Gender-Specific Fitness and Intersexual Developmental Conflict in a Fruit Fly (Drosophila) Model System

果蝇模型系统中的性别特异性适应性和两性发育冲突

• 批准号: 0128780
• 负责人: William Rice
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: University of California-Santa Barbara
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing grant
• 财政年份: 2002
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2002-02-01 至 2008-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0128780&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Gender; Specific; Fitness; Intersexual; Developmental

This research investigates a process by which natural selection can lead to gender-specific dysfunction. Males and females need to accomplish different biological functions, yet nearly 90% of the genome is expressed in both sexes. In a recent pilot experiment the entire genome of the common fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) was cloned and then identical copies of the same genomes were expressed in both males and females. Genomes that produced the highest Darwinian fitness in females produced low fitness in males, and visa versa. This intersexual reversal suggests that genes that are favored in one sex and disfavored in the other sex are common in the genome of the fruit fly. Because all animals express many of the same genes, the observed intersexual genetic conflict may be widespread. In the proposed research cytogenetic cloning will be used to measure: i) the functional significance of sexually antagonistic genetic variation, ii) its distribution among chromosomes, iii) its transmission dynamics between generations, and iv) the traits that mediate intersexual genetic conflict. The experiments are relevant to hereditary factors that mediate gender-specific impairment (e.g., sterility). In the past it has been assumed that harmful genetic variation was maintained solely by recurrent mutation or genetic drift. This research evaluates a new source for the genetic polymorphisms that are responsible for gender-specific dysfunction.

这项研究调查了自然选择导致性别特异性功能障碍的过程。男性和女性需要完成不同的生物学功能，但近90%的基因组在两性中表达。在最近的一项试点实验中，普通果蝇（Drosophila melanogaster）的整个基因组被克隆，然后相同基因组的相同拷贝在雄性和雌性中表达。在女性中产生最高达尔文适应性的基因组在男性中产生低适应性，反之亦然。这种性间逆转表明，在一种性别中受欢迎而在另一种性别中不受欢迎的基因在果蝇的基因组中很常见。因为所有动物都表达许多相同的基因，所以观察到的两性基因冲突可能是普遍存在的。在拟议的研究中，细胞遗传学克隆将用于测量：i）性拮抗遗传变异的功能意义，ii）其在染色体中的分布，iii）其在世代之间的传递动力学，以及iv）介导性间遗传冲突的性状。 这些实验与介导性别特异性损伤的遗传因素有关（例如，无菌性）。在过去，人们一直认为有害的遗传变异仅仅是通过重复突变或遗传漂变来维持的。这项研究评估了导致性别特异性功能障碍的遗传多态性的新来源。