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Segregation of the amphitelically attached univalent X chromosome in the spittlebug Philaenus spumarius

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Abstract

In meiosis I, homologous chromosomes combine to form bivalents, which align on the metaphase plate. Homologous chromosomes then separate in anaphase I. Univalent sex chromosomes, on the other hand, are unable to segregate in the same way as homologous chromosomes of bivalents due to their lack of a homologous pairing partner in meiosis I. Here, we studied univalent segregation in a Hemipteran insect: the spittlebug Philaenus spumarius. We determined the chromosome number and sex determination mechanism in our population of P. spumarius and showed that, in male meiosis I, there is a univalent X chromosome. We discovered that the univalent X chromosome in primary spermatocytes forms an amphitelic attachment to the spindle and aligns on the metaphase plate with the autosomes. Interestingly, the X chromosome remains at spindle midzone long after the autosomes have separated. In late anaphase I, the X chromosome initiates movement towards one spindle pole. This movement appears to be correlated with a loss of microtubule connections between the kinetochore of one chromatid and its associated spindle pole.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Art Forer for interesting discussions about our experiments and the implications of our results. We thank two anonymous reviewers for their constructive suggestions. KDF was funded by a Bucknell University Graduate Research Fellowship and a Robert P. Vidinghoff Memorial Summer Internship through the Bucknell University Biology Department. NAR was funded by the Russo Fund for Undergraduate Research in Biological Sciences through the Bucknell University Biology Department. MBL and LQ were funded by the National Science Foundation (grant number NSF DUE-1317446).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biology Department, Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA, 17837, USA

    Kristen D. Felt, Makayla B. Lagerman, Nigel A. Ravida, Lu Qian, Samantha R. Powers & Leocadia V. Paliulis

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  1. Kristen D. Felt
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  2. Makayla B. Lagerman
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  3. Nigel A. Ravida
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  4. Lu Qian
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  5. Samantha R. Powers
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  6. Leocadia V. Paliulis
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Correspondence to Leocadia V. Paliulis.

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All applicable international, national, and/or institutional guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed. This article does not contain any studies with human participants performed by any of the authors.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Handling Editor: Douglas Chandler

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Felt, K.D., Lagerman, M.B., Ravida, N.A. et al. Segregation of the amphitelically attached univalent X chromosome in the spittlebug Philaenus spumarius . Protoplasma 254, 2263–2271 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00709-017-1117-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00709-017-1117-9

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