Natural variation in Drosophila female postmating traits

描述(申请人提供)：与许多其他动物一样，在苍蝇身上，交配并不能保证成功繁殖。雄性和雌性之间的交配后受精前的相互作用(例如，精子竞争、雌性的精子储存)在生殖中也发挥着核心作用。此外，交配后的相互作用可能具有广泛的进化意义。例如，交配后的性选择可能有助于生殖隔离的进化。大多数关于果蝇交配后受精前生物学的研究都集中在雄性表达的蛋白质上，如精液蛋白。虽然众所周知，雌蝇不仅仅是被动的血管，而且雌蝇与雄蝇的相互作用对繁殖成功很重要，但人们对雌蝇交配后生物学的遗传学或种群遗传学知之甚少。这项拟议的研究旨在开始填补我们对雌性果蝇理解的这一基本空白。 这项工作的具体目的是：i)利用分子手段确定可能影响雌性交配后表型的候选基因，ii)利用黑腹果蝇重组近交系的QTL分析来确定基因组中含有影响雌性交配后表型的自然变异的区域，iii)利用分子群体遗传学来检验候选基因变异原因的假说，iv)调查雌性黑腹果蝇群体中雌性交配后表型的差异和交配不亲和性的进化。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): In flies, as in many other animals, mating does not guarantee successful reproduction. Postmating prefertilization interactions between males and females (e.g., sperm competition, sperm storage by females) also play a central role in reproduction. Moreover, post-copulatory interactions may have broad evolutionary implications. For example, postmating sexual selection may contribute to the evolution of reproductive isolation. Most research on post-copulatory pre-fertilization biology in flies has focused on male-expressed proteins such as seminal fluid proteins. Though it is well known that female flies are not simply passive vessels and that female-mediated interactions with male products are important to reproductive success, little is known about the genetics or population genetics of female postcopulatory biology. The proposed research aims to begin filling this basic gap in our understanding of Drosophila females. The specific aims of the proposed work are to i) use molecular approaches to identify candidate genes potentially affecting female postcopulatory phenotypes in D. melanogaster, ii) use QTL analysis of recombinant inbred lines of D. melanogaster to identify regions of the genome harboring natural variants affecting female post-copulatory phenotypes, iii) use molecular population genetics to test hypotheses on the causes of variation in candidate genes, iv) investigate divergence of female postcopulatory phenotypes and evolution of postcopulatory incompatibilities in the melanogaster group.