Genomic compartmentalization of pervasive sex-biased gene expression in the vine mealybug Planococcus ficus
Abstract
The vine mealybug, Planococcus ficus, is a globally invasive pest of grapevine and a vector of leaf roll viruses. Like other mealybugs, it reproduces through paternal-genome elimination, a sex-determination system that operates without sex chromosomes and is associated with extreme sexual dimorphism. To characterize genome organization and sex-biased expression in this species, we generated a long-read reference genome spanning 369 Mb with 23,489 annotated genes and macrosynteny conserved with the citrus mealybug, Planococcus citri. Resequencing of 4 California field individuals provided the first genome-wide baseline of nucleotide diversity for P. ficus and 132 cross-validated microsatellite markers for population monitoring. Phloem feeders secrete proteins that mediate host interaction; of 2,129 predicted secreted proteins in P. ficus, a conserved core is shared with P. citri, and each carries a lineage-specific set. Comparing adult male and female transcriptomes, we found sex-biased expression to be pervasive and skewed toward females: 41% of tested genes differed between the sexes, with female-biased genes both more numerous and showing larger fold changes. These female-biased genes were not randomly distributed but concentrated in discrete blocks of coordinately expressed, tandemly duplicated gene families, a pattern not previously described in a mealybug. Male- and female-biased secreted proteins also differed in origin, with male-biased proteins drawn from a conserved repertoire shared with P. citri and female-biased proteins spanning a more lineage-specific pool. Together, these results reveal a female-skewed, spatially clustered architecture of sex-biased expression in a mealybug that lacks sex chromosomes, and provide genomic resources for managing an invasive vineyard pest.
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BibTeX
@article{cantu2026genomic,
title = {{Genomic compartmentalization of pervasive sex-biased gene expression in the vine mealybug Planococcus ficus}},
author = {Dario Cantu and Rosa Figueroa-Balderas and Mark Sisterson and Andrea Minio and Noé Cochetel and Rachel Naegele and Lindsey Burbank},
journal = {G3: Genes | Genomes | Genetics},
year = {2026},
month = aug,
doi = {10.1093/g3journal/jkag235},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1093/g3journal/jkag235},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Genomic compartmentalization of pervasive sex-biased gene expression in the vine mealybug Planococcus ficus
AU - Dario Cantu
AU - Rosa Figueroa-Balderas
AU - Mark Sisterson
AU - Andrea Minio
AU - Noé Cochetel
AU - Rachel Naegele
AU - Lindsey Burbank
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/08/20
JO - G3: Genes | Genomes | Genetics
DO - 10.1093/g3journal/jkag235
UR - https://doi.org/10.1093/g3journal/jkag235
AB - The vine mealybug, Planococcus ficus, is a globally invasive pest of grapevine and a vector of leaf roll viruses. Like other mealybugs, it reproduces through paternal-genome elimination, a sex-determination system that operates without sex chromosomes and is associated with extreme sexual dimorphism. To characterize genome organization and sex-biased expression in this species, we generated a long-read reference genome spanning 369 Mb with 23,489 annotated genes and macrosynteny conserved with the citrus mealybug, Planococcus citri. Resequencing of 4 California field individuals provided the first genome-wide baseline of nucleotide diversity for P. ficus and 132 cross-validated microsatellite markers for population monitoring. Phloem feeders secrete proteins that mediate host interaction; of 2,129 predicted secreted proteins in P. ficus, a conserved core is shared with P. citri, and each carries a lineage-specific set. Comparing adult male and female transcriptomes, we found sex-biased expression to be pervasive and skewed toward females: 41% of tested genes differed between the sexes, with female-biased genes both more numerous and showing larger fold changes. These female-biased genes were not randomly distributed but concentrated in discrete blocks of coordinately expressed, tandemly duplicated gene families, a pattern not previously described in a mealybug. Male- and female-biased secreted proteins also differed in origin, with male-biased proteins drawn from a conserved repertoire shared with P. citri and female-biased proteins spanning a more lineage-specific pool. Together, these results reveal a female-skewed, spatially clustered architecture of sex-biased expression in a mealybug that lacks sex chromosomes, and provide genomic resources for managing an invasive vineyard pest.
SN - 2160-1836
ER -