Department of Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA. Electronic address: https://twitter.com/@CecileCourret.
Department of Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA. Electronic address: https://twitter.com/@xiaolu_wei.
Curr Opin Genet Dev. 2023 Dec;83:102111. doi: 10.1016/j.gde.2023.102111. Epub 2023 Sep 11.
Gametogenesis is vulnerable to selfish genetic elements that bias their transmission to the next generation by cheating meiosis. These so-called meiotic drivers are widespread in plants, animals, and fungi and can impact genome evolution. Here, we summarize recent progress on the causes and consequences of meiotic drive in males, where selfish elements attack vulnerabilities in spermatogenesis. Advances in genomics provide new insights into the organization and dynamics of driving chromosomes in natural populations. Common themes, including small RNAs, gene duplications, and heterochromatin, emerged from these studies. Interdisciplinary approaches combining evolutionary genomics with molecular and cell biology are beginning to unravel the mysteries of drive and suppression mechanisms. These approaches also provide insights into fundamental processes in spermatogenesis and chromatin regulation.
配子发生易受自私遗传因子的影响，这些因子通过欺骗减数分裂来偏向它们在下一代中的传递。这些所谓的减数分裂驱动因子在植物、动物和真菌中广泛存在，并且可以影响基因组进化。在这里，我们总结了近年来在雄性减数分裂驱动的原因和后果方面的进展，即自私元件攻击精子发生中的脆弱性。基因组学的进展为自然种群中驱动染色体的组织和动态提供了新的见解。这些研究中出现了一些共同的主题，包括小 RNA、基因重复和异染色质。将进化基因组学与分子和细胞生物学相结合的跨学科方法开始揭示驱动和抑制机制的奥秘。这些方法还为精子发生和染色质调控的基本过程提供了新的见解。
