Natural variation in Drosophila female postmating traits

描述（由申请人提供）：与许多其他动物一样，苍蝇的交配并不能保证成功繁殖。交配后雄性和雌性之间的相互作用（例如，精子竞争、雌性精子储存）也在生殖中起着重要作用。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，如精液蛋白。虽然众所周知，雌性果蝇不仅仅是被动的血管，女性介导的相互作用与男性产品是重要的生殖成功，很少有人知道的遗传学或种群遗传学的女性交配后生物学。这项拟议中的研究旨在开始填补我们对果蝇雌性理解的这一基本空白。 本研究的具体目标是：i）利用分子生物学方法鉴定可能影响雌性果蝇交配后表型的候选基因; ii）对黑腹果蝇重组自交系进行QTL分析。黑腹果蝇的研究，以确定区域的基因组窝藏自然变异影响女性交配后的表型，iii）使用分子群体遗传学测试的候选基因的变异的原因的假设，iv）调查分歧的女性交配后的表型和进化的交配后不兼容的黑腹果蝇组。

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.