MSGID: 1:317/3 643633e5   
   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
    Male yellow crazy ants are real-life chimeras    
      
     Date:   
         April 11, 2023   
     Source:   
         Johannes Gutenberg Universitaet Mainz   
     Summary:   
         Researchers discovered that males of the yellow crazy ant have   
         maternal and paternal genomes in different cells of their body   
         and are thus chimeras.   
      
      
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   FULL STORY   
   ==========================================================================   
   The yellow crazy ant, or Anoplolepis gracilipes, has the infamous   
   distinction of being among the worst invasive species in the   
   world. However, this is not the reason for which this particular ant is   
   studied by a team of international researchers. What interests them is   
   how the insects reproduce, because males of this ant have long perplexed   
   scientists. "The results of previous genetic analyses of the yellow   
   crazy ant have shown that the males of this species have two copies of   
   each chromosome. This was highly unexpected, as males usually develop   
   from unfertilized eggs in ants, bees, and wasps -- and thus should only   
   have one maternal copy of each chromosome," explained Dr. Hugo Darras,   
   Assistant Professor at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) and lead   
   author of the corresponding article recently published in Science. "With   
   this in view, we decided to investigate this puzzling phenomenon with   
   subsequent experiments."   
      
   ==========================================================================   
   Two genomes in different cell clusters The results were quite   
   extraordinary. It had been assumed to date that the males of the yellow   
   crazy ant carried the same two sets of chromosomes in all cells of their   
   body. However, the team was able to demonstrate that this premise was   
   anything but correct. "We discovered that the male ants have maternal   
   and paternal genomes in different cells of their body and are thus   
   chimeras. To put it another way, all males have two genomes, but each   
   cell of their bodies contains only one or the other of the two genomes,"   
   summarized Darras. Normally, in a multicellular life form -- be this a   
   human, a dog, or a bat -- all cells contain identical genetic material.   
      
   The research team concludes that male yellow crazy ants are chimeras:   
   they develop from fertilized eggs in which the two parental gametes   
   do not actually fuse. Instead, the maternal and paternal nuclei divide   
   separately within the same egg, meaning that the resultant adult males   
   have both parental DNA sequences but in different body cells. When   
   the gametes do fuse, either a queen or a worker develops from the egg,   
   depending on the genetic information carried by the sperm. It is yet   
   unknown what mechanisms determine whether fusion of the parental gametes   
   takes place or not.   
      
   Chimerism and the yellow crazy ant: A mode of reproduction previously   
   unknown to science Chimeras are individuals whose cells contain   
   different genetic materials. They naturally occur in certain species,   
   such as corals and angler fish, in which separate individuals can merge   
   to become one. Chimerism can also be found in humans and other placenta   
   mammals. During gestation, mother and fetus can exchange a small number   
   of cells so the offspring usually has a few cells that contain the same   
   genetic material as the mother. Such small-scale exchanges also occur   
   between twins in the womb. "In contrast to these known cases, chimerism   
   in the yellow crazy ant does not result from the fusion of two separate   
   individuals or an exchange of cells between them. Instead, this process   
   has its origin within a single fertilized egg. This is unique," concluded   
   Darras. Hence, the development of the male yellow crazy ant appears   
   to contravene one of the fundamental laws of biological inheritance in   
   which all cells of an individual should contain the same genome.   
      
       * RELATED_TOPICS   
             o Plants_&_Animals   
                   # Biology # Mating_and_Breeding # Biotechnology # Genetics   
             o Earth_&_Climate   
                   # Exotic_Species # Earth_Science # Biodiversity   
       * RELATED_TERMS   
             o Bone_marrow o Stem_cell o Seahorse o White_blood_cell o   
             Spaying_and_neutering o Somatic_cell o Yellow_fever o Gene   
      
   ==========================================================================   
   Story Source: Materials provided by   
   Johannes_Gutenberg_Universitaet_Mainz. Note: Content may be edited for   
   style and length.   
      
      
   ==========================================================================   
   Journal Reference:   
      1. H. Darras, C. Berney, S. Hasin, J. Drescher, H. Feldhaar, L. Keller.   
      
         Obligate chimerism in male yellow crazy ants. Science, 2023; 380   
         (6640): 55 DOI: 10.1126/science.adf0419   
   ==========================================================================   
      
   Link to news story:   
   https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/04/230411105912.htm   
      
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