Antagonistic pleiotropy for life-history traits at the gene expression level

Life-history trade-offs prevent different components of fitness from being maximized simultaneously. Although the existence of trade-offs has been clearly demonstrated, the 'classical' mechanism of adaptive resource allocation that should underlie them has recently received criticism. In this study, we explore the molecular mechanisms of life-history trade-offs by applying a quantitative genomic approach. Analysis of global gene expression in Drosophila melanogaster revealed 34 genes whose expression coincided with the genetic trade-off between larval survival and adult size. The joint expression of these candidate 'trade-off' genes explained 86.3% of the trade-off. Fourteen of these genes have known functions which suggest that the larval survival-adult size trade-off could be the result of resource allocation at the organismal level, but at the level of cellular metabolism the trade-off would reduce to a shift between energy metabolism versus protein biosynthesis, regulated by the RAS signalling pathway.     

Genes controlling malathion resistance in a laboratory-selected population of Drosophila melanogaster

The chromosomal locations of several genes responsible for increased malathion resistance in a laboratory-selected population of Drosophila melanogaster have been determined. These genes appear to be involved in the regulation of microsomal cytochrome P-450. A major gene on chromosome 2 (2-64) and at least two genes on chromosome 3 (near 3-58) control increased mixed function oxidase activity, and both larval and adult malathion resistance. Although the chromosome 2 locus was not associated with a significant increase in cytochrome P-450 content, SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of microsomal proteins detected increased silver staining of a polypeptide having a relative molecular mass (Mr) of about 52,000. Microsomes from strains carrying the chromosome 3 factors for resistance contained more cytochrome P-450 and increased amounts of two heme-staining protein bands (Mr = 50,000 and 54,000). The genes regulating these proteins were closely linked to striped at 3-62 and probably identical to the loci responsible for malathion resistance and increased mixed function oxidase activity. Other R genes on both chromosomes 2 and 3 as well as target resistance were required for the full expression of malathion resistance in the selected Drosophila population. Exposure of this Drosophila melanogaster population to malathion selected a polygenic system for the oxidative metabolism of insecticide.     

Covariation of larval gene expression and adult body size in natural populations of Drosophila melanogaster

Understanding adaptive phenotypic variation is one of the most fundamental problems in evolutionary biology. Genes involved in adaptation are most likely those that affect traits most intimately connected to fitness: life-history traits. The genetics of quantitative trait variation (including life histories) is still poorly understood, but several studies suggest that (1) quantitative variation might be the result of variation in gene expression, rather than protein evolution, and (2) natural variation in gene expression underlies adaptation. The next step in studying the genetics of adaptive phenotypic variation is therefore an analysis of naturally occuring covariation of global gene expression and a life-history trait. Here, we report a microarray study addressing the covariation in larval gene expression and adult body weight, a life-history trait involved in adaptation. Natural populations of Drosophila melanogaster show adaptive geographic variation in adult body size, with larger animals at higher latitudes. Conditions during larval development also affect adult size with larger flies emerging at lower temperatures. We found statistically significant differences in normalized larval gene expression between geographic populations at one temperature (genetic variation) and within geographic populations between temperatures (developmental plasticity). Moreover, larval gene expression correlated highly with adult weight, explaining 81% of its natural variation. Of the genes that show a correlation of gene expression with adult weight, most are involved in cell growth or cell maintenance or are associated with growth pathways.     

Redundant cis-acting elements control expression of the Drosophila affinidisjuncta Adh gene in the larval fat body.

The alcohol dehydrogenase (Adh) gene in the Hawaiian species of fruit fly, Drosophila affinidisjuncta, like the Adh genes from all Drosophila species analyzed, is expressed at high levels in the larval fat body via a larval-specific promoter. To identify the cis-acting elements involved in this highly conserved aspect of Adh gene expression, deleted D. affinidisjuncta genes were introduced into D. melanogaster by somatic transformation. Unlike previously described methods, this transformation system allows analysis of Adh gene expression specifically in the larval fat body. The arrangement of sequences influencing expression of the proximal promoter of this gene in the larval fat body differs markedly from that described for the Adh gene from the distant relative, D. melanogaster. Multiple redundant elements dispersed 5' and 3' to the gene, only some of which map to regions carrying evolutionarily conserved sequences, affect expression in the fat body. D. affinidisjuncta employs a novel mode of Adh gene regulation in which the proximal promoter is influenced by sequences having roles in expression of the distal promoter. This gene is also unique in that far upstream sequences can compensate for loss of sequences within 200 bp of the proximal RNA start site. Furthermore, expression is influenced in an unusual, context-dependent manner by a naturally-occurring 3' duplication of the proximal promoter--a feature found only in Hawaiian species.     

Molecular characterization of the Drosophila melanogaster urate oxidase gene, an ecdysone-repressible gene expressed only in the malpighian tubules.

The urate oxidase (UO) gene of Drosophila melanogaster is expressed during the third-instar larval and adult stages, exclusively within a subset of cells of the Malpighian tubules. The UO gene contains a 69-base-pair intron and encodes mature mRNAs of 1,224, 1,227, and 1,244 nucleotides, depending on the site of 3' endonucleolytic cleavage prior to polyadenylation. A direct repeat, 5'-AAGTGAGAGTGAT-3', is the proposed cis-regulatory element involved in 20-hydroxyecdysone repression of the UO gene. The deduced amino acid sequences of UO of D. melanogaster, rat, mouse, and pig and uricase II of soybean show 32 to 38% identity, with 22% of amino acid residues identical in all species. With use of P-element-mediated germ line transformation, 826 base pairs 5' and approximately 1,200 base pairs 3' of the D. melanogaster UO transcribed region contain all of the cis elements allowing for appropriate temporal regulation and Malpighian tubule-specific expression of the UO gene.     

Six4, a putative myogenin gene regulator, is not essential for mouse embryonal development

Six4 is a member of the Six family genes, homologues of Drosophila melanogaster sine oculis. The gene is thought to be involved in neurogenesis, myogenesis, and development of other organs, based on its specific expression in certain neuronal cells of the developing embryo and in adult skeletal muscles. To elucidate the biological roles of Six4, we generated Six4-deficient mice by replacing the Six homologous region and homeobox by the beta-galactosidase gene. 5-Bromo-4-chloro-3-indolyl-beta-D-galactopyranoside staining of the heterozygous mutant embryos revealed expression of Six4 in cranial and dorsal root ganglia, somites, otic and nasal placodes, branchial arches, Rathke's pouch, apical ectodermal ridges of limb buds, and mesonephros. The expression pattern was similar to that of Six1 except at the early stage of embryonic day 8.5. Six4-deficient mice were born according to the Mendelian rule with normal gross appearance and were fertile. No hearing defects were detected. Six4-deficient embryos showed no morphological abnormalities, and the expression patterns of several molecular markers, e.g., myogenin and NeuroD3 (neurogenin1), were normal. Our results indicate that Six4 is not essential for mouse embryogenesis and suggest that other members of the Six family seem to compensate for the loss of Six4.     

Architecture of the X chromosome, expression of LIM kinase 1, and recombination in the agnostic mutants of Drosophila: a model of human Williams syndrome

As the Human Genome and Drosophila Genome Projects were completed, it became clear that functions of human disease-associated genes may be elucidated by studying the phenotypic expression of mutations affecting their structural or functional homologs in Drosophila. Genomic diseases were identified as a new class of human disorders. Their cause is recombination, which takes place at gene-flanking duplicons to generate chromosome aberrations such as deletions, duplications, inversions, and translocations. The resulting imbalance of the dosage of developmentally important genes arises at a frequency of 10(-3) (higher than the mutation rate of individual genes) and leads to syndromes with multiple manifestations, including cognitive defects. Genomic DNA fragments were cloned from the Drosophila melanogaster agnostic locus, whose mutations impair learning ability and memory. As a result, the locus was exactly localized in X-chromosome region 11A containing the LIM kinase 1 (LIMK1) gene (CG1848), which is conserved among many species. Hemizygosity for the LIMK1 gene, which is caused by recombination at neighboring extended repeats, underlies cognitive disorders in human Williams syndrome. LIMK1 is a component of the integrin signaling cascade, which regulates the functions of the actin cytoskeleton, synaptogenesis, and morphogenesis in the developing brain. Immunofluorescence analysis revealed LIMK1 in all subdomains of the central complex and the visual system of Drosophila melanogaster. Like in the human genome, the D. melanogaster region is flanked by numerous repeats, which were detected by molecular genetic methods and analysis of ectopic chromosome pairing. The repeats determined a higher rate of spontaneous and induced recombination. including unequal crossing over, in the agnostic gene region. Hence, the agnostic locus was considered as the first D. melanogaster model suitable for studying the genetic defect associated with Williams syndrome in human.