Thrilled to share my last unpublished PhD work

A single QTL with large effect is associated with female functional virginity in an asexual parasitoid wasp

In this study, we investigate the genomic regions underpinning female functional virginity by QTL mapping and candidate gene analyses. Consistent with the segregation of phenotypes, our QTL analysis identified a single large-effect size QTL on LG12 at 7 or 8 cM, strongly associated with female functional virginity.

To our knowledge, this is the first study to identify candidate genes for female functional virginity, a trait that is predicted to evolve in transition from sexuality to asexuality. Overall, our results are consistent with a single gene or a cluster of linked genes underlying rapid evolution of female functional virginity in the transition to asexuality. Once a mutation for rejection to mate has swept through a population, the region comprising the gene(s) does not get smaller due to lack of recombination in asexuals.

More details and results about this article can be found here.

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