title: Maternal transmission, sex ratio distortion, and mitochondria.
abstract: In virtually all multicellular eukaryotes, mitochondria are transmitted exclusively through one parent, usually the mother. In this short review, we discuss some of the major consequences of uniparental transmission of mitochondria, including deleterious effects in males and selection for increased transmission through females. Many of these consequences, particularly sex ratio distortion, have well-studied parallels in other maternally transmitted genetic elements, such as bacterial endosymbionts of arthropods. We also discuss the consequences of linkage between mitochondria and other maternally transmitted genetic elements, including the role of cytonuclear incompatibilities in maintaining polymorphism. Finally, as a case study, we discuss a recently discovered maternally transmitted sex ratio distortion in an insect that is associated with extraordinarily divergent mitochondria.
authors: Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada V8P 5C2; Integrated Microbial Biodiversity Program, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Toronto, ON, Canada M5G 1Z8; and stevep@uvic.ca.
authors: Steve J
authors: SJ
authors: Perlman
authors: Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada V8P 5C2;
authors: Christina N
authors: CN
authors: Hodson
authors: Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada V8P 5C2;
authors: Phineas T
authors: PT
authors: Hamilton
authors: Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078.
authors: George P
authors: GP
authors: Opit
authors: Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada V8P 5C2;
authors: Brent E
authors: BE
authors: Gowen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001181:Arthropods / Q000382:microbiology; D001419:Bacteria / Q000235:genetics; D001483:Base Sequence; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000235:genetics; D058893:DNA Barcoding, Taxonomic; D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006239:Haplotypes; D040582:Inheritance Patterns; D007313:Insecta / Q000382:microbiology; D008297:Male; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D012744:Sex Ratio; D013559:Symbiosis; D020577:Wolbachia / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV
keywords: Wolbachia; cytoplasmic male sterility; genetic conflict; reproductive parasitism; symbiosis