Show Notes
Yu C et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 2026.123:e2522417123 - Genetic mapping and comparative genomics show the lncRNA ANTSR multiallelic locus in Aculeata directs female development via heterozygosity despite lacking sequence homology. Key terms: ANTSR, Aculeata, lncRNA, complementary sex determination, heterozygosity.
Study Highlights:
The study analyzed 41 hymenopteran genomes and performed whole-genome resequencing and genetic mapping in Bombus terrestris and Vespa velutina nigrithorax to locate the sex-determining region. The ANTSR locus is a multiallelic noncoding interval between CRELD2 and THUMPD3 that is highly polymorphic and heterozygous in females but homozygous in diploid males across ants, bumblebees, and hornets. Comparative synteny shows the CRELD2–THUMPD3 block originated ~160–200 Mya and the locus has functioned as a zygosity-based female determinant for over 150 million years. Despite this deep functional conservation, alignments and phastCons analyses reveal no detectable sequence homology among distant aculeate lineages, and heterozygosity at ANTSR provides an actionable molecular sex marker for breeding and conservation.
Conclusion:
The ANTSR multiallelic noncoding locus is an ancient, positionally conserved zygosity-based sex determinant across Aculeata that has retained function for over 150 million years despite complete sequence divergence.
Music:
Enjoy the music based on this article at the end of the episode.
Article title:
Deep evolutionary conservation of a sex-determining locus without sequence homology
First author:
Yu C
Journal:
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 2026.123:e2522417123
DOI:
10.1073/pnas.2522417123
Reference:
Yu C, Moog S, Pan Q, Keller Valsecchi CI, Dupont S, Darrouzet E, Darras H, Hodapp D, Colgan TJ, et al. Deep evolutionary conservation of a sex-determining locus without sequence homology. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 2026;123:e2522417123. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2522417123
License:
This episode is based on an open-access article published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0) - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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QC:
This episode was checked against the original article PDF and publication metadata for the episode release published on 2026-01-20.
QC Scope:
- article metadata and core scientific claims from the narration
- excludes analogies, intro/outro, and music
- transcript coverage: Substantive audit of the transcript sections describing: (1) haplodiploid sex determination in Hymenoptera; (2) ANTSR locus and its position between CRELD2 and THUMPD3; (3) heterozygosity-dependent female development demonstrated in Bombus terrestris and Vespa velutina; (4) ANTSR as a long noncoding RNA; (5) absence of
- transcript topics: haplodiploid sex determination in Hymenoptera; ANTSR locus and CRELD2–THUMPD3 synteny; heterozygosity-based female determination at ANTSR; Bombus terrestris: lab crosses and diploid male production; Vespa velutina nigrithorax: field data and haplotype diversity; ANTSR as a long noncoding RNA
QC Summary:
- factual score: 10/10
- metadata score: 10/10
- supported core claims: 8
- claims flagged for review: 0
- metadata checks passed: 4
- metadata issues found: 0
Metadata Audited:
- article_doi
- article_title
- article_journal
- license
Factual Items Audited:
- ANTSR locus is a multiallelic noncoding region that determines female development via heterozygosity.
- ANTSR locus is located between CRELD2 and THUMPD3; synteny preserved across Aculeata with origin ~160–200 Myr ago.
- In Bombus terrestris, crosses yield diploid males; females are heterozygous at the ANTSR locus and diploid males are homozygous at that region.
- In Vespa velutina nigrithorax, a 13.3 kb interval on chromosome 23 shows female–heterozygous/diploid male–homozygous patterns; four haplotypes observed in France.
- ANTSR encodes a long noncoding RNA; sequence conservation across Aculeata is not detectable.
- Honey bees lost the ANTSR system and use csd as the primary sex determiner.
QC result: Pass.
