Innocenti, Paolo, Morrow, Edward H and Dowling, Damian K (2011) Experimental evidence supports a sex-specific selective sieve in mitochondrial genome evolution. Science, 332 (6031). pp. 845-8. ISSN 1095-9203

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Abstract

Mitochondria are maternally transmitted; hence, their genome can only make a direct and adaptive response to selection through females, whereas males represent an evolutionary dead end. In theory, this creates a sex-specific selective sieve, enabling deleterious mutations to accumulate in mitochondrial genomes if they exert male-specific effects. We tested this hypothesis, expressing five mitochondrial variants alongside a standard nuclear genome in Drosophila melanogaster, and found striking sexual asymmetry in patterns of nuclear gene expression. Mitochondrial polymorphism had few effects on nuclear gene expression in females but major effects in males, modifying nearly 10% of transcripts. These were mostly male-biased in expression, with enrichment hotspots in the testes and accessory glands. Our results suggest an evolutionary mechanism that results in mitochondrial genomes harboring male-specific mutation loads.

Item Type:	Article
Schools and Departments:	School of Life Sciences > Evolution, Behaviour and Environment
Subjects:	Q Science
Depositing User:	Deeptima Massey
Date Deposited:	24 Oct 2012 15:27
Last Modified:	01 Jul 2019 10:00
URI:	http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/id/eprint/40929

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