Abstract The clock gene period ( per ) is a regulator of circadian rhythms but may also play role in the regulation ultradian rhythms, such as insect courtship. Males parasitoid wasp Nasonia vitripennis court females by performing series head movements (‘head-nods’) and wing vibrations within repeated cycles. pattern cycle duration head-nod number species-specific has genetic basis. In this stu...

BACKGROUND In the majority of animals, the centrosome-the microtubule-organizing center of the cell-is assembled from components of both the sperm and the egg. How the males of the insect order Hymenoptera acquire centrosomes is a mystery, as they originate from virgin birth. RESULTS To address this issue, we observed centrosome, spindle and nuclear behavior in real time during early developm...

Regulatory networks composed of interacting genes are responsible for pattern formation and cell type specification in a wide variety of developmental contexts. Evolution must act on these regulatory networks in order to change the proportions, distribution, and characteristics of specified cells. Thus, understanding how these networks operate in homologous systems across multiple levels of phy...

Cytoplasmically (maternally) inherited bacteria that cause reproductive incompatibility between strains are widespread among insects. In the parasitoid wasp Nasonia, incompatibility results in improper condensation and fragmentation of the paternal chromosomes in fertilized eggs. Some form of genome imprinting may be involved. Because of haplodiploidy, incompatibility results in conversion of (...

R1 and R2 are retrotransposable elements that integrate at specific sites in the 28S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes of Bombyx mori and Drosophila melanogaster. We have previously shown that most insect species contain insertions in their 28S genes at the R1 and/or R2 site. We have sequenced the 3' half of R1 and R2 elements from three additional insect species: the fungus gnat, Sciara coprophila (D...

The parasitic wasp Nasonia vitripennis has haplo-diploid sex determination. Males develop from unfertilized eggs and are haploid, whereas females develop from fertilized eggs and are diploid. Females and males can be easily distinguished by their morphology. A strain that produces individuals with both male and female features (gynandromorphs) is studied. We provide data on female/male patterni...