Abstract To understand the mechanisms of morphological evolution and species divergence, it is essential to elucidate genetic basis variation in natural populations. Sexually dimorphic characters, which evolve rapidly both within among species, present attractive models for addressing these questions. In this report, we map quantitative trait loci (QTL) responsible sexually traits (abdominal pigmentation number ventral abdominal bristles sex comb teeth) a population Drosophila melanogaster....

Species-specific regulation of gene expression contributes to the development and maintenance reproductive isolation species differences in ecologically important traits. A better understanding evolutionary forces that shape regulatory variation divergence can be developed by comparing among interspecific hybrids. Once are identified, underlying genetics or explored. With goal associating cis and/or trans components with expression, overall allele-specific levels were assayed genomewide...

Unraveling how regulatory divergence contributes to species differences and adaptation requires identifying functional variants from among millions of genetic differences. Analysis allelic imbalance (AI) reveals in cis regulation has demonstrated within between species. Regulatory mechanisms are often highly conserved, yet gene expression extensive. What evolutionary forces explain widespread regulation? AI was assessed Drosophila melanogaster–Drosophila simulans hybrid female heads using...

One method of identifying cis regulatory differences is to analyze allele-specific expression (ASE) and identify cases allelic imbalance (AI). RNA-seq the most common way measure ASE a binomial test often applied determine statistical significance AI. This implicitly assumes that there no bias in estimation However, has been found result from multiple factors including: genome ambiguity, reference quality, mapping algorithm, biases sequencing process. Two alternative approaches have...

Sex differences in gene expression have been widely studied Drosophila melanogaster vary across strains, but many molecular studies focus on only a single strain, or genes that show sexually dimorphic strains. How extensive variability is and whether this occurs among regulated by sex determination hierarchy terminal transcription factors unknown. To address these questions, we examine between two strains adult head tissues. We also doublesex (dsx) mutant to determine which...

Allele-specific expression (ASE) assays can be used to identify cis, trans, and cis-by-trans regulatory variation. Understanding the source of variation has important implications for disease susceptibility, phenotypic diversity, adaptation. While ASE is commonly measured via relative fluorescence at a SNP, next generation sequencing provides an opportunity measure in accurate high-throughput manner using read counts. We introduce Solexa-based method perform large numbers only single lane...

The core functions of the insulin/insulin-like signaling and target rapamycin (IIS/TOR) pathway are nutrient sensing, energy homeostasis, growth, regulation stress responses. This is also known to interact directly indirectly with sex determination regulatory hierarchy. IIS/TOR plays a role in directing sexually dimorphic traits, including dimorphism metabolism, behavior. Previous studies gene expression adult head, which includes both nervous system endocrine tissues, have revealed...

In Drosophila melanogaster and D. simulans head tissue, 60% of orthologous genes show evidence sex-biased expression in at least one species. Of these, ∼39% (2,192) are conserved direction. We hypothesize enrichment open chromatin the sex where we see bias closed opposite sex. Male-biased orthologs significantly enriched for H3K4me3 marks males both species (∼89% male-biased vs. ∼76% unbiased orthologs). Similarly, female-biased females (∼90% ∼73% The sex-bias ratio was similar magnitude...

The environment is changing faster than anticipated due to climate change, making species more vulnerable its impacts. level of vulnerability influenced by factors such as the degree and duration exposure, well physiological sensitivity organisms changes in their environments, which has been shown vary among species, populations, individuals. Here, we compared fecundity, critical thermal maximum (CTmax), respiratory quotient (RQ), DNA damage ovaries response temperature stress two fruit fly,...

Cultivated peanut (Arachis hypogaea) is one of the most widely grown food legumes in world, being valued for its high protein and unsaturated oil contents. Drought stress major constraints that limit production. This study's objective was to identify drought-responsive genes preferentially expressed under drought different genotypes. To accomplish this, four genotypes (drought tolerant: C76-16 587; susceptible: Tifrunner 506) subjected a rainout shelter experiment were examined....

The mechanistic basis of regulatory variation and the prevailing evolutionary forces shaping that are known to differ between sexes chromosomes. Regulatory gene expression can be due functional changes within a itself (cis) or in other genes elsewhere genome (trans). properties cis mutations expected from affecting trans. We analyze allele-specific across set X substitution lines intact adult Drosophila simulans evaluate whether differs for trans, males females, X-linked autosomal genes. is...

Allelic imbalance (AI) indicates the presence of functional variation in cis regulatory regions. Detecting differences using AI is widespread, yet there no formal statistical methodology that tests whether differs between conditions. Here, we present a novel model and formally test across conditions Bayesian credible intervals. The approach by environment (G×E) interactions, can be used to environments, genotypes, sex, any other condition. We incorporate bias into modeling process. Bias...

For the last decade, we have tried to understand molecular and cellular mechanisms of neuronal degeneration using Drosophila as a model organism. Although fruit flies provide obvious experimental advantages, research on neurodegenerative diseases has mostly relied traditional techniques, including genetic interaction, histology, immunofluorescence, protein biochemistry. These techniques are effective for mechanistic, hypothesis-driven studies, which lead detailed understanding role single...

Abs tra ct Sex dimorphism is one of the key features dioecious organisms, which shapes almost all aspects life history traits from early development to cessation life. However, specific regulatory differences between males and females that underlie sex are underexplored for most quantitative traits, including immune dimorphism. Complex patterns variation, example, with respect numbers types contributing alleles, dynamic changes in gene expression, context dependency, have created challenges...

Racial biases, which harm marginalized and excluded communities, may be combatted by clarifying misconceptions about race during biology lessons. We developed a human genetics laboratory activity that challenges the misconception is biological (biological essentialism). assessed relationship between this student outcomes using survey of students' attitudes essentialism color-evasive ideology concept inventory phylogeny diversity. Students in showed significant decrease their acceptance...

Abstract A large-effect QTL for divergence in sex-comb tooth number between Drosophila simulans and D. mauritiana was previously mapped to 73A–84AB. Here we identify genes that are likely contributors this divergence. We first improved the mapping resolution 73A–84AB region using 12 introgression lines 62 recombinant nearly isogenic lines. To further narrow list of candidate genes, assayed leg-specific expression identified with transcript-level evolution consistent a potential role Sex...

Abstract Multilevel analysis of transcription is facilitated by a new array design that includes modules for assessment differential expression, isoform usage, and allelic imbalance in Drosophila. The ∼2.5 million feature chip incorporates large number controls, it contains 18,769 3′ expression probe sets 61,919 exon with sequences from Drosophila melanogaster 60,118 SNP focused on simulans. An experiment D. simulans identified genes differentially expressed between males females (34% the...

Abstract Evolutionary perspectives on the deployment of immune factors following infection have been shaped by studies a limited number biomedical model systems with heavy emphasis vertebrate species. Although their contributions to contemporary immunology cannot be understated, broader phylogenetic perspective is needed understand evolution across Metazoa. In our study, we leverage differential gene expression analyses identify genes implicated in antiviral response acorn worm hemichordate,...

Abstract Sex dimorphism in immunity is commonly observed a wide variety of taxa and thought to arise from fundamental life history differences between females males. In Drosophila melanogaster , infection with different pathogens typically results modes immune sex dimorphism, male-or female-bias, likely due specific disease-causing mechanisms host-pathogen interactions. Studies showed that some pathways, such as IMD Toll, can explain these sex-dimorphic responses Drosophila. However, it...

Abstract Objectives Arachnids have fascinating and unique biology, particularly for questions on sex differences behavior, creating the potential development of powerful emerging models in this group. Recent advances genomic techniques paved way a significant increase breadth studies non-model organisms. One growing area research is comparative transcriptomics. When phylogenetic relationships to model organisms are known, provide context analysis homologous genes pathways. The goal study was...

For the last decade, we have tried to understand molecular and cellular mechanisms of neuronal degeneration using Drosophila as a model organism. Although fruit flies provide obvious experimental advantages, research on neurodegenerative diseases has mostly relied traditional techniques, including genetic interaction, histology, immunofluorescence, protein biochemistry. These techniques are effective for mechanistic, hypothesis-driven studies, which lead detailed understanding role single...

Abstract We propose a new model for the association of chromatin state and sex-bias in expression. hypothesize enrichment open sex where we see expression bias (OS) closed opposite (CO). In this study D. melanogaster simulans head tissue, is associated with H3K4me3 (open mark) males male-biased genes females female-biased both species. Sex-bias also largely conserved direction magnitude between two species on X autosomes. orthologs, ratio more divergent if have H3K27me2me3 marks compared to...