One-factor sex determination evolves without linkage between feminizing and masculinizing mutations

Scott, Michael F. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7182-9946 and Immler, Simone (2024) One-factor sex determination evolves without linkage between feminizing and masculinizing mutations. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 291 (2026). ISSN 0962-8452

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Abstract

The evolution of separate sexes from cosexuality requires at least two mutations: a feminizing allele to cause female development and a masculinizing allele to cause male development. Classically, the double mutant is assumed to be sterile, which leads to two-factor sex determination where male and female sex chromosomes differ at two loci. However, several species appear to have one-factor sex determination where sexual development depends on variation at a single locus. We show that one-factor sex determination evolves when the double mutant develops as a male or a female. The feminizing allele fixes when the double mutant is male, and the masculinizing allele fixes when the double mutant is female. The other locus then gives XY or ZW sex determination based on dominance: for example, a dominant masculinizer becomes a Y chromosome. Although the resulting sex determination system differs, the conditions required for feminizers and masculinizers to spread are the same as in classical models, with the important difference that the two alleles do not need to be linked. Thus, we reveal alternative pathways for the evolution of sex determination and discuss how they can be distinguished using new data on the genetics of sex determination.

Item Type: Article
Additional Information: Funding Information: M.F.S. is supported by a Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellowship (ECF-2020-095). S.I. is supported by funding from the Natural Environment Research Council (NE/S011188/1) and the European Research Council (SELECTHAPLOID - 101001341).
Uncontrolled Keywords: dioecy,evolution,hermaphrodite,model,sex chromosome,immunology and microbiology(all),biochemistry, genetics and molecular biology(all),environmental science(all),agricultural and biological sciences(all) ,/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/2400
Faculty \ School: Faculty of Science > School of Biological Sciences
UEA Research Groups: Faculty of Science > Research Groups > Organisms and the Environment
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Depositing User: LivePure Connector
Date Deposited: 19 Sep 2024 11:30
Last Modified: 25 Sep 2024 18:10
URI: https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/96779
DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2024.0693

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