Mitochondria that manipulate sex in Physa acuta

We study cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) in a freshwater snail. This species is normally hermaphroditic, however individuals lose the male function when they carry a particular type of mitochondria. This system is well-known and has been modelled in flowering plants, we discovered it for the first time in animals. The animal system authorizes many new experimental approaches to explore this example of genomic conflict over dex determination.