GEPHE SUMMARY
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Gephebase Gene
Entry Status
Published
GepheID
GP00001097
Main curator
Courtier
PHENOTYPIC CHANGE
Trait Category
Trait State in Taxon A
Drosophila erecta - light abdomen females ; Drosophila orena
Trait State in Taxon B
Drosophila erecta - dark abdomen females
Ancestral State
Taxon A
Taxonomic Status
Taxon A
Latin Name
Common Name
-
Synonyms
-
Rank
species
Lineage
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Brachycera; Muscomorpha; Eremoneura; Cyclorrhapha; Schizophora; Acalyptratae; Ephydroidea; Drosophilidae; Drosophilinae; Drosophilini; Drosophila; Sophophora; melanogaster group; melanogaster subgroup
NCBI Taxonomy ID
is Taxon A an Infraspecies?
No
Taxon B
Latin Name
Common Name
-
Synonyms
-
Rank
species
Lineage
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Brachycera; Muscomorpha; Eremoneura; Cyclorrhapha; Schizophora; Acalyptratae; Ephydroidea; Drosophilidae; Drosophilinae; Drosophilini; Drosophila; Sophophora; melanogaster group; melanogaster subgroup
NCBI Taxonomy ID
is Taxon B an Infraspecies?
No
GENOTYPIC CHANGE
Generic Gene Name
t
Synonyms
CG12120; Dmel\CG12120; Tan; tan; Dmel_CG12120
String
-
Sequence Similarities
-
GO - Molecular Function
GO:0016787 : hydrolase activity
... show more
GO - Biological Process
GO - Cellular Component
Presumptive Null
Molecular Type
Aberration Type
Molecular Details of the Mutation
exact causing mutation(s) unknown - the t_MSE enhancer from the dark allele drives higher levels of GFP expression in D. melanogaster than from the light allele
Experimental Evidence
Main Reference
Authors
Yassin A; Bastide H; Chung H; Veuille M; David JR; Pool JE
Abstract
Dimorphic traits are ubiquitous in nature, but the evolutionary factors leading to dimorphism are largely unclear. We investigate a potential case of sexual mimicry in Drosophila erecta, in which females show contrasting resemblance to males. We map the genetic basis of this sex-limited colour dimorphism to a region containing the gene tan. We find a striking signal of ancient balancing selection at the 'male-specific enhancer' of tan, with exceptionally high sequence divergence between light and dark alleles, suggesting that this dimorphism has been adaptively maintained for millions of years. Using transgenic reporter assays, we confirm that these enhancer alleles encode expression differences that are predicted to generate this pigmentation dimorphism. These results are compatible with the theoretical prediction that divergent phenotypes maintained by selection can evolve simple genetic architectures.
Additional References
RELATED GEPHE
Related Genes
No matches found.
Related Haplotypes
No matches found.
EXTERNAL LINKS
COMMENTS
@BalancingSelection @SexualTrait
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