Identification of alternative splicing in genes that determine sexual dimorphism in Stiphra sp (Orthoptera: Proscopiidea)
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Miller, M., S. Madigosky, and A. Nagengast. 2009. Identification of alternative splicing in genes that determine sexual dimorphism in Stiphra sp (Orthoptera: Proscopiidea). Developmental Biology 331:436.
Abstract:
The sex determination pathway in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster is regulated at the level of alternative splicing to produce male and female specific transcripts responsible for the morphological differences between the sexes. In Drosophila, Sexlethal (Sxl) activates the sex determination cascade while doublesex (dsx) performs the role of master regulator in other dipteran insects and silk worms. Despite these regulatory differences, sex specific alternative splicing appears to be a universal mechanism of sexual dimorphism among insects. We currently are culturing an unidentified species of jumping stick, Stiphra sp, from the Peruvian Amazon that exhibits dramatic sexual dimorphism and color variation. Adult females are cryptically colored in shades of brown and span approximately 17 cm from head to abdominal tip, while the males are green and much thinner, often measuring 10 cm in length. We hypothesize that the alternative splicing of homologous sex determination genes play a role in the morphological differences noted between the sexes of Stiphra sp. To investigate this, we are probing a Stiphra sp genomic library in an attempt to identify homologous sex determination genes. Additionally, we are using Drosophila micro-array chips to analyze gene expression differences between the sexes in Stiphra sp. We expect to find male and female patterns of alternative splicing among conserved sex determination genes in Stiphra sp.