---
_id: '14617'
abstract:
- lang: eng
  text: Sex chromosomes have evolved independently multiple times, but why some are
    conserved for more than 100 million years whereas others turnover rapidly remains
    an open question. Here, we examine the homology of sex chromosomes across nine
    orders of insects, plus the outgroup springtails. We find that the X chromosome
    is likely homologous across insects and springtails; the only exception is in
    the Lepidoptera, which has lost the X and now has a ZZ/ZW sex chromosome system.
    These results suggest the ancestral insect X chromosome has persisted for more
    than 450 million years – the oldest known sex chromosome to date. Further, we
    propose that the shrinking of gene content of the Dipteran X chromosome has allowed
    for a burst of sex-chromosome turnover that is absent from other speciose insect
    orders.
article_processing_charge: No
author:
- first_name: Melissa A
  full_name: Toups, Melissa A
  id: 4E099E4E-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
  last_name: Toups
  orcid: 0000-0002-9752-7380
- first_name: Beatriz
  full_name: Vicoso, Beatriz
  id: 49E1C5C6-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
  last_name: Vicoso
  orcid: 0000-0002-4579-8306
citation:
  ama: Toups MA, Vicoso B. The X chromosome of insects likely predates the origin
    of Class Insecta. 2023. doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.5281/ZENODO.8138705">10.5281/ZENODO.8138705</a>
  apa: Toups, M. A., &#38; Vicoso, B. (2023). The X chromosome of insects likely predates
    the origin of Class Insecta. Zenodo. <a href="https://doi.org/10.5281/ZENODO.8138705">https://doi.org/10.5281/ZENODO.8138705</a>
  chicago: Toups, Melissa A, and Beatriz Vicoso. “The X Chromosome of Insects Likely
    Predates the Origin of Class Insecta.” Zenodo, 2023. <a href="https://doi.org/10.5281/ZENODO.8138705">https://doi.org/10.5281/ZENODO.8138705</a>.
  ieee: M. A. Toups and B. Vicoso, “The X chromosome of insects likely predates the
    origin of Class Insecta.” Zenodo, 2023.
  ista: Toups MA, Vicoso B. 2023. The X chromosome of insects likely predates the
    origin of Class Insecta, Zenodo, <a href="https://doi.org/10.5281/ZENODO.8138705">10.5281/ZENODO.8138705</a>.
  mla: Toups, Melissa A., and Beatriz Vicoso. <i>The X Chromosome of Insects Likely
    Predates the Origin of Class Insecta</i>. Zenodo, 2023, doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.5281/ZENODO.8138705">10.5281/ZENODO.8138705</a>.
  short: M.A. Toups, B. Vicoso, (2023).
date_created: 2023-11-28T08:04:03Z
date_published: 2023-09-15T00:00:00Z
date_updated: 2025-09-09T13:32:05Z
day: '15'
ddc:
- '570'
department:
- _id: BeVi
doi: 10.5281/ZENODO.8138705
has_accepted_license: '1'
main_file_link:
- open_access: '1'
  url: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8138705
month: '09'
oa: 1
oa_version: Published Version
other_data_license: MIT License
publisher: Zenodo
related_material:
  record:
  - id: '14604'
    relation: used_in_publication
    status: public
status: public
title: The X chromosome of insects likely predates the origin of Class Insecta
type: research_data_reference
user_id: 2DF688A6-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
year: '2023'
...