Uncovering the sex-biased genes expression in Orthoptera, using as model the cricket Gryllus assimilis

Abstract

Orthoptera insects have a wide range of sex-determining systems including X0, neo-XY, neo-X1X2Y and X1X20, that putatively has independent origin and evolution with distinct degrees of heteromorphization, heterochromatinization and repetitive DNA accumulation. Although this diversity of sex determining systems has been extensively studied at the cytogenetic level, little has been analyzed at the genomic level, and little is known about X-chromosome biology in this order. In this study we will take advantage of RNA-seq data obtained from distinct tissues from the cricket Gryllus assimilis (X0/XX) to perform a comparative analysis of the gene content and expression of the X chromosome between sexes, autosomes, and sex-biased genes expression. Moreover, the generated data will be also used for comparison of satellite DNAs (satDNAs) expression analysis between sexes of X-linked sequences that were recently analyzed and recovered through genome analysis. In this point, the possible functional roles of satDNAs regarding the regulation gene, chromatin modulation or as functional components of important chromosomes structures like telomere, centromeres and sex chromosomes will be tested. (AU)