Alternative patterns of sex chromosome differentiation in Aedes aegypti (L)

BACKGROUND: Some populations of West African Aedes aegypti, the dengue and zika vector, are reproductively incompatible; our earlier study showed that divergence and rearrangements of genes on chromosome 1, which bears the sex locus (M), may be involved. We also previously described a proposed cryptic subspecies SenAae (PK10, Senegal) that had many more high inter-sex F(ST) genes on chromosome 1 than did Ae.aegypti aegypti (Aaa, Pai Lom, Thailand). The current work more thoroughly explores the significance of those findings. RESULTS: Intersex standardized variance (F(ST)) of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) was characterized from genomic exome capture libraries of both sexes in representative natural populations of Aaa and SenAae. Our goal was to identify SNPs that varied in frequency between males and females, and most were expected to occur on chromosome 1. Use of the assembled AaegL4 reference alleviated the previous problem of unmapped genes. Because the M locus gene nix was not captured and not present in AaegL4, the male-determining locus, per se, was not explored. Sex-associated genes were those with F(ST) values ≥ 0.100 and/or with increased expected heterozygosity (H (exp), one-sided T-test, p < 0.05) in males. There were 85 genes common to both collections with high inter-sex F(ST) values; all genes but one were located on chromosome 1. Aaa showed the expected cluster of high inter-sex F(ST) genes proximal to the M locus, whereas SenAae had inter-sex F(ST) genes along the length of chromosome 1. In addition, the Aaa M-locus proximal region showed increased H (exp) levels in males, whereas SenAae did not. In SenAae, chromosomal rearrangements and subsequent suppressed recombination may have accelerated X-Y differentiation. CONCLUSIONS: The evidence presented here is consistent with differential evolution of proto-Y chromosomes in Aaa and SenAae. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi: 10.1186/s12864-017-4348-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.