Search results for "ASTER"

Genetic analysis of heat shock response in three Drosophila species of the obscura group

1992

Heat shock response was investigated in three species of the obscura group of the Drosophila genus (D. subobscura, D. guanche, and D. madeirensis) by chromosome cytology analysis and [3H]uridine labeling. A set of eight puffs (2C, 15DE, 18C, 27A, 31CD, 85AB, 89A, and 94A) were induced after heat treatments in each of the three species; 18C, 27A, 89A, and 94A were the most heavily labeled in the autoradiograms after the induced conditions. From the in situ results using the major heat shock genes of D. melanogaster as a probe, it was inferred that the 18C, 94A, 89A, and 27A loci of the three obscura group species are homologous to D. melanogaster loci, which contain, HSP82, HSP70, HSP68, an…

Innate immune pathways act synergistically to constrain RNA virus evolution in Drosophila melanogaster

2021

AbstractHost-pathogen interactions impose recurrent selective pressures that lead to constant adaptation and counter-adaptation in both competing species. Here, we sought to study this evolutionary arms-race and assessed the impact of the innate immune system on viral population diversity and evolution, using D. melanogaster as model host and its natural pathogen Drosophila C virus (DCV). We first isogenized eight fly genotypes generating animals defective for RNAi, Imd and Toll innate immune pathways and also pathogen sensing and gut renewal pathways. Wild-type or mutant flies were then orally infected and DCV was serially passaged ten times. Viral population diversity was studied after ea…

Intra- and intergenotypic competition in Drosophila melanogaster: effects of density on larval survival and rate of development

1986

We have examined the effects of density and frequency in the larval competition of Drosophila melanogaster by measuring three fitness components: viability (V), mean development time (MDT) and a combination of these two (E). We have detected (contrary to most published results) non-linear effects of density in single-genotype cultures; in addition, different functions are required to describe the density effects below and above the optimal density. Frequency has also non-linear effects in the two-genotype cultures. Only one polymorphic equilibrium frequency, which is stable, occurs with respect to V; but two polymorphic equilibria, one stable and one unstable, exist with respect to E. The r…

Linker histone H1 is essential for Drosophila development, the establishment of pericentric heterochromatin, and a normal polytene chromosome structu…

2009

We generated mutant alleles of Drosophila melanogaster in which expression of the linker histone H1 can be down-regulated over a wide range by RNAi. When the H1 protein level is reduced to ∼20% of the level in wild-type larvae, lethality occurs in the late larval – pupal stages of development. Here we show that H1 has an important function in gene regulation within or near heterochromatin. It is a strong dominant suppressor of position effect variegation (PEV). Similar to other suppressors of PEV, H1 is simultaneously involved in both the repression of euchromatic genes brought to the vicinity of pericentric heterochromatin and the activation of heterochromatic genes that depend on their pe…

The unique pseudanthium of Actinodium (Myrtaceae) - morphological reinvestigation and possible regulation by CYCLOIDEA-like genes

2013

Background Genes encoding TCP transcription factors, such as CYCLOIDEA-like (CYC-like) genes, are well known actors in the control of plant morphological development, particularly regarding the control of floral symmetry. Despite recent understanding that these genes play a role in establishing the architecture of inflorescences in the sunflower family (Asteraceae), where hundreds of finely organized flowers are arranged to mimic an individual flower, little is known about their function in the development of flower-like inflorescences across diverse phylogenetic groups. Here, we studied the head-like pseudanthium of the Australian swamp daisy Actinodium cunninghamii Schau. (Myrtaceae, the …

Evolution of gypsy Endogenous Retrovirus in the Drosophila obscura Species Group

2000

The Ty3/gypsy family of retroelements is closely related to retroviruses, and some of their members have an open reading frame resembling the retroviral gene env. Sequences homologous to the gypsy element from Drosophila melanogaster are widely distributed among Drosophila species. In this work, we report a phylogenetic study based mainly on the analysis of the 5' region of the env gene from several species of the obscura group, and also from sequences already reported of D. melanogaster, Drosophila virilis, and Drosophila hydei. Our results indicate that the gypsy elements from species of the obscura group constitute a monophyletic group which has strongly diverged from the prototypic D. m…

Ty3/Gypsy Retrotransposons: Description of New Arabidopsis thaliana Elements and Evolutionary Perspectives Derived from Comparative Genomic Data

2000

We performed a comprehensive analysis of the evolution of the Ty3/GYPSY: group of long-terminal-repeat retrotransposons (also known as METAVIRIDAE:). Exhaustive database searches allowed us to detect novel elements of this group. In particular, the Arabidopsis thaliana and Drosophila melanogaster genome sequencing projects have recently disclosed a large number of new Ty3/GYPSY: sequences. So far, elements of three different Ty3/GYPSY: lineages had been described for A. thaliana. Here, we describe six new lineages, which we have called Tit-for-tat1, Tit-for-tat2, Gimli, Gloin, Legolas, and Little Athila. We confirm that plant Ty3/GYPSY: elements form two main monophyletic groups. Moreover, …

Direct evidence for positive selection of skin, hair, and eye pigmentation in Europeans during the last 5,000 y

2014

Significance Eye, hair, and skin pigmentation are highly variable in humans, particularly in western Eurasian populations. This diversity may be explained by population history, the relaxation of selection pressures, or positive selection. To investigate whether positive natural selection is responsible for depigmentation within Europe, we estimated the strength of selection acting on three genes known to have significant effects on human pigmentation. In a direct approach, these estimates were made using ancient DNA from prehistoric Europeans and computer simulations. This allowed us to determine selection coefficients for a precisely bounded period in the deep past. Our results indicate t…

Genetic and Cytological Analysis of Drosophila Chromatin-Remodeling Factors

2003

Tirant: A new retrotransposon-like element inDrosophila melanogaster

1996

In this paper we report a new retrotransposon-like element of Drosophila melanogaster called Tirant. This sequence is moderately repeated in the genome of this species and it has been found to be widely dispersed throughout its distribution area. From Southern blot and in situ analyses, this sequence appears to be mobile in D. melanogaster, since its chromosome location and the hybridization patterns vary among the different strains analyzed. In this way, partial sequencing of Tirant ends suggests that it is a retrotransposon, since it is flanked by two LTRs. The presence of sequences homologous to Tirant has been also investigated in 28 species of the genus Drosophila by means of Southern …