Dynamic Sex Chromosome Expression in Drosophila Male Germ Cells

Sharvani Mahadevaraju; Justin M. Fear; Miriam Akeju; Brian J. Galletta; Mara Maria Lisboa Santana Pinheiro; Camila C. Avelino; Diogo Cavalcanti Cabral-de-Mello; Katie Conlon; Stefania Dell’Orso; Zelalem Demere; Kush Mansuria; Carolina A. Mendonça; Octavio Manuel Palacios-Gimenez; Eli Ross; Max E Savery; Kevin Yu; Harold E. Smith; Vittorio Sartorelli; Haiwang Yang; Nasser M. Rusan; Maria D. Vibranovski; Erika L. Matunis; Brian Oliver

doi:10.1038/s41467-021-20897-y

Developmental BiologyNature CommunicationsFeb 9, 2021

Peer-reviewed journal article

Dynamic Sex Chromosome Expression in Drosophila Male Germ Cells

Sharvani Mahadevaraju iD, Justin M. Fear iD, Miriam Akeju iD, Brian J. Galletta iD, Mara Maria Lisboa Santana Pinheiro iD, Camila C. Avelino iD, Diogo Cavalcanti Cabral-de-Mello iD, Katie Conlon, Stefania Dell’Orso iD, Zelalem Demere iD, Kush Mansuria, Carolina A. Mendonça iD, Octavio Manuel Palacios-Gimenez iD, Eli Ross, Max E Savery iD, Kevin Yu iD, Harold E. Smith iD, Vittorio Sartorelli iD, Haiwang Yang iD, Nasser M. Rusan iD, Maria D. Vibranovski iD, Erika L. Matunis iD, Brian Oliver iD

Abstract

Sex chromosome gene content and expression is unusual. In many organisms the X and Y chromosomes are inactivated in spermatocytes, possibly as a defense mechanism against insertions into unpaired chromatin. In addition to current sex chromosomes, Drosophila has a small gene-poor X-chromosome relic (4th) that re-acquired autosomal status. Using single cell RNA-Seq, we demonstrate that the single X and pair of 4th chromosomes are specifically inactivated in primary spermatocytes. In contrast, genes on the single Y chromosome become maximally active in primary spermatocytes. Reduced X steady-state transcript levels are due to failed activation of RNA-Polymerase-II by phosphorylation of Serine 2 and 5. One Sentence SummarySex chromosome expression during spermatogenesis at the single cell level

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