Virgin Birth Now Possible for Fruit Flies as Genetic Engineering Induce Parthenogenesis

Genetic engineering has been used to induce parthenogenesis in fruit flies, making it possible for them to reproduce without mating or giving a virgin birth.

Triggering Virgin Birth Via Genetic Engineering

Genetic engineering has been utilized for the first time to cause "virgin birth" in female animals that typically require a male companion to reproduce.

In the past, scientists have produced baby frogs and mice without the genetic contribution of a male father. But rather than enabling virgin birth, popularly known as parthenogenesis, in female animals, those babies were created by manipulating egg cells in laboratory dishes.

According to Alexis Sperling, a University of Cambridge developmental biologist, earlier studies have found candidate genes for parthenogenesis; however, her team not only identified these genes but also verified their functionality by activating them in a different species. Sperling is one of the study co-authors.

Reproduction Without Males

When male sperm fertilizes female eggs, mammals generate offspring.

Nevertheless, in lieu of engaging in sexual reproduction, numerous insect, lizard, and other animal species have undergone the process of parthenogenesis, which eliminates the need for a male's genetic contribution.

Sperling and her coworkers sequenced the genomes of two strains of the fly Drosophila mercatorum-one that reproduces sexually or as per the usual method and another that reproduces via parthenogenesis-in order to find the genes underlying parthenogenesis. To determine which genes are active during one process but not the other, the researchers then examined gene activity in eggs from flies that could undergo parthenogenesis in comparison to eggs from flies that are only capable of sexual reproduction.

44 genes that may be involved in parthenogenesis were found by the authors through comparison. The comparable genes were changed in the asexually unable fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster by the researchers.

Sperling claims that with genetically altered flies, the females searched for a male for around 40 days, or half of their lifespan, before giving up and giving a virgin birth, as per their statement published by the University of Cambridge.

Parthenogenesis in Fruit Flies

After experimenting with other gene combinations, the researchers discovered one that caused parthenogenesis in about 11% of female fruit flies. These genetically modified flies produced some progeny that could also undergo parthenogenesis.

Despite having solely their moms' genes, parthenogenetic flies weren't always exact replicas of their parents. Unlike most eggs produced by moms who reproduce through parthenogenesis, some of them possessed three sets of chromosomes.

The most efficient method of reproduction, according to Tanja Schwander, a University of Lausanne evolutionary biologist in Switzerland who has studied parthenogenesis in stick insects, is parthenogenesis. This is because animal sex is very difficult to do. According to Schwander, research into parthenogenesis aids in understanding the advantages and disadvantages of sexual reproduction.

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Implication on Agriculture

According to Chau-Ti Ting, a National Taiwan University evolutionary biologist in Taipei, the new research may also aid biologists in better comprehending the evolution of parthenogenesis itself. To understand how the behavior arose, she intends to find out whether other fly species contain parthenogenesis-related genes that are similar to those in D mercatorum.

Some agricultural pests, according to Sperling, employ parthenogenesis to reproduce swiftly, increasing their capacity to harm crops. A species of moth in the United Kingdom, for instance, switched to parthenogenesis due to the widespread use of pesticides that prevent the male moths from reproducing.

Sperling claims that the moths are currently a significant pest. She intends to investigate which laws and pest-control measures could encourage pests to rely on parthenogenesis, knowledge that could assist in controlling pests, Nature reports.

The study done by Sperling and her team was recently published in the journal Current Biology.

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