The role of doublesex in the evolution of exaggerated horns in the Japanese rhinoceros beetle. (23rd April 2013)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Ito, Yuta; Harigai, Ayane; Nakata, Moe; Hosoya, Tadatsugu; Araya, Kunio; Oba, Yuichi; Ito, Akinori; Ohde, Takahiro; Yaginuma, Toshinobu; Niimi, Teruyuki
• Is Part Of: EMBO reports. Volume 14:Number 6(2013)
• Page Start: 561
• Page End: 567
• Publication Date: 2013-04-23
• Subjects: doublesex -- Trypoxylus dichotomus -- exaggerated horn -- sexual dimorphism -- sexual selection; Molecular biology -- Periodicals; Molecular Biology -- Periodicals; Molecular biology; Periodicals; 572.8
• DOI: 10.1038/embor.2013.50
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1469-221X

Abstract

Abstract : Male‐specific exaggerated horns are an evolutionary novelty and have diverged rapidly via intrasexual selection. Here, we investigated the function of the conserved sex‐determination gene doublesex ( dsx ) in the Japanese rhinoceros beetle ( Trypoxylus dichotomus ) using RNA interference (RNAi). Our results show that the sex‐specific T. dichotomus dsx isoforms have an antagonistic function for head horn formation and only the male isoform has a role for thoracic horn formation. These results indicate that the novel sex‐specific regulation of dsx during horn morphogenesis might have been the key evolutionary developmental event at the transition from sexually monomorphic to sexually dimorphic horns. The role of doublesex in the evolution of exaggerated horns in the Japanese rhinoceros beetle: The doublesex ( dsx ) gene controls sex‐specific morphologies in a wide variety of animals. This study shows that dsx has an antagonistic role in male and female rhinoceros beetle head horn formation and suggests that this sex‐specific regulation of dsx was crucial for the evolution of exaggerated male horns.