Original paper

Genomic analysis uncovers the evolutionary dynamics of sex-determining genes in Hymenoptera

Zhuge, Junhao; Xu, Zhenghao; He, Chun; Chen, Xueliang; Chen, Yaoyao; Ye, Xinhai

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Entomologia Generalis Volume 45 Number 3 (2025), p. 807 - 815

published: Aug 19, 2025
published online: Jun 2, 2025
manuscript accepted: Apr 9, 2025
manuscript revision received: Apr 7, 2025
manuscript revision requested: Feb 6, 2025
manuscript received: Dec 5, 2024

DOI: 10.1127/entomologia/3193

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ArtNo. ESP146004503019, Price: 29.00 €

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Abstract

Sex determination is a fundamental biological process that directs the developmental pathway toward a male or female phenotype. In Hymenoptera insects, this process follows a haplodiploid system, with key genes such as transformer (tra), transformer-2 (tra2), and doublesex (dsx) playing central regulatory roles. Despite their importance, the evolutionary dynamics of these genes across Hymenoptera species remain poorly understood. Recent advances and the accumulation of high quality genomic and transcriptomic data now provide a robust basis for in-depth investigation of this question. In this study, we performed a comprehensive genome-wide identification and analysis of tra, tra2, and dsx genes in 26 hymenopteran species, spanning major species including sawflies, wasps, ants, and bees. Our analysis revealed significant sequence divergence, structural diversification, and rapidly evolved gene synteny for these genes across species. Overall, all sex-determining genes exhibited rapid evolution, with the evolution of tra2 being more conserved compared to the tra and dsx. We identified a strong co-evolutionary relationship between TRA and TRA2, supporting their conserved interaction in sex determination pathway. Our findings highlight the rapid evolution of sex-determining genes in Hymenoptera and provide novel insights into the evolutionary patterns of these genes, laying the foundation for future research on sex determination.

Keywords

Sex determination • Comparative genomics •
Transformer(tra)
•
Transformer-2(tra2)
•
Doublesex (dsx)
• bee • ant