Evolution of the threonine-glycine repeat region of the period gene in the melanogaster species subgroup of Drosophila.
The Threonine-Glycine (Thr-Gly) region of the period gene (per) in Drosophila was compared in the eight species of the D. melanogaster subgroup. This region can be divided into a diverged variable-length segment which is flanked by more conserved sequences. The number of amino acids encoded in the variable-length region ranges from 40 in D. teissieri to 69 in D. mauritiana. This is similar to the range found within natural populations of D. melanogaster. It was possible to derive a Thr-Gly "allele" of one species from that of another by invoking hypothetical Thr-Gly intermediates. A phylogeny based on the more conserved flanking sequences was produced. The results highlighted some of the problems which are encountered when highly polymorphic genes are used to infer phylogenies of closely related species.
Peixoto
A A
AA
Department of Genetics, University of Leicester, UK.
Costa
R
R
Wheeler
D A
DA
Hall
J C
JC
Kyriacou
C P
CP
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D005075:Biological Evolution; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000235:genetics*; D017344:Genes, Insect / Q000235:genetics*; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005998:Glycine; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D056950:Period Circadian Proteins; D010802:Phylogeny; D011506:Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D012091:Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid / Q000235:genetics*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D013912:Threonine
D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; C539040:PER protein, Drosophila; D056950:Period Circadian Proteins; D011506:Proteins; D013912:Threonine; D005998:Glycine