NIH R01 · 2025
The Molecular Mechanism of a Male Killing Gene
Project Summary Sexual reproduction is a battleground for inherited bacteria and their hosts, yet how maternally-inherited bacteria modify the reproductive biology of their host species to favor the fitness of infected females is largely unresolved. Wolbachia are the archetypes of this adaptive strategy and exist globally in nearly half of all arthropod species and many filarial nematodes, making them one of the most widespread microorganisms in the animal world. In a variety of arthropod orders, Wolbachia selectively kill sons of infected females in a process termed male killing. This form of sex-specific lethality enhances the spread of the bacteria by increasing the fitness of…
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