Signature of selective sweep associated with the evolution of sex-ratio drive in Drosophila simulans

In several Drosophila species, the XY Mendelian ratio is disturbed by X-linked segregation distorters (sex-ratio drive). We used a collection of recombinants between a nondistorting chromosome and a distorting X chromosome originating from the Seychelles to map a candidate sex-ratio region in Drosophila simulans using molecular biallelic markers. Our data were compatible with the presence of a sex-ratio locus in the 7F cytological region. Using sequence polymorphism at the Nrg locus, we showed that sex-ratio has induced a strong selective sweep in populations from Madagascar and Réunion, where distorting chromosomes are close to a 50% frequency. The complete association between the marker and the sex-ratio phenotype and the near absence of mutations and recombination in the studied fragment after the sweep event indicate that this event is recent. Examples of selective sweeps are increasingly reported in a number of genomes. This case identifies the causal selective force. It illustrates that all selective sweeps are not necessarily indicative of an increase in the average fitness of populations.     

The Sex-Ratio Trait in Drosophila Simulans: Genetic Analysis of Distortion and Suppression

The sex-ratio trait described in several Drosophila species is a type of naturally occurring X-linked meiotic drive that causes males bearing a sex-ratio X chromosome to produce progenies with a large excess of females. We have previously reported the occurrence of sex-ratio X chromosomes in Drosophila simulans. In this species, because of the co-occurrence of drive suppressors, the natural populations and the derived laboratory strains show an equal sex-ratio even when sex-ratio X chromosomes are present at a high frequency. The presence of sex-ratio X chromosomes is established via crosses with a standard strain that is devoid of drive suppressors. In this article, we show first that the sex-ratio trait in D. simulans results from the action of several X-linked loci. Second we describe drive suppressors on each major autosome as well as on the Y chromosome. The Y-linked factors suppress the drive partially whereas the autosomal suppression can be complete.     

The Y chromosomes of Drosophila simulans are highly polymorphic for their ability to suppress sex-ratio drive

The sex-ratio trait, known in several species of Drosophila including D. simulans, results from meiotic drive of the X chromosome against the Y. Males that carry a sex-ratio X chromosome produce strongly female-biased progeny. In D. simulans, drive suppressors have evolved on the Y chromosome and on the autosomes. Both the frequency of sex-ratio X and the strength of the total drive suppression (Y-linked and autosomal) vary widely among geographic populations of this worldwide species. We have investigated the pattern of Y-linked drive suppression in six natural populations representative of this variability. Y-linked suppressors were found to be a regular component of the suppression, with large differences between populations in the mean level of suppression. These variations did not correspond to differences in frequency of discrete types of Y chromosomes, but to a more or less wide continuum of phenotypes, from nonsuppressor to partial or total suppressor. We concluded that a large diversity of Y-linked suppressor alleles exists in D. simulans and that some populations are highly polymorphic. Our results support the hypothesis that a Y-chromosome polymorphism can be easily maintained by a balance between meiotic drive and the cost of drive suppression.     

SUPPRESSION OF SEX-RATIO MEIOTIC DRIVE AND THE MAINTENANCE OF Y-CHROMOSOME POLYMORPHISM IN DROSOPHILA

Like several other species of Drosophila, D. quinaria is polymorphic for X-chromosome meiotic drive; matings involving males that carry a “sex-ratio” X chromosome (X^SR) result in the production of strongly female-biased offspring sex ratios (Jaenike 1996). A survey of isofemale lines of D. quinaria from several populations reveals that there is genetic variation for partial suppression of this meiotic drive. Crossing experiments show that there is Y-linked, and probably autosomal, variation for suppression of drive. Y-linked suppressors of X-chromosome drive have now been described in several species of Diptera. I develop a simple model for the maintenance of Y-chromosome polymorphism in species polymorphic for X-linked meiotic drive. One interesting feature of this model is that, if there is a stable Y-chromosome polymorphism, then the equilibrium frequency of the standard and sex-ratio X chromosomes is determined solely by Y-chromosome parameters, not by the fitness effects of the different X chromosomes on their carriers. This model suggests that Y-chromosome polymorphism may be easier to maintain than previously thought, and I hypothesize that karyotypic variation in Y chromosomes will be found to be associated with suppression of sex-ratio meiotic drive in other species of Drosophila.     

Polymorphism for Y-Linked Suppressors of Sex-Ratio in Two Natural Populations of Drosophila Mediopunctata

In several Drosophila species there is a trait known as ``sex-ratio': males carrying certain X chromosomes (called ``SR') produce female biased progenies due to X-Y meiotic drive. In Drosophila mediopunctata this trait has a variable expression due to Y-linked suppressors of sex-ratio expression, among other factors. There are two types of Y chromosomes (suppressor and nonsuppressor) and two types of SR chromosomes (suppressible and unsuppressible). Sex-ratio expression is suppressed in males with the SR(suppressible)/Y(suppressor) genotype, whereas the remaining three genotypes produce female biased progenies. Now we have found that ~10-20% of the Y chromosomes from two natural populations 1500 km apart are suppressors of sex-ratio expression. Preliminary estimates indicate that Y(suppressor) has a meiotic drive advantage of 6% over Y(nonsuppressor). This Y polymorphism for a nonneutral trait is unexpected under current population genetics theory. We propose that this polymorphism is stabilized by an equilibrium between meiotic drive and natural selection, resulting from interactions in the population dynamics of X and Y alleles. Numerical simulations showed that this mechanism may stabilize nonneutral Y polymorphisms such as we have found in D. mediopunctata.     

The Sex-Ratio Trait and its Evolution in Drosophila Simulans: A Comparative Approach

Sex-ratio X chromosomes, which prevent the production of Y-bearing sperm, have been identified in a dozen Drosophila species covering a wide phylogenetic range. It has not yet been established whether the same ancestral genetic system underlies this type of meiotic drive across the genus, but the biological characteristics and the evolutionary history of species undoubtedly determine the fate of X-linked drivers. The intragenomic conflict they trigger contributes to geographical variation in D. simulans, which shows a sharp contrast between ancestral-stock derived and recently introduced populations. In the former, sex-ratio X chromosomes are widespread and sometimes reach a high frequency, but they are inactivated by strong Y-linked and autosomal drive suppressors. In recently-introduced populations, sex-ratio X chromosomes are generally rare and suppressors are moderate or absent. We discuss how this pattern could be related to the recent geographical expansion of D. simulans, and consider possible reasons why sex-ratio drive apparently does not occur in D. melanogaster.     

Sex-ratio drive in Drosophila simulans: variation in segregation ratio of X chromosomes from a natural population

The sex-ratio trait that exists in a dozen Drosophila species is a case of naturally occurring X chromosome drive that causes males to produce female-biased progeny. Autosomal and Y polymorphism for suppressors are known to cause variation in drive expression, but the X chromosome polymorphism has never been thoroughly investigated. We characterized 41 X chromosomes from a natural population of Drosophila simulans that had been transferred to a suppressor-free genetic background. We found two clear-cut groups of chromosomes, sex-ratio and standard. The sex-ratio X chromosomes differed in their segregation ratio (81-96% females in the progeny), the less powerful drivers being less stable in their expression. A sib analysis, using a moderate driver, indicated that within-X variation in drive expression depended on genetic (autosomal) or epigenetic factors and that the age of the males also affected the trait. The other X chromosomes produced equal or roughly equal sex ratios, but again with significant variation. The continuous pattern of variation observed within both groups suggested that, in addition to a major sex-ratio gene, many X-linked loci of small effect modify the segregation ratio of this chromosome and are maintained in a polymorphic state. This was also supported by the frequency distribution of sex ratios produced by recombinant X chromosomes.     

Organization of the sex-ratio meiotic drive region in Drosophila simulans

Sex-ratio meiotic drive is the preferential transmission of the X chromosome by XY males, which occurs in several Drosophila species and results in female-biased progeny. Although the trait has long been known to exist, its molecular basis remains completely unknown. Here we report a fine-mapping experiment designed to characterize the major drive locus on a sex-ratio X chromosome of Drosophila simulans originating from the Seychelles (XSR6). This primary locus was found to contain two interacting elements at least, both of which are required for drive expression. One of them was genetically tracked to a tandem duplication containing six annotated genes (Trf2, CG32712, CG12125, CG1440, CG12123, org-1), and the other to a candidate region located approximately 110 kb away and spanning seven annotated genes. RT-PCR showed that all but two of these genes were expressed in the testis of both sex-ratio and standard males. In situ hybridization to polytene chromosomes revealed a complete association of the duplication with the sex-ratio trait in random samples of X chromosomes from Madagascar and Reunion.     

Evolution of autosomal suppression of the sex-ratio trait in Drosophila

The sex-ratio trait is the production of female-biased progenies due to X-linked meiotic drive in males of several Drosophila species. The driving X chromosome (called SR) is not fixed due to at least two stabilizing factors: natural selection (favoring ST, the nondriving standard X) and drive suppression by either Y-linked or autosomal genes. The evolution of autosomal suppression is explained by Fisher's principle, a mechanism of natural selection that leads to equal proportion of males and females in a sexually reproducing population. In fact, sex-ratio expression is partially suppressed by autosomal genes in at least three Drosophila species. The population genetics of this system is not completely understood. In this article we develop a mathematical model for the evolution of autosomal suppressors of SR (sup alleles) and show that: (i). an autosomal suppressor cannot invade when SR is very deleterious in males (c < (1)/(3), where c is the fitness of SR/Y males); (ii). "SR/ST, sup/+" polymorphisms occur when SR is partially deleterious ( approximately 0.3 < c < 1); while (iii). SR neutrality (c = 1) results in sup fixation and thus in total abolishment of drive. So, surprisingly, as long as there is any selection against SR/Y males, neutral autosomal suppressors will not be fixed. In that case, when a polymorphic equilibrium exists, the average female proportion in SR/Y males' progeny is given approximately by ac + 1 - a + a (2) c + 1 (2) + 1 - 4ac /4ac, where a is the fitness of SR/ST females.     

X chromosome drive in a widespread Palearctic woodland fly,Drosophila testacea

Selfish genes that bias their own transmission during meiosis can spread rapidly in populations, even if they contribute negatively to the fitness of their host. Driving X chromosomes provide a clear example of this type of selfish propagation. These chromosomes have important evolutionary and ecological consequences, and can be found in a broad range of taxa including plants, mammals and insects. Here, we report a new case of X chromosome drive (X drive) in a widespread woodland fly, Drosophila testacea. We show that males carrying the driving X (SR males) sire 80–100% female offspring and possess a diagnostic X chromosome haplotype that is perfectly associated with the sex ratio distortion phenotype. We find that the majority of sons produced by SR males are sterile and appear to lack a Y chromosome, suggesting that meiotic defects involving the Y chromosome may underlie X drive in this species. Abnormalities in sperm cysts of SR males reflect that some spermatids are failing to develop properly, confirming that drive is acting during gametogenesis. By screening wild‐caught flies using progeny sex ratios and a diagnostic marker, we demonstrate that the driving X is present in wild populations at a frequency of ~ 10% and that suppressors of drive are segregating in the same population. The testacea species group appears to be a hot spot for X drive, and D. testacea is a promising model to compare driving X chromosomes in closely related species, some of which may even be younger than the chromosomes themselves.     

Sex-Ratio Meiotic Drive and Y-Linked Resistance in Drosophila affinis

Genetic elements that cheat Mendelian segregation by biasing transmission in their favor gain a significant fitness benefit. Several examples of sex-ratio meiotic drive, where one sex chromosome biases its own transmission at the cost of the opposite sex chromosome, exist in animals and plants. While the distorting sex chromosome gains a significant advantage by biasing sex ratio, the autosomes, and especially the opposite sex chromosome, experience strong selection to resist this transmission bias. In most well-studied sex-ratio meiotic drive systems, autosomal and/or Y-linked resistance has been identified. We specifically surveyed for Y-linked resistance to sex-ratio meiotic drive in Drosophila affinis by scoring the sex ratio of offspring sired by males with a driving X and one of several Y chromosomes. Two distinct types of resistance were identified: a restoration to 50/50 sex ratios and a complete reversal of sex ratio to all sons. We confirmed that fathers siring all sons lacked a Y chromosome, consistent with previously published work. Considerable variation in Y-chromosome morphology exists in D. affinis, but we showed that morphology does not appear to be associated with resistance to sex-ratio meiotic drive. We then used two X chromosomes (driving and standard) and three Y chromosomes (susceptible, resistant, and lacking) to examine fertility effects of all possible combinations. We find that both the driving X and resistant and lacking Y have significant fertility defects manifested in microscopic examination of testes and a 48-hr sperm depletion assay. Maintenance of variation in this sex-ratio meiotic drive system, including both the X-linked distorter and the Y-resistant effects, appear to be mediated by a complex interaction between fertility fitness and transmission dynamics.     

Genomic conflict drives patterns of X‐linked population structure in Drosophila neotestacea

Intragenomic conflict has the potential to cause widespread changes in patterns of genetic diversity and genome evolution. In this study, we investigate the consequences of sex‐ratio (SR) drive on the population genetic patterns of the X‐chromosome in Drosophila neotestacea. An SR X‐chromosome prevents the maturation of Y‐bearing sperm during male spermatogenesis and thus is transmitted to ~100% of the offspring, nearly all of which are daughters. Selection on the rest of the genome to suppress SR can be strong, and the resulting conflict over the offspring sex ratio can result in the accumulation of multiple loci on the X‐chromosome that are necessary for the expression of drive. We surveyed variation at 12 random X‐linked microsatellites across 16 populations of D. neotestacea that range in SR frequency from 0% to 30%. First, every locus was differentiated between SR and wild‐type chromosomes, and this drives genetic structure at the X‐chromosome. Once the association with SR is accounted for, the patterns of differentiation among populations are similar to the autosomes. Second, within wild‐type chromosomes, the relative heterozygosity is reduced in populations with an increased prevalence of drive, and the heterozygosity of SR chromosomes is higher than expected based on its prevalence. The combination of the relatively high prevalence of SR drive and the structuring of polymorphism between the SR and wild‐type chromosomes suggests that genetic conflict because of SR drive has had significant consequences on the patterns of X‐linked polymorphism and thus also probably affects the tempo of X‐chromosome evolution in D. neotestacea.     

TO WHAT EXTENT DO DIFFERENT TYPES OF SEX RATIO DISTORTERS INTERFERE?

Within the Diptera, two different selfish genetic elements are known to cause the production of female-biased sex ratios: maternally inherited bacteria that kill male zygotes (male-killers), and X chromosomes causing the degeneration of Y-bearing sperm in males (meiotic drive). We here develop a mathematical model for the dynamics of these two sex-ratio distorters where they co-occur. We show that X chromosome meiotic drive elements can be expected to substantially lower the equilibrium frequency of male-killers and can even lead to their extinction. Conversely, male-killers can also decrease the equilibrium frequency of X drivers and cause their extinction. Thus, we predict that there will be some complementarity in the incidence of X chromosome meiotic drive and male-killing in natural populations, with a lower than expected number of species bearing both elements.     

Local selection underlies the geographic distribution of sex-ratio drive in Drosophila neotestacea

"Selfish" genetic elements promote their own transmission to the next generation, often at a cost to the host individual. A sex-ratio (SR) driving X chromosome prevents the maturation of Y-bearing sperm, and as a result is transmitted to 100% of the offspring, all of which are female. Because the spread of a SR chromosome can result in a female-biased population sex ratio, the ecological and evolutionary consequences of harboring this selfish element can be severe. In this study, we show that the prevalence of SR drive in Drosophila neotestacea varies between 0% and 30% among populations, and is common in the south whereas rare in the north. The prevalence of SR is not associated with the presence of suppressors of drive, geographic distance, or genetic distance based on autosomal microsatellite loci. Instead, our results indicate that ecological selection on SR drive varies among populations, as the prevalence of SR is highly correlated with climatic factors, with the severity of winter the best determinant of SR frequency. Thus, ecological and demographic factors may have significant consequences for the short and long term evolutionary dynamics of selfish elements and the manner with which they coevolve with the rest of the genome.     

Phylogeography of the introduced species Rattus rattus in the western Indian Ocean,with special emphasis on the colonization history of Madagascar

Aim To describe the phylogeographic patterns of the black rat, Rattus rattus, from islands in the western Indian Ocean where the species has been introduced (Madagascar and the neighbouring islands of Réunion, Mayotte and Grande Comore), in comparison with the postulated source area (India). Location Western Indian Ocean: India, Arabian Peninsula, East Africa and the islands of Madagascar, Réunion, Grande Comore and Mayotte. Methods Mitochondrial DNA (cytochrome b, tRNA and D‐loop, 1762 bp) was sequenced for 71 individuals from 11 countries in the western Indian Ocean. A partial D‐loop (419 bp) was also sequenced for eight populations from Madagascar (97 individuals), which were analysed in addition to six previously published populations from southern Madagascar. Results Haplotypes from India and the Arabian Peninsula occupied a basal position in the phylogenetic tree, whereas those from islands were distributed in different monophyletic clusters: Madagascar grouped with Mayotte, while Réunion and Grand Comore were present in two other separate groups. The only exception was one individual from Madagascar (out of 190) carrying a haplotype that clustered with those from Réunion and South Africa. ‘Isolation with migration’ simulations favoured a model with no recurrent migration between Oman and Madagascar. Mismatch distribution analyses dated the expansion of Malagasy populations on a time‐scale compatible with human colonization history. Higher haplotype diversity and older expansion times were found on the east coast of Madagascar compared with the central highlands. Main conclusions Phylogeographic patterns supported the hypothesis of human‐mediated colonization of R. rattus from source populations in either the native area (India) or anciently colonized regions (the Arabian Peninsula) to islands of the western Indian Ocean. Despite their proximity, each island has a distinct colonization history. Independent colonization events may have occurred simultaneously in Madagascar and Grande Comore, whereas Mayotte would have been colonized from Madagascar. Réunion was colonized independently, presumably from Europe. Malagasy populations may have originated from a single successful colonization event, followed by rapid expansion, first in coastal zones and then in the central highlands. The congruence of the observed phylogeographic pattern with human colonization events and pathways supports the potential relevance of the black rat in tracing human history.     

Phylogeography of sex ratio and multiple mating in stalk-eyed flies from southeast Asia

The factors maintaining sex chromosome meiotic drive, or sex ratio (SR), in natural populations remain uncertain. Coevolution between segregation distortion and modifiers should produce transient SR distortion while selection can result in a stable polymorphism. We hypothesize that if SR is maintained by selection, then phylogenetically related populations should exhibit similar SR frequency and intensity. Furthermore, when drive is present, females should mate with multiple males more often both to insure fertility and to increase the probability of producing male progeny. In this paper we report on variation in SR frequency and multiple mating among seven populations and three species of stalk-eyed flies, genus Cyrtodiopsis, from southeast Asia. Using a phylogenetic hypothesis based on 1100 bp of mtDNA sequence we find that while sex chromosome meiotic drive is present in all populations of C. whitei and C. dalmanni, the frequency and intensity of drive only differs between populations or species with greater than 4.8% sequence divergence. The frequency of females mating with multiple males is higher in populations with SR. In addition, SR males mate less often, possibly to compensate for sperm depletion. Our results suggest that sex chromosome drive is maintained by balancing selection in populations of C. whitei and C. dalmanni. Nevertheless, coevolution between drive and suppressors deserves further study.     

Contrasting patterns of X‐chromosome divergence underlie multiple sex‐ratio polymorphisms in stalk‐eyed flies

Sex‐linked segregation distorters cause offspring sex ratios to differ from equality. Theory predicts that such selfish alleles may either go to fixation and cause extinction, reach a stable polymorphism or initiate an evolutionary arms race with genetic modifiers. The extent to which a sex ratio distorter follows any of these trajectories in nature is poorly known. Here, we used X‐linked sequence and simple tandem repeat data for three sympatric species of stalk‐eyed flies (Teleopsis whitei and two cryptic species of T. dalmanni) to infer the evolution of distorting X chromosomes. By screening large numbers of field and recently laboratory‐bred flies, we found no evidence of males with strongly female‐biased sex ratio phenotypes (SR) in one species but high frequencies of SR males in the other two species. In the two species with SR males, we find contrasting patterns of X‐chromosome evolution. T. dalmanni‐1 shows chromosome‐wide differences between sex‐ratio (X^SR) and standard (X^ST) X chromosomes consistent with a relatively old sex‐ratio haplotype based on evidence including genetic divergence, an inversion polymorphism and reduced recombination among X^SR chromosomes relative to X^ST chromosomes. In contrast, we found no evidence of genetic divergence on the X between males with female‐biased and nonbiased sex ratios in T. whitei. Taken with previous studies that found evidence of genetic suppression of sex ratio distortion in this clade, our results illustrate that sex ratio modification in these flies is undergoing recurrent evolution with diverse genomic consequences.     

An Empirical Test of the Meiotic Drive Models of Hybrid Sterility: Sex-Ratio Data from Hybrids between Drosophila Simulans and Drosophila Sechellia

Recently, there has been much discussion regarding the hypothesis that divergence of meiotic drive systems in isolated populations can generate the patterns of reproductive isolation observed in animal hybridizations. One prediction from this hypothesis is that the sex ratio of hybrids with heterospecific sex chromosomes should greatly deviate from the Mendelian expectation of 50% female. From sex-ratio data in our Drosophila hybridization studies, we find no such deviation: the sex ratio of offspring of males with introgressed heterospecific Y chromosomes with various autosomal backgrounds does not differ from that of the pure species. We also discuss other aspects of the current meiotic drive models.     

Sex-ratio distorter of Drosophila simulans reduces male productivity and sperm competition ability

The aim of the present study was to determine whether the effects of sex-ratio segregation distorters on the fertility of male Drosophila simulans can explain the contrasting success of these X-linked meiotic drivers in different populations of the species. We compared the fertility of sex-ratio and wild-type males under different mating conditions. Both types were found to be equally fertile when mating was allowed, with two females per male, during the whole period of egg laying. By contrast sex-ratio males suffered a strong fertility disadvantage when they were offered multiple mates for a limited time, or in sperm competition conditions. In the latter case only, the toll on male fertility exceeded the segregation advantage of the distorters. These results indicate that sex-ratio distorters can either spread or disappear from populations, depending on the mating rate. Population density is therefore expected to play a major role in the evolution of sex-ratio distorters in this Drosophila species.     

Sex-ratio meiotic drive in Drosophila simulans is related to equational nondisjunction of the Y chromosome

The sex-ratio trait, an example of naturally occurring X-linked meiotic drive, has been reported in a dozen Drosophila species. Males carrying a sex-ratio X chromosome produce an excess of female offspring caused by a deficiency of Y-bearing sperm. In Drosophila simulans, such males produce approximately 70-90% female offspring, and 15-30% of the male offspring are sterile. Here, we investigate the cytological basis of the drive in this species. We show that the sex-ratio trait is associated with nondisjunction of Y chromatids in meiosis II. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) using sex-chromosome-specific probes provides direct evidence that the drive is caused by the failure of the resulting spermatids to develop into functional sperm. XYY progeny were not observed, indicating that few or no YY spermatids escape failure. The recovery of XO males among the progeny of sex-ratio males shows that some nullo-XY spermatids become functional sperm and likely explains the male sterility. A review of the cytological data in other species shows that aberrant behavior of the Y chromosome may be a common basis of sex-ratio meiotic drive in Drosophila and the signal that triggers differential spermiogenesis failure.