340 dipteran genomes reveal the origin of Muller elements and sex chromosomes in Diptera
4 affiliations
- 1Tree of Life, Wellcome Sanger Institute; Hinxton, CB10 1SA, UK
- 2Genetics, Evolution & Environment, University College London; London
- 3Darwin College, University of Cambridge; Cambridge, CB3 9EU, UK
- 4Genetics Department, University of Cambridge
Abstract
Diptera genome evolution is traditionally viewed through the lens of Drosophila melanogaster . To provide an unbiased picture of chromosome evolution in Diptera, we reconstructed six ancestral linkage groups (ALGs) and their rearrangements using 340 chromosome-level genome assemblies from 59 dipteran Families and two outgroups. Notably, Diptera ALGs are conserved in many Nematoceran lineages, while emergence of Brachycera coincided with four chromosomal fissions, which subsequently fused in various combinations. In Schizophora and relatives, a stable karyotype of five metacentric chromosomes and a chromosome homologous to the dot emerged that is remarkably stable with the notable exception of Drosophila, where the metacentric chromosomes became acrocentric Muller elements. Furthermore, our reconstruction reveals an ancient sex chromosome system associated with a small and gene-poor ALG that frequently fused to other chromosomes.
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BibTeX
@misc{gries2026dipteran,
title = {{340 dipteran genomes reveal the origin of Muller elements and sex chromosomes in Diptera}},
author = {Julia Gries and Sam Ebdon and Aleksandra Bliznina and Joanna Collins and Christina N. Hodson and Thomas C. Mathers and Arif Maulana and Shane McCarthy and Michael Paulini and Dominic E. Absolon and Ksenia Krasheninnikova and Mara Lawniczak and Richard Michael Durbin and Kamil S. Jaroň},
howpublished = {bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)},
year = {2026},
month = jun,
doi = {10.64898/2026.06.01.729285},
url = {https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.06.01.729285},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - 340 dipteran genomes reveal the origin of Muller elements and sex chromosomes in Diptera
AU - Julia Gries
AU - Sam Ebdon
AU - Aleksandra Bliznina
AU - Joanna Collins
AU - Christina N. Hodson
AU - Thomas C. Mathers
AU - Arif Maulana
AU - Shane McCarthy
AU - Michael Paulini
AU - Dominic E. Absolon
AU - Ksenia Krasheninnikova
AU - Mara Lawniczak
AU - Richard Michael Durbin
AU - Kamil S. Jaroň
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/06/04
PB - bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
DO - 10.64898/2026.06.01.729285
UR - https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.06.01.729285
AB - Diptera genome evolution is traditionally viewed through the lens of Drosophila melanogaster . To provide an unbiased picture of chromosome evolution in Diptera, we reconstructed six ancestral linkage groups (ALGs) and their rearrangements using 340 chromosome-level genome assemblies from 59 dipteran Families and two outgroups. Notably, Diptera ALGs are conserved in many Nematoceran lineages, while emergence of Brachycera coincided with four chromosomal fissions, which subsequently fused in various combinations. In Schizophora and relatives, a stable karyotype of five metacentric chromosomes and a chromosome homologous to the dot emerged that is remarkably stable with the notable exception of Drosophila, where the metacentric chromosomes became acrocentric Muller elements. Furthermore, our reconstruction reveals an ancient sex chromosome system associated with a small and gene-poor ALG that frequently fused to other chromosomes.
ER -