---
_id: '1684'
abstract:
- lang: eng
  text: Many species groups, including mammals and many insects, determine sex using
    heteromorphic sex chromosomes. Diptera flies, which include the model Drosophila
    melanogaster, generally have XY sex chromosomes and a conserved karyotype consisting
    of six chromosomal arms (five large rods and a small dot), but superficially similar
    karyotypes may conceal the true extent of sex chromosome variation. Here, we use
    whole-genome analysis in 37 fly species belonging to 22 different families of
    Diptera and uncover tremendous hidden diversity in sex chromosome karyotypes among
    flies. We identify over a dozen different sex chromosome configurations, and the
    small dot chromosome is repeatedly used as the sex chromosome, which presumably
    reflects the ancestral karyotype of higher Diptera. However, we identify species
    with undifferentiated sex chromosomes, others in which a different chromosome
    replaced the dot as a sex chromosome or in which up to three chromosomal elements
    became incorporated into the sex chromosomes, and others yet with female heterogamety
    (ZW sex chromosomes). Transcriptome analysis shows that dosage compensation has
    evolved multiple times in flies, consistently through up-regulation of the single
    X in males. However, X chromosomes generally show a deficiency of genes with male-biased
    expression, possibly reflecting sex-specific selective pressures. These species
    thus provide a rich resource to study sex chromosome biology in a comparative
    manner and show that similar selective forces have shaped the unique evolution
    of sex chromosomes in diverse fly taxa.
acknowledgement: "This research was funded by NIH grants (R01GM076007 and R01GM093182)
  to DB. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision
  to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.\r\nWe thank the people listed in S2
  Table for samples, Jere Schweikert for identifying Tephritid species, and Zaak Walton
  for technical assistance."
article_number: e1002078
article_processing_charge: No
author:
- first_name: Beatriz
  full_name: Vicoso, Beatriz
  id: 49E1C5C6-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
  last_name: Vicoso
  orcid: 0000-0002-4579-8306
- first_name: Doris
  full_name: Bachtrog, Doris
  last_name: Bachtrog
citation:
  ama: Vicoso B, Bachtrog D. Numerous transitions of sex chromosomes in Diptera. <i>PLoS
    Biology</i>. 2015;13(4). doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1002078">10.1371/journal.pbio.1002078</a>
  apa: Vicoso, B., &#38; Bachtrog, D. (2015). Numerous transitions of sex chromosomes
    in Diptera. <i>PLoS Biology</i>. Public Library of Science. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1002078">https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1002078</a>
  chicago: Vicoso, Beatriz, and Doris Bachtrog. “Numerous Transitions of Sex Chromosomes
    in Diptera.” <i>PLoS Biology</i>. Public Library of Science, 2015. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1002078">https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1002078</a>.
  ieee: B. Vicoso and D. Bachtrog, “Numerous transitions of sex chromosomes in Diptera,”
    <i>PLoS Biology</i>, vol. 13, no. 4. Public Library of Science, 2015.
  ista: Vicoso B, Bachtrog D. 2015. Numerous transitions of sex chromosomes in Diptera.
    PLoS Biology. 13(4), e1002078.
  mla: Vicoso, Beatriz, and Doris Bachtrog. “Numerous Transitions of Sex Chromosomes
    in Diptera.” <i>PLoS Biology</i>, vol. 13, no. 4, e1002078, Public Library of
    Science, 2015, doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1002078">10.1371/journal.pbio.1002078</a>.
  short: B. Vicoso, D. Bachtrog, PLoS Biology 13 (2015).
date_created: 2018-12-11T11:53:27Z
date_published: 2015-04-16T00:00:00Z
date_updated: 2025-09-23T09:42:10Z
day: '16'
ddc:
- '570'
doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.1002078
extern: '1'
external_id:
  isi:
  - '000354824500002'
file:
- access_level: open_access
  checksum: 92a300d7b97eafb477885303f7632fe1
  content_type: application/pdf
  creator: system
  date_created: 2018-12-12T10:11:05Z
  date_updated: 2020-07-14T12:45:12Z
  file_id: '4858'
  file_name: IST-2016-492-v1+1_journal.pbio.1002078.pdf
  file_size: 1104701
  relation: main_file
file_date_updated: 2020-07-14T12:45:12Z
fulldoi: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1002078
has_accepted_license: '1'
intvolume: '        13'
isi: 1
issue: '4'
language:
- iso: eng
month: '04'
oa: 1
oa_version: Published Version
publication: PLoS Biology
publication_status: published
publisher: Public Library of Science
publist_id: '5463'
pubrep_id: '492'
quality_controlled: '1'
status: public
title: Numerous transitions of sex chromosomes in Diptera
tmp:
  image: /images/cc_by.png
  legal_code_url: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode
  name: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (CC-BY 4.0)
  short: CC BY (4.0)
type: journal_article
user_id: 317138e5-6ab7-11ef-aa6d-ffef3953e345
volume: 13
year: '2015'
...