The Population Genetics of Energy Storage in Drosophila

9419631 KNOK这是一项通过代谢途径相关的生化性状变异的实验和理论研究。 该实验系统的重点是维持脂质和糖原储存在果蝇。 研究人员安德鲁·克拉克博士将量化脂质和糖原储存，沿着相关生物合成和降解途径中12种酶的活性，对这些性状进行大规模的定量遗传研究。 有许多理论涉及生化途径中的酶。 一个目标是发展这一理论的进化遗传学方面，并测试该理论对果蝇能量储存模型系统的适用性。 观察到的群体中的表型变异水平来自于扩大变异的突变和限制变异的稳定选择之间的平衡，这一观点具有相当大的吸引力。 但试图估计必要的参数却发现了差异。 理论家们已经将他们的注意力转移到突变的多效性效应上，作为对可遗传变异的一种可能解释，而这个实验系统非常适合测试这些想法。

9419631 CLARK This is an experimental and theoretical study of variation in biochemical traits that are related through metabolic pathways. The experimental system focuses on the maintenance of lipid and glycogen stores in Drosophila melanogaster. The investigator, Dr. Andrew Clark will quantify lipid and glycogen storage, along with the activities of 12 enzymes in associated biosynthetic and degradative pathways, to perform large-scale quantitative genetic studies of these traits. There is much theory dealing with enzymes in biochemical pathways. An objective is to develop the evolutionary genetic aspects of this theory and to test the fit of the theory to the model system of energy storage in Drosophila. The idea that observed levels of phenotypic variation in populations arise from a balance between mutation inflating the variance and stabilizing selection restricting it has considerable appeal. But attempts to estimate the necessary parameters have revealed discrepancies. Theoreticians have shifted their focus toward pleiotropic effects of mutations as a possible explanation for heritable variation, and this experimental system is well-suited to test these ideas.