Scientists Find the Key to Virgin Birth and Enable it in Female Flies
Scientists have made a groundbreaking discovery by identifying the genetic cause of virgin birth in an unexpected species, the fruit fly ”Drosophila melanogaster”. Once this ability is activated in a female fruit fly, it can be inherited by successive generations.
In this process, females can reproduce either sexually with the presence of males or through virgin birth if males are absent. While most animals reproduce sexually through fertilization, virgin birth, or parthenogenesis, enables the development of embryos without the need for sperm from a male.
From Mating Attempts to Virgin Birth
The engineered flies displayed fascinating behavior, waiting to find a male for about 40 days, and then resorting to virgin birth when unsuccessful in mating. Notably, the offspring resulting from virgin birth are not identical clones but share a high genetic resemblance to their mother and are exclusively female.
The research findings offer new insights into the mechanics of virgin birth in animals and highlight the potential for manipulating reproductive processes in certain species. However, the success rate for virgin birth was relatively low in the experiments, with only 1-2% of the second-generation females reproducing through this method, and only when males were not available. When males were present, the standard sexual reproduction route was taken.
Study Shows its Population-Sustaining Potential
Adopting virgin birth as a survival strategy can be beneficial for maintaining a species. This approach involves a single generation of virgin births, which helps sustain the population. The study revealing this finding has been published in the journal Current Biology.
To achieve these results, the researchers initially analyzed the genomes of two strains of another fruit fly species known as ”Drosophila mercatorum”. One strain relies on males for reproduction, while the other solely reproduces through virgin birth. By examining the genes that were activated or deactivated during fatherless reproduction, they identified the candidate genes responsible for the ability of virgin birth.
Subsequently, the scientists modified what they believed were the equivalent genes in the model fruit fly, ”Drosophila melanogaster.” This manipulation successfully conferred the capability of virgin birth to Drosophila melanogaster.
Studying over 220,000 Virgin Fruit Flies Across Six Year
The research was an extensive undertaking, involving more than 220,000 virgin fruit flies and spanning a period of six years.
A crucial aspect of this breakthrough was conducting the study in Drosophila melanogaster. The researchers emphasize that replicating this experiment in any other animal would have been extremely challenging. Drosophila melanogaster has served as the primary model organism for genetic research for over a century, and its genetic makeup is well-understood.
After conducting this research in the Department of Genetics, Sperling has recently moved to the Cambridge Crop Science Centre to focus on crop pests. Their future investigations will revolve around understanding the increasing prevalence of virgin birth in insects, especially in pest species.
Potential Consequences of Increasing Virgin Births in Insect Pests for Agriculture
Sperling expressed concern about the ongoing selection pressure favoring virgin births in insect pests. If this trend continues, it could eventually lead to these pests exclusively reproducing through virgin birth.
Such a scenario could pose a significant problem for agriculture since females in this mode of reproduction only produce female offspring, effectively doubling their ability to spread and become a nuisance.
While some egg-laying animals like birds, lizards, and snakes can naturally switch to giving birth without males, virgin birth in species that typically reproduce sexually is a rare phenomenon. It is often only observed in zoo animals and occurs when a female has been isolated for an extended period with little hope of finding a mate.
Read the original article on Science Daily.
Read more: Butterfly Flight Sparks Researchers to Seek Novel Approaches for Generating Force and Electricity.
