P. Ferree publishes article entitled: Ability of a selfish B chromosome to evade genome elimination in the jewel wasp, Nasonia vitripennis
Biologist Patrick Ferree and student co-authors Haena Lee (Scripps), Christina Seo (CMC), Salina Teklay (Scripps), and Emily Yuguchi (Scripps) published a study in the journal Heredity. Their work features a parasitic chromosome in the jewel wasp. This chromosome kills the other chromosomes in the wasp’s genome in order to convert the wasp sex from female to male. This action is needed in order to selfishly propagate the parasitic chromosome because it is transmitted only from males to their offspring. Their study uncovers evidence explaining how the parasitic chromosome is able to destroy the other chromosomes but not itself.