Molecular Analysis of Insect Meiosis and Sex Ratio Distortion

Abstract

It is arguable that gametogenesis is, if not preeminent, at least among the most critical processes in development. Errors in any other developmental system may result at worst in the genetic death of the individual organism affected, while errors in gametogenesis may lead to the propagation of deleterious genetic variants over many generations, potentially resulting in far reaching evolutionary effects. As our understanding of the general machinery of meiosis and gametogenesis improves, so do our opportunities for utilizing this information to co-opt the gametogenic process to alter the genetic makeup of individuals or even whole populations. A perfect example of this is the way in which our understanding of the meiotic disturbances arising from hybrid dysgenesis led to the development of genetic transformation technology in Drosophila (Spradling and Rubin 1981; Spradling 1986).