The jewel wasp Nasonia: querying the genome with haplo-diploid genetics.
The jewel wasp Nasonia vitripennis is considered the "Drosophila melanogaster of the Hymenoptera." This diminutive wasp offers insect geneticists a means for applying haplo-diploid genetics to the analysis of developmental processes. As in bees, haploid males develop from unfertilized eggs, while diploid females develop from fertilized eggs. Nasonia's advantageous combination of haplo-diploid genetics and ease of handling in the laboratory facilitates screening the entire genome for recessive mutations affecting a developmental process of interest. This approach is currently directed toward understanding the evolution of embryonic pattern formation by comparing Nasonia embryogenesis to that of Drosophila. Haplo-diploid genetics also facilitates developing molecular maps and mapping polygenic traits. Moreover, Nasonia embryos are also proving amenable to cell biological analysis. These capabilities are being exploited to understand a variety of behavioral, developmental, and evolutionary processes, ranging from cytoplasmic incompatibility to the evolution of wing morphology.
Pultz
Mary Anne
MA
Biology Department, Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington 98225-9160, USA. oyktz@biol.wwu.edu
Leaf
David S
DS
D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D004171:Diploidy; D016678:Genome; D006238:Haploidy; D010802:Phylogeny; D019849:Sex Determination Processes; D013997:Time Factors; D014863:Wasps / Q000196:embryology / Q000235:genetics*