A STUDY OF THE GENETIC BASIS OF THE SEXUAL DIMORPHISM FOR WING LENGTH IN DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER

Genetics ◽  
1972 ◽  
Vol 72 (3) ◽  
pp. 475-487
Author(s):  
Margaret A Bird ◽  
H E Schaffer
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Sexual Dimorphism ◽  
Genetic Variability ◽  
Genetic Basis ◽  
Wing Length ◽  
Quantitative Character ◽  
Sex Dimorphism ◽  
Male Wing ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Chromosome Iii

ABSTRACT The genetic basis of a sexually dimorphic quantitative character in Drosophila melanogaster was investigated by means of two-way directional selection for increased and decreased differences between male and female wing length. The sex dimorphism (SD), defined as the mean wing length difference between the sexes, within families, provided the criterion for selection.—The two lines (High SD, Low SD) diverged rapidly during the 15 generations of selection, indicating the presence of extensive genetic variability for the genotype-sex interaction underlying the observed sexual dimorphism. There was evidence that genetic variability persisted in both lines when selection was relaxed. Most of the divergence between the two lines remained after 10 generations of relaxed selection.—The change in the level of sex dimorphism in the High line was due primarily to a decrease in male wing length; in the Low line most of the change in SD was the result of a decrease in female wing length. An overall reduction in wing length in both sexes in both lines is interpreted as an effect of inbreeding.—The distribution and nature of the genetic control underlying the SD characteristic of the two selection lines was investigated by chromosome substitution between selection lines using a marked inversion technique. The two lines differed by factors located on each of the three major chromosome pairs. Chromosome III had the greatest effect on the difference in SD level between lines, and showed an overall additive effect when present in homozygous versus heterozygous combination. Chromosome II had the least effect, with a significant dominance effect of the High II being evident when heterozygotes were compared with homozygotes. The effect of the X chromosome was intermediate. There was some evidence of interaction between non-homologous chromosomes.

scholarly journals Genetic control of male cuticular hydrocarbons in Drosophila melanogaster

1996 ◽  
Vol 67 (3) ◽  
pp. 211-218 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean-François Ferveur ◽  
Jean-Marc Jallon
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Genetic Control ◽  
Cuticular Hydrocarbons ◽  
Genetic Basis ◽  
Genetic Factors ◽  
Geographic Origin ◽  
Courtship Behaviour ◽  
Functional Implication ◽  
Chromosome Iii ◽  
Chromosome Ii

Summary7-tricosene (7-T) and 7-pentacosene (7-P) are the two main hydrocarbons on the cuticle of male Drosophila melanogaster. These two substances might play a pheromonal role during courtship behaviour. We investigated the genetic basis of the quantitative polymorphism observed in the production of 7-T and 7-P. Strains of different geographic origin, with males producing either predominantly 7-T or predominantly 7-P, were hybridized with strains carrying genetic markers. We found that chromosome II changes the balance between 7-T and 7-P while chromosome III regulates the overall quantity of both 7-monoenes. We have also characterized and roughly mapped sept and smoq, two genetic factors on chromosome II that act additively on the production of both cuticular hydrocarbons. The genetic control of the variation in 7-T and 7-P varies between D. melanogaster strains and between D. melanogaster and its sibling species D.simulans. The possible evolutionary and physiological causes of this variation as well as its functional implication for courtship behaviour are discussed.

scholarly journals Historical recombination variability contributes to deciphering the genetic basis of phenotypic traits

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos Ruiz-Arenas ◽  
Alejandro Cáceres ◽  
Marcos López ◽  
Dolors Pelegrí-Sisó ◽  
Josefa González ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Genetic Variability ◽  
Genetic Basis ◽  
Potential Role ◽  
Selective Pressure ◽  
Real Data ◽  
Phenotypic Traits ◽  
Nonallelic Homologous Recombination ◽  
Historical Recombination

AbstractRecombination is a main source of genetic variability. However, the potential role of the variation generated by recombination in phenotypic traits, including diseases, remains unexplored as there is currently no method to infer chromosomal subpopulations based on recombination patterns differences. We developed recombClust, a method that uses SNP-phased data to detect differences in historic recombination in a chromosome population. We validated our method by performing simulations and by using real data to accurately predict the alleles of well known recombination modifiers, including common inversions in Drosophila melanogaster and human, and the chromosomes under selective pressure at the lactase locus in humans. We then applied recombClust to the complex human 1q21.1 region, where nonallelic homologous recombination produces deleterious phenotypes. We discovered and validated the presence of two different recombination histories in these regions that significantly associated with the differential expression of ANKRD35 in whole blood and that were in high linkage with variants previously associated with hypertension. By detecting differences in historic recombination, our method opens a way to assess the influence of recombination variation in phenotypic traits.

scholarly journals DIFFERENTIAL RESPONSE TO SELECTION ON THE TWO SEXES IN DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER

Genetics ◽  
1973 ◽  
Vol 74 (3) ◽  
pp. 533-542
Author(s):  
Domenico Lorenzo Palenzona ◽  
Rita Alicchio
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Genetic Variability ◽  
Selection Pressure ◽  
Wing Length ◽  
Differential Response ◽  
Complex Interaction ◽  
Gene Pools ◽  
Response To Selection ◽  
Selection For ◽  
Short Wing

ABSTRACT Artificial selection for short wing was performed in two Drosophila melanogaster populations with partially different gene pools: the C populations were derived from a Canton stock while the H lines were derived from a cross between Canton and a b, cn, vg strain. It is shown that in both populations selection on females (CF, HF) was more effective than selection on males (CM, HM). This difference cannot be explained in terms of differences in additive genetic variability between the two sexes because: (1) both sexes contribute to the genetic variability utilized by selection applied to one sex only, and (2) switching selection pressure on females in the M lines does not result in a response comparable to that obtained in the F populations; this rules out almost completely recombination as the responsible agent for the differences between the selection limits reached by M and F selections.—These results, together with several additional observations concerning sexual dimorphism, fitness and the effect of natural selection, suggest that a complex interaction should be involved in the differential response of M and F lines, controlling the wing length phenotype.

Genetic Basis for Repeated Mating in Drosophila melanogaster

1981 ◽  
Vol 117 (2) ◽  
pp. 133-146 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald W. Pyle ◽  
Mark H. Gromko
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Genetic Basis ◽  
Repeated Mating

scholarly journals INTRACISTRONIC MAPPING OF ELECTROPHORETIC SITES IN DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER: FIDELITY OF INFORMATION TRANSFER BY GENE CONVERSION

Genetics ◽  
1974 ◽  
Vol 76 (2) ◽  
pp. 289-299
Author(s):  
Margaret McCarron ◽  
William Gelbart ◽  
Arthur Chovnick
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Information Transfer ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Genetic Basis ◽  
Xanthine Dehydrogenase ◽  
Specific Protein ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Electrophoretic Variation ◽  
The Stability ◽  
Recombination Experiments

ABSTRACT A convenient method is described for the intracistronic mapping of genetic sites responsible for electrophoretic variation of a specific protein in Drosophila melanogaster. A number of wild-type isoalleles of the rosy locus have been isolated which are associated with the production of electrophoretically distinguishable xanthine dehydrogenases. Large-scale recombination experiments were carried out involving null enzyme mutants induced on electrophoretically distinct wild-type isoalleles, the genetic basis for which is followed as a nonselective marker in the cross. Additionally, a large-scale recombination experiment was carried out involving null enzyme rosy mutants induced on the same wild-type isoallele. Examination of the electrophoretic character of crossover and convertant products recovered from the latter experiment revealed that all exhibited the same parental electrophoretic character. In addition to documenting the stability of the xanthine dehydrogenase electrophoretic character, this observation argues against a special mutagenesis hypothesis to explain conversions resulting from allele recombination studies.

scholarly journals How informative is Wright's estimator of the number of genes affecting a quantitative character?

Genetics ◽  
1990 ◽  
Vol 126 (1) ◽  
pp. 235-247 ◽  
Author(s):  
Z B Zeng ◽  
D Houle ◽  
C C Cockerham
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Variance ◽  
Estimation Procedure ◽  
Expected Value ◽  
Allele Frequencies ◽  
Quantitative Character ◽  
Base Population ◽  
Single Population ◽  
Number Of Genes ◽  
Selection Limit ◽  
The Difference

Abstract S. Wright suggested an estimator, m, of the number of loci, m, contributing to the difference in a quantitative character between two differentiated populations, which is calculated from the phenotypic means and variances in the two parental populations and their F1 and F2 hybrids. The same method can also be used to estimate m contributing to the genetic variance within a single population, by using divergent selection to create differentiated lines from the base population. In this paper we systematically examine the utility and problems of this technique under the influences of unequal allelic effects and initial allele frequencies, and linkage, which are known to lead m to underestimate m. In addition, we examine the effects of population size and selection intensity during the generations of selection. During selection, the estimator m rapidly approaches its expected value at the selection limit. With reasonable assumptions about unequal allelic effects and initial allele frequencies, the expected value of m without linkage is likely to be on the order of one-third of the number of genes. The estimates suffer most seriously from linkage. The practical maximum expectation of m is just about the number of chromosomes, considerably less than the "recombination index" which has been assumed to be the upper limit. The estimates are also associated with large sampling variances. An estimator of the variance of m derived by R. Lande substantially underestimates the actual variance. Modifications to the method can ameliorate some of the problems. These include using F3 or later generation variances or the genetic variance in the base population, and replicating the experiments and estimation procedure. However, even in the best of circumstances, information from m is very limited and can be misleading.

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