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Related Experiment Videos

Evolutionary conservation of Ceratitis capitata transformer gene function.

Attilio Pane1, Annamaria De Simone, Giuseppe Saccone

  • 1Dipartimento di Genetica, Biologia Generale e Molecolare, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Naples, Italy.

Genetics
|July 7, 2005
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

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The transformer (tra) gene acts as a master switch for insect sex determination. Even highly divergent tra genes from different species can functionally substitute for each other, maintaining conserved sex determination roles.

Area of Science:

  • Genetics
  • Developmental Biology
  • Evolutionary Biology

Background:

  • The transformer (tra) gene is crucial for sex determination and sexual differentiation in insects like Drosophila melanogaster and Ceratitis capitata.
  • TRA protein directs female development in XX individuals, while XY individuals develop as males due to nonfunctional TRA peptides.
  • While tra function is conserved, its regulation and protein sequence show divergence between species.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the functional conservation of the Ceratitis capitata transformer (Cctra) gene in Drosophila melanogaster.
  • To determine if the divergent CcTRA protein can substitute for the Drosophila melanogaster TRA (DmTRA) protein in sex determination.
  • To explore the evolutionary plasticity of the transformer gene and its role in insect sex determination diversity.

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Main Methods:

  • Cloning and expression of a female-specific Ceratitis Cctra cDNA.
  • Complementation analysis using D. melanogaster XX; tra mutant adults.
  • Assessment of downstream gene expression (Dmdsx and Dmfru) in rescued flies.

Main Results:

  • A full-length CcTRA protein, despite low sequence identity to DmTRA, successfully rescued female somatic and germline differentiation in D. melanogaster XX; tra mutants.
  • CcTRA induced female-specific expression of downstream sex determination genes, Dmdsx and Dmfru.
  • This demonstrates functional conservation of the tra gene despite significant evolutionary divergence.

Conclusions:

  • The transformer protein exhibits remarkable functional plasticity, retaining its role in sex determination across distantly related insect species.
  • The study highlights the conserved function of tra in establishing female sexual identity via conserved downstream targets.
  • Transformer genes provide a molecular basis for the diverse sex-determining systems observed in insects.