ArticleNature communications2017
The deep conservation of the Lepidoptera Z chromosome suggests a non-canonical origin of the W.
Article in Nature communications, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 73 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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73 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 122 citations in OpenAlex.
- Speciation through chromosomal fusion and fission in Lepidoptera.Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences · 2020Pooled it
- The complete sequence of the silkworm W chromosome uncovers its rapid evolution by large-scale duplications/deletions and translocation of W-linked genes.G3 (Bethesda, Md.) · 2026Article
- Genomic Signatures of Speciation in Butterflies.Systematic biology · 2026Article
- From Adam's rib: the Siberian moth's female W chromosome is derived from its Z counterpart.Molecular biology and evolution · 2026Article
- Drivers of achiasmatic meiosis: sexual antagonism versus heteromorphy-dependent aneuploidy across sex-chromosome divergence.G3 (Bethesda, Md.) · 2025Article
- The Tree of Sex consortium: a global initiative for studying the evolution of reproduction in eukaryotes.Journal of evolutionary biology · 2025Article
- Article
- A high-quality chromosome-level genome assembly for the agricultural pest Mythimna separata.Scientific data · 2025Article
- Evidence for a Novel X Chromosome in Termites.Genome biology and evolution · 2024Article
- Neo-Sex Chromosome Evolution in Treehoppers Despite Long-Term X Chromosome Conservation.Genome biology and evolution · 2024Article
- Sex-biased gene content is associated with sex chromosome turnover in Danaini butterflies.Molecular ecology · 2024Article
- Sex Chromosome Evolution: Hallmarks and Question Marks.Molecular biology and evolution · 2024Review
- A near chromosome-level genome assembly of a ghost moth (Lepidoptera, Hepialidae).Scientific data · 2024Article
- The Hypolimnas misippus Genome Supports a Common Origin of the W Chromosome in Lepidoptera.Genome biology and evolution · 2024Article
- Chromosome-level genome assembly and annotation of Clanis bilineata tsingtauica Mell (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae).Scientific data · 2024Article
- Range-wide population genomic structure of the Karner blue butterfly,Ecology and evolution · 2024Article
- Two novel genomes of fireflies with different degrees of sexual dimorphism reveal insights into sex-biased gene expression and dosage compensation.Communications biology · 2024Article
- An Orphan Gene Enhances Male Reproductive Success in Plutella xylostella.Molecular biology and evolution · 2024Article
- Multiple independent origins of the female W chromosome in moths and butterflies.Science advances · 2024Article
- Gene gain and loss from the Asian corn borer W chromosome.BMC biology · 2024Article
13 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
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No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Moths and butterflies (Lepidoptera) usually have a pair of differentiated WZ sex chromosomes. However, in most lineages outside of the division Ditrysia, as well as in the sister order Trichoptera, females lack a W chromosome. The W is therefore thought to have been acquired secondarily. Here we compare the genomes of three Lepidoptera species (one Dytrisia and two non-Dytrisia) to test three models accounting for the origin of the W: (1) a Z-autosome fusion; (2) a sex chromosome turnover; and (3) a non-canonical mechanism (e.g., through the recruitment of a B chromosome). We show that the gene content of the Z is highly conserved across Lepidoptera (rejecting a sex chromosome turnover) and that very few genes moved onto the Z in the common ancestor of the Ditrysia (arguing against a Z-autosome fusion). Our comparative genomics analysis therefore supports the secondary acquisition of the Lepidoptera W by a non-canonical mechanism, and it confirms the extreme stability of well-differentiated sex chromosomes.
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