The jewel wasp Nasonia: Querying the genome with haplo‐diploid genetics

Abstract

The jewel wasp Nasonia vitripennis is considered the "Drosophila melanogaster of the Hymenoptera." This diminutive wasp offers insect geneticists a means for applying haplo-diploid genetics to the analysis of developmental processes. As in bees, haploid males develop from unfertilized eggs, while diploid females develop from fertilized eggs. Nasonia's advantageous combination of haplo-diploid genetics and ease of handling in the laboratory facilitates screening the entire genome for recessive mutations affecting a developmental process of interest. This approach is currently directed toward understanding the evolution of embryonic pattern formation by comparing Nasonia embryogenesis to that of Drosophila. Haplo-diploid genetics also facilitates developing molecular maps and mapping polygenic traits. Moreover, Nasonia embryos are also proving amenable to cell biological analysis. These capabilities are being exploited to understand a variety of behavioral, developmental, and evolutionary processes, ranging from cytoplasmic incompatibility to the evolution of wing morphology.

Wolbachia modification of sperm does not always require residence within developing sperm

“…To determine the proportion of developing sperm infected, testes from 10 males were dissected from the yellow pupal stage (just before the beginning of meiosis) (Pultz and Leaf, 2003). Cysts were removed and further disrupted by brief pipetting.…”

Additional evidence for the genomic imprinting model of sex determination in the haplodiploid wasp Nasonia vitripennis: isolation of biparental diploid males after X-ray mutagenesis

“…However, few examples of individual imprinted genes have been described for insects (Herrick and Seger, 1999;Lloyd, 2000). The Nasonia model system provides the opportunity to define such genes using classical genetic approaches and to study them at the molecular level using genome-era tools, which include a RAPD map based on interspecific crosses between N. vitripennis and a related species N. giraulti; high-density microsatellite and AFLP maps; BAC and EST libraries; and complete genome sequences of N. vitripennis, N. giraulti and a third Nasonia species, N. longicornis (Gadau et al, 1999;Pultz and Leaf, 2003;Ruetten et al, 2004;J Werren, personal communication). In addition, the molecular characterization of sex determination in the honeybee and the completion of its genome sequence will facilitate the exploration of the molecular basis of sex determination in Nasonia and comparative studies of sex determination in haplodiploid species that use different primary sexdetermining signals (Beye et al, 2003;Beye, 2004;Evans et al, 2004).…”

“…Culture of wasps on host pupae Nasonia (formerly known as Mormoniella) vitripennis is a parasitic wasp; the life cycle and culture of this organism has been described in detail by Whiting (1967) and Pultz and Leaf (2003). We used pupae of the blowfly Sarcophaga bullata as hosts; after eclosing, female wasps were fed 2% sucrose until they were given host pupae.…”

“…The parasitic wasp Nasonia vitripennis has been the focus of genetic studies of hymenopteran developmental and evolutionary biology and recently was chosen for complete genome sequencing by the National Human Genome Research Institute (Page et al, 2002;Beukeboom and Desplan, 2003;Pultz and Leaf, 2003;Shuker et al, 2003;JH Werren, personal communication). As in other hymenopterans, Nasonia reproduces by haplodiploidy.…”

Courtship Behavior and Detection of Female Receptivity in the Parasitoid Wasp Urolepis rufipes

“…The present study provides a detailed description of mating behavior in the parasitoid wasp Urolepis rufipes (Pteromalidae) and experimentally examines some proximal mechanisms of mating behavior. Within the family Pteromalidae, Urolepis is closely related to Nasonia (Burks 1979;2006;McAllister and Werren 1997), which is sometimes referred to as the Drosophila of the Hymenoptera (Pultz and Leaf 2003). There is a relatively large amount of information available on Nasonia species, particularly on N. vitripennis.…”