Maternal transmission, sex ratio distortion, and mitochondria
Date
2015-08-18
Authors
Perlman, Steve
Hodson, Christina
Hamilton, Phineas
Opit, George
Gowen, Brent
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS)
Abstract
In virtually all multicellular eukaryotes, mitochondria are transmitted exclusively through one parent, usually the mother. In this short review, we discuss some of the major consequences of uniparental transmission of mitochondria, including deleterious effects in males and selection for increased transmission through females. Many of these consequences, particularly sex ratio distortion, have well-studied parallels in other maternally transmitted genetic elements, such as bacterial endosymbionts of arthropods. We also discuss the consequences of linkage between mitochondria and other maternally transmitted genetic elements, including the role of cytonuclear incompatibilities in maintaining polymorphism. Finally, as a case study, we discuss a recently discovered maternally transmitted sex ratio distortion in an insect that is associated with extraordinarily divergent mitochondria.
Description
Keywords
symbiosis, cytoplasmic male sterility, Wolbachia, reproductive parasitism, genetic conflict, doubly uniparental inheritance
Citation
Perlman, S. J., Hodson, C.N., Hamilton, P.T., Oplit, G.P. & Gowen, B.E. (2015). Maternal transmission, sex ratio distortion, and mitochondria. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 112(33), 10162- 10168. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1421391112