Activity and inactivity of moth sex chromosomes in somatic and meiotic cells
2019
Moths and butterflies (Lepidoptera) are the most species-rich group of animals with female heterogamety, females mostly having a WZ, males a ZZ sex
chromosomeconstitution. We studied chromatin conformation, activity, and inactivity of the sex
chromosomesin the flour moth
Ephestia kuehniellaand the silkworm
Bombyx mori, using immunostaining with anti-H3K9me2/3, anti-
RNA polymerase II, and fluoro-uridine (FU) labelling of nascent transcripts, with conventional widefield fluorescence microscopy and ‘spatial structured illumination microscopy’ (3D-SIM). The
Z chromosomeis euchromatic in
somatic cellsand throughout
meiosis. It is transcriptionally active in
somatic cellsand in the postpachaytene stage of
meiosis. The
W chromosomein contrast is heterochromatic in
somatic cellsas well as in meiotic cells at pachytene, but euchromatic and transcriptionally active like all other
chromosomesat postpachytene. As the
W chromosomesare apparently devoid of protein-coding genes, their transcripts must be non-coding. We found no indication of ‘meiotic sex
chromosomeinactivation’ (MSCI) in the two species.
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