Study detects female genetic males in flea beetle using newly identified X-linked markers
21 August 2024, by Website Team Biologie

Photo: UHH/Marlena Herbertz
This study from Kim Rohlfing, Malte Grewoldt, Mathilde Cordellier and Susanne Dobler brings valuable insights to the broader scientific community by shedding light on the intricate dynamics of sex determination, genetic conflicts, and endosymbiont-host interactions in the unique system of the flea beetle Altica lythri.
The primary finding of this study reveals, for the first time, the occurrence of feminization in genetic males within a beetle species. This was achieved through transcriptome analyses and the program SEX-DETector, which allowed for the identification of key markers associated with genotypic sex differentiation. The results suggest that the feminization of genetic males contributes to the altered sex ratio, highlighting the complex dynamics of sex determination and reproductive strategies in this flea beetle.
Original publication
Research Article
Evidence for feminized genetic males in a flea beetle using newly identified X-linked markers
Kim Rohlfing | Malte Grewoldt | Mathilde Cordellier | Susanne Dobler
Institute of Animal Cell and Systems Biology, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
Correspondence:
Kim Rohlfing, Institute of Animal Cell and Systems Biology, Universität Hamburg, Martin-Luther-King-Platz 3, Hamburg D-20146, Germany. Email: kim.rohlfing"AT"uni-hamburg.de
Susanne Dobler, Institute of Animal Cell and Systems Biology, Universität Hamburg, Martin-Luther- King-Platz3,Hamburg D-20146,Germany. Email: susanne.dobler"AT"uni-hamburg.de
Present address:
Malte Grewoldt, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
Mathilde Cordellier, Institut für Biowissenschaften, Genetik – Populationsgenetik, Universität Rostock, Rostock, Germany Funding information Universität Hamburg; Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Grant/Award