Functional genomics implicates ebony in the black pupae phenotype of tephritid fruit flies
Abstract The remarkable diversity of insect pigmentation offers a captivating avenue for studying evolution and genetics. In tephritids, understanding the molecular basis of mutant traits is also crucial for applied entomology, enabling the creation of genetic sexing strains through genome editing,...
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Nature Portfolio
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Communications Biology |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-025-07489-y |
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| author | Daniel F. Paulo Thu N. M. Nguyen Chris M. Ward Renee L. Corpuz Angela N. Kauwe Pedro Rendon Rocio E. Y. Ruano Amanda A. S. Cardoso Georgia Gouvi Elisabeth Fung Peter Crisp Anzu Okada Amanda Choo Christian Stauffer Kostas Bourtzis Sheina B. Sim Simon W. Baxter Scott M. Geib |
| author_facet | Daniel F. Paulo Thu N. M. Nguyen Chris M. Ward Renee L. Corpuz Angela N. Kauwe Pedro Rendon Rocio E. Y. Ruano Amanda A. S. Cardoso Georgia Gouvi Elisabeth Fung Peter Crisp Anzu Okada Amanda Choo Christian Stauffer Kostas Bourtzis Sheina B. Sim Simon W. Baxter Scott M. Geib |
| author_sort | Daniel F. Paulo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The remarkable diversity of insect pigmentation offers a captivating avenue for studying evolution and genetics. In tephritids, understanding the molecular basis of mutant traits is also crucial for applied entomology, enabling the creation of genetic sexing strains through genome editing, thus facilitating sex-sorting before sterile insect releases. Here, we present evidence from classical and modern genetics showing that the black pupae (bp) phenotype in the GUA10 strain of Anastrepha ludens is caused by a large deletion at the ebony locus, removing the gene’s entire coding region. Targeted knockout of ebony induced analogous bp phenotypes across six major tephritid agricultural pests, demonstrating that disruption of Ebony alone is sufficient to produce the mutant trait in distantly related species. This functional characterization further allowed a deeper exploration of Ebony’s role in pigmentation and development across life stages in diverse species. Our findings offer key insights for molecular engineering of sexing strains based on the bp marker and for future evolutionary developmental biology studies in tephritids. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-db6f8970dc98468f92b9db63382e478e |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2399-3642 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Communications Biology |
| spelling | doaj-art-db6f8970dc98468f92b9db63382e478e2025-01-19T12:35:17ZengNature PortfolioCommunications Biology2399-36422025-01-018111410.1038/s42003-025-07489-yFunctional genomics implicates ebony in the black pupae phenotype of tephritid fruit fliesDaniel F. Paulo0Thu N. M. Nguyen1Chris M. Ward2Renee L. Corpuz3Angela N. Kauwe4Pedro Rendon5Rocio E. Y. Ruano6Amanda A. S. Cardoso7Georgia Gouvi8Elisabeth Fung9Peter Crisp10Anzu Okada11Amanda Choo12Christian Stauffer13Kostas Bourtzis14Sheina B. Sim15Simon W. Baxter16Scott M. Geib17Department of Plant and Environmental Protection Sciences, University of Hawaiʻi at MānoaSchool of BioSciences, The University of MelbourneSchool of Biological Sciences, The University of AdelaideU.S. Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Research Service, Daniel K. Inouye U.S. Pacific Basin Agricultural Research CenterU.S. Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Research Service, Daniel K. Inouye U.S. Pacific Basin Agricultural Research CenterInternational Atomic Energy Agency, Technical Cooperation, Division for Latin America and the Caribbean, MOSCAMED ProgramMOSCAMED ProgramInsect Pest Control Laboratory, Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications, Joint FAO/IAEA Centre of Nuclear Techniques in Food and AgricultureInsect Pest Control Laboratory, Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications, Joint FAO/IAEA Centre of Nuclear Techniques in Food and AgricultureSchool of Agriculture, Food and Wine, University of AdelaideSchool of Agriculture, Food and Wine, University of AdelaideSchool of Biological Sciences, The University of AdelaideSchool of Biological Sciences, The University of AdelaideDepartment of Ecosystem Management, Climate and Biodiversity, Boku UniversityInsect Pest Control Laboratory, Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications, Joint FAO/IAEA Centre of Nuclear Techniques in Food and AgricultureU.S. Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Research Service, Daniel K. Inouye U.S. Pacific Basin Agricultural Research CenterSchool of BioSciences, The University of MelbourneU.S. Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Research Service, Daniel K. Inouye U.S. Pacific Basin Agricultural Research CenterAbstract The remarkable diversity of insect pigmentation offers a captivating avenue for studying evolution and genetics. In tephritids, understanding the molecular basis of mutant traits is also crucial for applied entomology, enabling the creation of genetic sexing strains through genome editing, thus facilitating sex-sorting before sterile insect releases. Here, we present evidence from classical and modern genetics showing that the black pupae (bp) phenotype in the GUA10 strain of Anastrepha ludens is caused by a large deletion at the ebony locus, removing the gene’s entire coding region. Targeted knockout of ebony induced analogous bp phenotypes across six major tephritid agricultural pests, demonstrating that disruption of Ebony alone is sufficient to produce the mutant trait in distantly related species. This functional characterization further allowed a deeper exploration of Ebony’s role in pigmentation and development across life stages in diverse species. Our findings offer key insights for molecular engineering of sexing strains based on the bp marker and for future evolutionary developmental biology studies in tephritids.https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-025-07489-y |
| spellingShingle | Daniel F. Paulo Thu N. M. Nguyen Chris M. Ward Renee L. Corpuz Angela N. Kauwe Pedro Rendon Rocio E. Y. Ruano Amanda A. S. Cardoso Georgia Gouvi Elisabeth Fung Peter Crisp Anzu Okada Amanda Choo Christian Stauffer Kostas Bourtzis Sheina B. Sim Simon W. Baxter Scott M. Geib Functional genomics implicates ebony in the black pupae phenotype of tephritid fruit flies Communications Biology |
| title | Functional genomics implicates ebony in the black pupae phenotype of tephritid fruit flies |
| title_full | Functional genomics implicates ebony in the black pupae phenotype of tephritid fruit flies |
| title_fullStr | Functional genomics implicates ebony in the black pupae phenotype of tephritid fruit flies |
| title_full_unstemmed | Functional genomics implicates ebony in the black pupae phenotype of tephritid fruit flies |
| title_short | Functional genomics implicates ebony in the black pupae phenotype of tephritid fruit flies |
| title_sort | functional genomics implicates ebony in the black pupae phenotype of tephritid fruit flies |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-025-07489-y |
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