Ubiquitous Selfish Toxin-Antidote Elements in Caenorhabditis Species.

摘要: Summary Toxin-antidote elements (TAs) are selfish genetic dyads that spread in populations by selectively killing non-carriers. TAs common prokaryotes, but very few examples known animals. Here, we report the discovery of maternal-effect both C. tropicalis and C. briggsae, two distant relatives C. elegans. In C. tropicalis, multiple combine to cause a striking degree intraspecific incompatibility: five reduce fitness >70% F2 hybrid progeny Caribbean isolates. We identified genes underlying one novel TAs, slow-1/grow-1, found its toxin, slow-1, is homologous nuclear hormone receptors. Remarkably, although previously act during embryonic development, maternal loading slow-1 oocytes specifically slows down larval delaying onset reproduction several days. Finally, balancing selection acting on linked, conflicting hampers their ability populations, leading more stable incompatibilities. Our findings indicate widespread Caenorhabditis species target wide range developmental processes antagonism between them may lasting incompatibilities natural populations. We expect similar phenomena exist other animal species.