Transmission ratio distortion in the human body louse, Pediculus humanus (Insecta: Phthiraptera).
We studied inheritance at three microsatellite loci in eight F, and two F2 families of the body (clothes) louse of humans, Pediculus humanus. The alleles of heterozygous female-parents were always inherited in a Mendelian fashion in these families. Alleles from heterozygous male-parents, however, were inherited in two different ways: (i) in a Mendelian fashion and (ii) in a non-Mendelian fashion, where males passed to their offspring only one of their two alleles, that is, 100% nonrandom transmission. In male body lice, where there was non-Mendelian inheritance, the paternally inherited set of alleles was eliminated. We interpret this pattern of inheritance as evidence for extreme transmission ratio distortion of paternal alleles in this species.
McMeniman
C J
CJ
Parasitology Section, School of Molecular and Microbial Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, Australia. c.mcmeniman@uq.edu.au
Barker
S C
SC
D000483:Alleles; D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D040582:Inheritance Patterns; D008297:Male; D018895:Microsatellite Repeats; D010374:Pediculus / Q000235:genetics*