The evolution of gene expression in Drosophila

描述（由申请人提供）：拟议的研究旨在确定两个密切相关的物种之间的基因表达网络中产生功能分歧的分子机制和进化过程。这将通过设计用于测量果蝇基因组中基因表达的实验来启动，所述果蝇基因组的基因型已经被来自密切相关的物种毛里求斯果蝇（Drosophila mauritiana）的同源片段替换。鉴定这些基因型中与亲本物种不同的表达模式的基因将提供对基因表达的异源相互作用方面的见解。这也将为异源基因型中负责新基因表达的因子的定位克隆提供候选。一旦这些因素已经确定，功能和比较的方法将被用来确定新的表达的分子机制。最后，种内的基因型和表型变异在这两个物种的基因座涉及这些相互作用将获得识别的进化力量，导致固定在这两个物种中的不相容等位基因。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The proposed research aims to identify both the molecular mechanisms that underlie and the evolutionary processes that have produced functional divergence within gene expression networks between two closely related species. This will be initiated by experiments designed to measure gene expression across the genome for genotypes of Drosophila simulans that have had a segment of their genome replaced with the homologous segment from the closely related species Drosophila mauritiana. Identification of genes with patterns of expression in these genotype that are different from either parent species will provide insight into aspects of heterospecific interactions on gene expression. This will also provide candidate for the positional cloning of factors responsible for novel gene expression in the heterospecific genotypes. Once these factors have been identified, functional and comparative methods will be used to determine the molecular mechanisms underlying the novel expression. Finally, intraspecific genotypic and phenotypic variation within both species at loci implicated in these interactions will be obtained to identify the evolutionary forces that have led to the fixation of the incompatible alleles in these two species.