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.     

Organization and evolution of the alcohol dehydrogenase gene in Drosophila

The alcohol dehydrogenase (Adh) gene was isolated from Drosophila simulans and D. mauritiana, and the DNA sequence of a 4.6-kb region, containing the structural gene and flanking sequence, was determined for each. These sequences were compared with the Adh region of D. melanogaster to characterize changes that occur in the Drosophila genome during evolution and to identify conserved sequences of functional importance. Drosophila simulans and D. mauritiana Adh are organized in a manner similar to that of D. melanogaster Adh, including the presence of two promoters for the single Adh gene. This study identified conserved flanking elements that, in conjunction with other studies, suggest regions that may be involved in the control of Adh expression. Inter- and intraspecies comparisons revealed differences in the kinds of sequence changes that have accumulated. Sequence divergence in and around the Adh gene was used to assess inter- and intraspecies evolutionary relationships. Finally, there appears to be an unrelated structural gene located directly 3' of the Adh transcribed region.      

Tissue-Specific Expression Phenotypes of Hawaiian Drosophila Adh Genes in Drosophila Melanogaster Transformants

Interspecific differences in the tissue-specific patterns of expression displayed by the alcohol dehydrogenase (Adh) genes within the Hawaiian picture-winged Drosophila represent a rich source of evolutionary variation in gene regulation. Study of the cis-acting elements responsible for regulatory differences between Adh genes from various species is greatly facilitated by analyzing the behavior of the different Adh genes in a homogeneous background. Accordingly, the Adh gene from Drosophila grimshawi was introduced into the germ line of Drosophila melanogaster by means of P element-mediated transformation, and transformants carrying this gene were compared to transformants carrying the Adh genes from Drosophila affinidisjuncta and Drosophila hawaiiensis. The results indicate that the D. affinidisjuncta and D. grimshawi genes have relatively higher levels of expression and broader tissue distribution of expression than the D. hawaiiensis gene in larvae. All three genes are expressed at similar overall levels in adults, with differences in tissue distribution of enzyme activity corresponding to the pattern in the donor species. However, certain systematic differences between Adh gene expression in transformants and in the Hawaiian Drosophila are noted along with tissue-specific position effects in some cases. The implications of these findings for the understanding of evolved regulatory variation are discussed.     

Molecular analysis of alcohol dehydrogenase electromorphs in wild type and transformed Drosophila melanogaster

The protein expressed by the alcohol dehydrogenase locus (Adh) in D. melanogaster comprises a small group of electromorphs. We are able to study the expression of these electromorphs by electrophoretic separation and subsequent probing of blots of the separated polypeptides with antiserum for alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH). In the present study we have utilized this technique to study and compare the ADH electromorphs in wild type D. melanogaster with D. melanogaster transformants which carry an Adh gene from D. grimshawi, D. hawaiiensis or D. affinidisjuncta and produced functional ADH (10, 19). We have determined that polypeptides are produced by the donor loci in the transformed flies and further show that although the molecular weight of the expressed polypeptides is similar to D. melanogaster electromorphs, the isoelectric points are not similar. Thus this methodology offers the potential to study naturally occurring ADH electromorphs and null alleles independent of enzymatic activity assays.     

Excess Polymorphism at the Adh Locus in DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER

The evolutionary history of a region of DNA encompassing the Adh locus is studied by comparing patterns of variation in Drosophila melanogaster and its sibling species, D. simulans. An unexpectedly high level of silent polymorphism in the Adh coding region relative to the 5' and 3' flanking regions in D. melanogaster is revealed by a populational survey of restriction polymorphism using a four-cutter filter hybridization technique as well as by direct sequence comparisons. In both of these studies, a region of the Adh gene encompassing the three coding exons exhibits a frequency of polymorphism equal to that of a 4-kb 5' flanking region. In contrast, an interspecific sequence comparison shows a two-fold higher level of divergence in the 5' flanking sequence compared to the structural locus. Analysis of the patterns of variation suggest an excess of polymorphism within the D. melanogaster Adh locus, rather than lack of polymorphism in the 5' flanking region. An approach is outlined for testing neutral theory predictions about patterns of variation within and between species. This approach indicates that the observed patterns of variation are incompatible with an infinite site neutral model.