Cell-based analysis reveals sex-determining gene signals in Ostrinia are pivotally changed by male-killing Wolbachia

Males of various arthropod taxa are killed because of maternally inherited endosymbionts during the early developmental stages. In Ostrinia scapulalis, males destined to die exhibit aberrations in dosage compensation, a mechanism that adjusts the doses of sex-chromosome-linked genes between the sexes, owing to Wolbachia-induced feminization. Herein, we show that artificially reconstructed endosymbiosis in vitro recapitulates the feminizing action of Wolbachia in vivo. Comparative transcriptome analysis revealed two sex-determining genes that were alternatively spliced owing to Wolbachia infection. We revealed that each of the sex-determining gene signals was differentially expressed depending on the developmental stages of O. scapulalis and Wolbachia infection status; this may provide a new avenue in the investigation of the mechanism by which Wolbachia overrides host sex determination.