A TEST OF NEUTRAL MOLECULAR EVOLUTION IN DROSOPHILA

本提案的目标是确定变化量 存在于编码特定酶的结构基因中， 蛋白质在自然种群中，以测试一个主要的预测， 中性进化论的理论 这一分析将依赖于 一种强大的新策略，用于确定 同一基因的许多等位基因。 DNA变异将被量化 两种果蝇（Drosophilamelanogaster）和D. simulans，for a 包含乙醇脱氢酶（Adh）的两个基因区域， 对于白色基因座（白色）。 我们最近开发了一种 分子中性论的保守统计检验 基于中性理论的预测， DNA不同区域的种内多态性 应该与相应的 种间差异 收集的数据将允许 我们询问每个基因座是否存在多态性模式， 偏离中性预期，将允许我们测试 一些具体的假设来解释一个明显的偏离， Adh基因座及其s'侧翼区的中性。 自然种群中蛋白质的遗传变异种类， 对它们起作用的自然选择的力量 基因疾病的问题， 环境条件。

The goal of this proposal is to determine the amount of variation that exists in structural genes coding for specific enzymes and proteins in natural populations in order to test a major prediction of the neutral theory of evolution. This analysis will rely upon a powerful new strategy for determining the DNA sequences of many alleles of the same gene. DNA variation will be quantified in two species, Drosophila melanogaster and D. simulans, for a two-gene region encompassing alcohol dehydrogenase (Adh) and for the white locus (white). We have recently developed a conservative statistical test of the neutral theory of molecular evolution based on a predication of the neutral theory that levels of within-species polymorphism in different regions of DNA should be positively corelated with the corresponding levels of between-species divergence. The data to be collected will allow us to ask for each locus whether patterns of polymorphism and divergence depart from neutral expection and will allow us to test some specific hypotheses to explain an apparent departure from neutrality of the Adh locus and its s' flanking region. The kinds of genetic variation in proteins in natural populations, and the forces of selection operating on them is of direct interest to problems of genetic disease and to variation in response to conditions of the environment.