Single-nucleus transcriptomics of wing sexual dimorphism and scale cell specialization in sulphur butterflies
Fig 3
DsxF medial expression activates Bab in the female dorsal cover scales.
A, B. High-magnification views of central dorsal wings, showing dorsal cover-scale (dcs) specific transformation of non-UVI to UVI scales in female Dsx KOs. Males are unaffected by Dsx mKOs in the central region. Dashed lines indicate small patches of the wing where ground scales (gs) are exposed. C–D′. Immunofluorescent detection of the DsxDBD antigen in the dorsal layer of female and male wings between at 40% of development. The Bab antigen (green) marks both dorsal cover scales (dcs) and ground scales (gs) in females (C′), and only the ground scales in males. Forewings are shown in C′ and D′ insets. E, F. Immunofluorescence of Bab (green) in the control (E, contralateral left wing, horizontally flipped for re-orientation) and treated (F) female forewings following electroporation with Dsx siRNAs, shown at the 40% pupal stage. DAPI DNA stainings (blue) highlight rows of scale nuclei interspersed by smaller epithelial nuclei. Dsx RNAi results in loss of Bab expression in dorsal cover scales (dcs, dotted lines), while maintaining Bab expression in ground scales (gs, arrowheads). Scale bars: A, B = 100 μm; C, D = 1 mm; C′, D′, E, F = 10 μm.