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.     

Two Alleles of Maize ALCOHOL DEHYDROGENASE 1 Have 3' Structural and Poly(a) Addition Polymorphisms

Two standard electrophoretic alleles of the maize alcohol dehydrogenase 1 locus (Adh1-1S and Adh1-1F) have been isolated and characterized. Restriction endonuclease mapping shows that a region of less than 5 kb is conserved in both alleles and is flanked both 5' and 3' by regions highly polymorphic for restriction sites. Nucleotide sequence comparison of these two alleles reveals that polymorphism in the 3' flanking region is due to rearrangements including tandem duplications, a transposable element-like insertion and a deletion. S1 nuclease analysis shows that both the Adh1-1S and the Adh1-1F alleles contain multiple poly(A) addition sites; four sites are observed for the Adh1-1S alleles and seven sites for the Adh1-1F allele. Only two of these poly(A) addition sites appear to be identical in the two alleles. No consensus signal for poly(A) addition is observed near any of these sites.     

Inferring the Evolutionary Histories of the Adh and Adh-Dup Loci in Drosophila Melanogaster from Patterns of Polymorphism and Divergence

The DNA sequences of 11 Drosophila melanogaster lines are compared across three contiguous regions, the Adh and Adh-dup loci and a noncoding 5' flanking region of Adh. Ninety-eight of approximately 4750 sites are segregating in the sample, 36 in the 5' flanking region, 38 in Adh and 24 in Adh-dup. Several methods are presented to test whether the patterns and levels of polymorphism are consistent with neutral molecular evolution. The analysis of within- and between-species polymorphism indicates that the region is evolving in a nonneutral and complex fashion. A graphical analysis of the data provides support for a hypothesized balanced polymorphism at or near position 1490, site of the amino acid replacement difference between Adhf and Adhs. The Adh-dup locus is less polymorphic than Adh and all 24 of its polymorphisms occur at low frequency--suggestive of a recent selective substitution in the Adh-dup region. Adhs alleles form two distinct evolutionary lineages that differ one from another at a total of nineteen sites in the Adh and Adh-dup loci. The polymorphisms are in complete linkage disequilibrium. A recombination experiment failed to find evidence for recombination suppression between the two allelic classes. Two hypotheses are presented to account for the widespread distribution of the two divergent lineages in natural populations. Natural selection appears to have played an important role in governing the overall patterns of nucleotide variation across the two-gene region.     

Evidence for Positive Selection in the Superoxide Dismutase (Sod) Region of Drosophila Melanogaster

DNA sequence variation in a 1410-bp region including the Cu,Zn Sod locus was examined in 41 homozygous lines of Drosophila melanogaster. Fourteen lines were from Barcelona, Spain, 25 were from California populations and the other two were from laboratory stocks. Two common electromorphs, SOD(S) and SOD(F), are segregating in the populations. Our sample of 41 lines included 19 Sod(S) and 22 Sod(F) alleles (henceforward referred to as Slow and Fast alleles). All 19 Slow alleles were identical in sequence. Of the 22 Fast alleles sequenced, nine were identical in sequence and are referred to as the Fast A haplotypes. The Slow allele sequence differed from the Fast A haplotype at a single nucleotide site, the site that accounts for the amino acid difference between SOD(S) and SOD(F). There were nine other haplotypes among the remaining 13 Fast alleles sequenced. The overall level of nucleotide diversity (π) in this sample is not greatly different than that found at other loci in D. melanogaster. It is concluded that the Slow/Fast polymorphism is a recently arisen polymorphism, not an old balanced polymorphism. The large group of nearly identical haplotypes suggests that a recent mutation, at the Sod locus or tightly linked to it, has increased rapidly in frequency to around 50%, both in California and Spain. The application of a new statistical test demonstrates that the occurrence of such large numbers of haplotypes with so little variation among them is very unlikely under the usual equilibrium neutral model. We suggest that the high frequency of some haplotypes is due to natural selection at the Sod locus or at a tightly linked locus.     

Analysis of the gene encoding the multifunctional alcohol dehydrogenase allozyme ADH-71k of Drosophila melanogaster

The nucleotide sequence of the alcohol dehydrogenase gene Adh71k has been determined. The Adh71k allele encodes the thermostable and multifunctional ADH-71k allozyme of Drosophila melanogaster. Comparison with the sequences of AdhS, AdhF, and AdhFChD reveals differences in the coding and noncoding regions of the gene. Conceptual translation of the Adh71k sequence indicates that ADH-71k shares with ADH-F and ADH-FCHD an amino acid replacement at residue 192 and with ADH-FCHD an additional replacement of serine for proline at residue 214. Three unique differences were found in the nontranslated regions. It is proposed that a nucleotide deletion in the adult intron is related to the difference in expression level of the Adh71k allele, relative to the other alleles. An insertion of five nucleotides, additional to a single base deletion at that site, was detected in one of the larval enhancer regions in the 5' flanking region of the Adh71k allele, creating a palindromic structure in that area.     

Deletion of a conserved regulatory element in the Drosophila Adh gene leads to increased alcohol dehydrogenase activity but also delays development

In vivo levels of enzymatic activity may be increased through either structural or regulatory changes. Here we use Drosophila melanogaster alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) in an experimental test for selective differences between these two mechanisms. The well-known ADH-Slow (S)/Fast (F) amino acid replacement leads to a twofold increase in activity by increasing the catalytic efficiency of the enzyme. Disruption of a highly conserved, negative regulatory element in the Adh 3' UTR also leads to a twofold increase in activity, although this is achieved by increasing in vivo Adh mRNA and protein concentrations. These two changes appear to be under different types of selection, with positive selection favoring the amino acid replacement and purifying selection maintaining the 3' UTR sequence. Using transgenic experiments we show that deletion of the conserved 3' UTR element increases adult and larval Adh expression in both the ADH-F and ADH-S genetic backgrounds. However, the 3' UTR deletion also leads to a significant increase in developmental time in both backgrounds. ADH allozyme type has no detectable effect on development. These results demonstrate a negative fitness effect associated with Adh overexpression. This provides a mechanism whereby natural selection can discriminate between alternative pathways of increasing enzymatic activity.     

Nucleotide Polymorphism in the Adh1 Locus of Pearl Millet (Pennisetum Glaucum) (Poaceae)

We investigated nucleotide polymorphism in the Adh1 locus of pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) (Poaceae) by determining the DNA sequence of 20 alleles from 10 individuals. The individuals were sampled from throughout pearl millet's indigenous range and represent both wild and cultivated accessions. Our results indicated that there is little nucleotide polymorphism in the Adh1 locus. Estimates of per site nucleotide polymorphism did not differ significantly between cultivated and wild millet accessions. We compared nucleotide polymorphism in pearl millet Adh1 with nucleotide polymorphism in maize (Zea mays) Adh1 and conclude that the maize Adh1 sample is more polymorphic. Increased polymorphism in maize Adh1 may be attributable, in part, to faster substitution rates in the maize lineage. Analysis suggests that substitution rates in the maize Adh1 lineage are ~1.7 times faster than substitution rates in the millet Adh1 lineage.     

Transposon-mediated mutations in the untranslated leader of maize Adh1 that increase and decrease pollen-specific gene expression.

The unstable mutation Adh1-Fm335 contains a Dissociation (Ds1) transposable element at position +53 in the untranslated leader of the maize Alcohol dehydrogenase-1 (Adh1) gene. Excision of Ds1 is known to generate new alleles with small additions and rearrangements of Adh1 DNA. We characterized 16 revertant alleles with respect to ADH1 activity levels in scutellum (nutritive tissue of the seed), anaerobic root, and pollen. Whereas gene expression was not different from the wild type in the sporophytic tissues of the scutellum and anaerobic root, there were strong allelic differences in pollen. One allele underexpressed pollen ADH1 at 48% of the wild-type level, and another overexpressed pollen ADH1 at 163% of the wild-type level. Quantitative RNase protection assays demonstrated that the mutant phenotypes reflected changes in the levels of steady state mRNA in pollen. These data provide a definitive demonstration of an overexpression mutant in plants and further show that marked increases in mRNA levels can follow minor alterations in central untranslated leader sequences. The nucleotide sequence of 12 new revertant alleles and the molecular mechanisms responsible for pollen-specific gene expression are discussed.     

Activity variation in alcohol dehydrogenase paralogs is associated with adaptation to cactus host use in cactophilic Drosophila

Drosophila mojavensis and Drosophila arizonae are species of cactophilic flies that share a recent duplication of the alcohol dehydrogenase (Adh) locus. One paralog (Adh-2) is expressed in adult tissues and the other (Adh-1) in larvae and ovaries. Enzyme activity measurements of the ADH-2 amino acid polymorphism in D. mojavensis suggest that the Fast allozyme allele has a higher activity on 2-propanol than 1-propanol. The Fast allele was found at highest frequency in populations that utilize hosts with high proportions of 2-propanol, while the Slow allele is most frequent in populations that utilize hosts with high proportions of 1-propanol. This suggests that selection for ADH-2 allozyme alleles with higher activity on the most abundant alcohols is occurring in each D. mojavensis population. In the other paralog, ADH-1, significant differences between D. mojavensis and D. arizonae are associated with a previously shown pattern of adaptive protein evolution in D. mojavensis. Examination of protein sequences showed that a large number of amino acid fixations between the paralogs have occurred in catalytic residues. These changes are potentially responsible for the significant difference in substrate specificity between the paralogs. Both functional and sequence variation within and between paralogs suggests that Adh has played an important role in the adaptation of D. mojavensis and D. arizonae to their cactophilic life.     

Correct developmental expression of a cloned alcohol dehydrogenase gene transduced into the Drosophila germ line

We have used P-element-mediated transformation to introduce a cloned Drosophila alcohol dehydrogenase (Adh) gene into the germ line of ADH null flies. Six independent transformants expressing ADH were identified by their acquired resistance to ethanol. Each transformant carries a single copy of the cloned Adh gene in a different chromosomal location. Four of the six transformant lines exhibit normal Adh expression by the following criteria: quantitative levels of ADH enzyme activity in larvae and adults; qualitative tissue specificity; the size of stable Adh mRNA; and the characteristic developmental switch in utilization of two different Adh promoters. The remaining two transformants express ADH enzyme activity with the correct tissue specificity, but at a lower level than wild type. These results demonstrate that an 11.8 kb chromosomal fragment containing the Adh gene includes the cis-acting sequences necessary for its correct developmental expression, and that a variety of chromosomal sites permit proper Adh gene function.     

The effect of insertion of the maize transposable elementMutator is dependent on genetic background

A secondary mutant, derived from an allele of maize alcohol dehydrogenase 1 (Adh1) carrying a Mutator transposable element (Mu1) in its first intron, was reported to exhibit a threefold decrease in ADH enzymatic activity and steady-state RNA levels compared to the original mutant. The original mutant,Adh1-S3034 (abbreviatedS3034), was previously characterized at the molecular level. The derivative, abbreviatedS3034b, has now been cloned; at the DNA sequence level the insertion and surroundingAdh1 sequences are indistinguishable fromS3034. Furthermore, in our lines there is no difference in relative ADH activities between products of the two putative alleles. A comparison of gene expression in heterozygotes obtained by crossing to different tester lines reveals a correlation between the measured decrease in levels of ADH polypeptide produced by the mutant allele and the background in which it is measured; this effect is distinct from any background-related variation in the expression of the progenitor allele. It does not appear to be attributable to alternative patterns of DNA modification. It appears to reflect a background-associated difference in the level of normalAdh1-RNA produced. Thus the previously reported distinction betweenS3034 andS3034b may be due to differences in the extent to which the mutant allele and a given genetic background interact to produce functionalAdh1-RNA.This research was supported by United States Public Health Service Grant GM38616 and United States Department of Agriculture Grant 87-CRCR-1-2500 to J.S. D.O. was supported by an NIH predoctoral training grant to the Department of Genetics.     

Mutant alleles that are altered in quantitative,organ-specific behavior

Three new mutant alleles of maize alcohol dehydrogenase-1 (Adh 1) were recovered following allyl alcohol selection of pollen. Each is altered in quantitative, organ-specific, regulatory properties. All mutant sites act in cis to the structural gene component. One mutant arose spontaneously, one followed indirectly from irradiation with high Z accelerated particles, and one was induced by an autonomous mutator system. Each mutant is assessed in three organs by utilizing ADH allozyme ratios that were quantified at the level of ADH enzyme activity and either [³H]-Leu incorporation into newly synthesized ADH 1 subunits or direct protein determinations. One mutation simultaneously raises Adh 1 expression in one organ and lowers it in another, another affects expression in one organ only, and another is extremely underexpressed in all organs but is unstable. This unstable allele has generated derivative mutant alleles that have less or zero ADH expression. We do not yet know whether or not coding sequences are involved in these mutants. We conclude that information for organ specificity and quantitative behavior resides near or within Adh 1 coding sequences.