRCHILĂ

Judicial psychology is the science that analyzes and tries to understand the criminal phenomenon in general and its determinant factor in particular, by the complexity of factors that generate it and by the diversity of its forms of manifestation. Although the determining factor of criminal behavior is always subjective being generated by the psychic of the offender, this aspect must be correlated with the context in which it manifests itself: social, economic, cultural context etc. Judicial psychology investigates the behavior of the individual in all its aspects, seeking a scientific explanation of the mechanisms and factors enhancing criminal favors, thus enabling the identification of the preventive measures to be taken to reduce the categories of offenses. It studies the psycho-behavioral profile of the offender, identifying the causes that determined its behavior in order to take preventive measures.The domain of judicial psychology is mainly deviance, conduct that departs from the moral or legal norms that are dominant in a given culture. The object of judicial psychology is the criminal act, correlated with the psychosocial characteristics of the participants in the judicial action (offender, victim, witness, investigator, magistrate, lawyer, civil party, educator, etc.). The science of judicial psychology also analyzes how these characteristics appear and manifest themselves in concrete and special conditions of their interaction in three phases of the criminal act: the pre-criminal phase, the actual criminal phase and the post-criminal phase.


Metahumaniora ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 312
Author(s):  
Wagiati Wagiati

AbstrakPenelitian ini berjudul “Pergeseran Bahasa Sunda dalam Leksikon Makanan Tradisional Sunda di Kabupaten Bandung dalam Perspektif Sosiolinguistik Mikro”. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah menjelaskan bentuk-bentuk perubahan dan inovasi bahasa dalam leksikon-leksikon makanan tradisional Sunda yang menjadi faktor penentu terjadinya pemertahanan atau pergeseran suatu bahasa. Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah metode kualitatif-deskriptif. Sumber data pada penelitian ini berupa leksikon-leksikon makanan tradisional di Kabupaten Bandung. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa (1) bahasa Sunda dalam leksikon makanan tradisional Sunda sebagian besar telah mengalami inovasi; (2) gejala perubahan bentuk dari leksikon-leksikon makanan tradisional Sunda adalah inovasi leksikal penuh, inovasi fonetis, dan inovasi morfemis; (3) bahasa Sunda di Kabupaten Bandung dalam konsep makanan tradisional Sunda telah mengalami pergeseran bahasa secara sosiolinguistik mikro, mengingat faktor-faktor internal bahasa, yaitu berupa inovasi, telah terjadi. Inovasi tersebut meliputi inovasi leksikal penuh, inovasi fonologis, dan inovasi morfemis. Faktor-faktor internal bahasa ini menjadi faktor utama pemertahanan dan pergeseran bahasa.Kata kunci: pergeseran bahasa, makanan tradisional, sosiolinguistik mikroAbstractThe article is entitled "The shifting of Sundanese Language in Lexiconsof Sundanese Food in Bandung Regency studied by Micro Sociolinguistics". The purpose of this study is to describe the forms of change and linguistic innovation in the lexiconsof Sundanesetraditional food which become the determining factor of a language retention or shift. The methods used in this research is descriptive-qualitative method. The data source on this research are lexicons of Sundanese traditional foods in Bandung Regency. The results show that (1) Sundanese Language in the lexiconsof Sundanese Food in the majority hasundergone an innovation; (2) the morphemic change phenomemaof theSundanese traditional food lexicons consist of the full lexical innovation, innovation, innovation and phonetic morfemis; (3) There has been a shift in Sundanese language micro-sociolinguistically regarding the lexiconsof Sundanese traditional food in Bandung Regency based on internal factors of language, i.e. in the form of innovation. These innovations include the full lexical innovation, phonological innovation, and innovation morfemis. Internal factors of a language became a major factor of language retention and language shift.Keywords: language shift, traditional food, micro-sociolinguistic


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document