GEPHE SUMMARY Print
Gephebase Gene
bab
Entry Status
Published
GepheID
GP00002009
Main curator
Courtier
PHENOTYPIC CHANGE
Trait Category
Trait State in Taxon A
Drosophila melanogaster - light pigmentation
Trait State in Taxon B
Drosophila fuyamai - lighter pigmentation; increased expression levels of bab
Ancestral State
Unknown
Taxonomic Status
Taxon A
Common Name
fruit fly
Synonyms
Sophophora melanogaster; fruit fly; Drosophila melanogaster Meigen, 1830; Sophophora melanogaster (Meigen, 1830); Drosophila melangaster
Rank
species
Lineage
Show more ... 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
Common Name
-
Synonyms
-
Rank
species
Lineage
Show more ... ra; Brachycera; Muscomorpha; Eremoneura; Cyclorrhapha; Schizophora; Acalyptratae; Ephydroidea; Drosophilidae; Drosophilinae; Drosophilini; Drosophila; Sophophora; melanogaster group; rhopaloa subgroup
NCBI Taxonomy ID
is Taxon B an Infraspecies?
No
GENOTYPIC CHANGE
Presumptive Null
No
Molecular Type
Aberration Type
Molecular Details of the Mutation
causing mutation(s) unknown. Cis-regulatory element assayed with a GFP reporter in D. melanogaster.
Experimental Evidence
Authors
Rogers WA; Salomone JR; Tacy DJ; Camino EM; Davis KA; Rebeiz M; Williams TM
Abstract
The development of morphological traits occurs through the collective action of networks of genes connected at the level of gene expression. As any node in a network may be a target of evolutionary change, the recurrent targeting of the same node would indicate that the path of evolution is biased for the relevant trait and network. Although examples of parallel evolution have implicated recurrent modification of the same gene and cis-regulatory element (CRE), little is known about the mutational and molecular paths of parallel CRE evolution. In Drosophila melanogaster fruit flies, the Bric-à-brac (Bab) transcription factors control the development of a suite of sexually dimorphic traits on the posterior abdomen. Female-specific Bab expression is regulated by the dimorphic element, a CRE that possesses direct inputs from body plan (ABD-B) and sex-determination (DSX) transcription factors. Here, we find that the recurrent evolutionary modification of this CRE underlies both intraspecific and interspecific variation in female pigmentation in the melanogaster species group. By reconstructing the sequence and regulatory activity of the ancestral Drosophila melanogaster dimorphic element, we demonstrate that a handful of mutations were sufficient to create independent CRE alleles with differing activities. Moreover, intraspecific and interspecific dimorphic element evolution proceeded with little to no alterations to the known body plan and sex-determination regulatory linkages. Collectively, our findings represent an example where the paths of evolution appear biased to a specific CRE, and drastic changes in function were accompanied by deep conservation of key regulatory linkages.
Additional References
RELATED GEPHE
Related Haplotypes
5
EXTERNAL LINKS
COMMENTS
@SexualTrait
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