Developing Y chromosome sex ratio distorters in the model insect Drosophila melanogaster

Abstract

CRISPR-Cas9 sex ratio distortion (SRD) systems can suppress insect populations by biasing progeny toward males, but realizing such systems requires reliable Cas9 expression from insect Y chromosomes. Here, we tested whether the spermatocyte-specific {beta}Tub85D promoter can drive functional Cas9 expression when inserted on the Drosophila melanogaster Y chromosome. Using CRISPR-mediated homology-directed repair, we generated a Y-linked {beta}Tub85D-Cas9-T2A-eGFP construct and compared its activity with an autosomal counterpart. Whereas autosomal {beta}Tub85D-Cas9 induced strong male-biased sex ratios when paired with an X-poisoning gRNA, the Y-linked construct failed to distort sex ratios and exhibited approximately 2,000-fold reduction in Cas9 transcript abundance. Nonetheless, weak but detectable GFP fluorescence and Cas9 transcripts confirmed partial Y-linked promoter activity. These findings provide the first direct experimental evidence of meiotic sex chromosome inactivation (MSCI) acting on the Drosophila Y chromosome, revealing that meiotic promoters can remain weakly active despite strong repression. This work defines transcriptional limits of the Drosophila Y chromosome and informs the design of next-generation Y-linked gene drives for sustainable insect control.