Genetic architecture of variation in sex-comb tooth number in Drosophila simulans.
The sex comb on the forelegs of Drosophila males is a secondary sexual trait, and the number of teeth on these combs varies greatly within and between species. To understand the relationship between the intra- and interspecific variation, we performed quantitative trait locus (QTL) analyses of the intraspecific variation in sex-comb tooth number. We used five mapping populations derived from two inbred Drosophila simulans strains that were divergent in the number of sex-comb teeth. Although no QTLs were detected on the X chromosome, we identified four QTLs on the second chromosome and three QTLs on the third chromosome. While identification and estimated effects of the second-chromosome QTLs depend on genetic backgrounds, significant and consistent effects of the two third-chromosome QTLs were found in two genetic backgrounds. There were significant epistatic interactions between a second-chromosome QTL and a third-chromosome QTL, as well as between two second-chromosome QTLs. The third-chromosome QTLs are concordant with the locations of the QTLs responsible for the previously observed differences in sex-comb tooth number between D. simulans and D. mauritiana.
Tatsuta
Haruki
H
Department of Population Genetics, National Institute of Genetics, Mishima, Shizuoka 411-8540, Japan.
Takano-Shimizu
Toshiyuki
T
D000818:Animals; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D003433:Crosses, Genetic; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D004330:Drosophila / Q000235:genetics*; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D004843:Epistasis, Genetic; D005260:Female; D014644:Genetic Variation; D049750:Genome, Insect; D008297:Male; D063146:Polycomb-Group Proteins; D040641:Quantitative Trait Loci; D012097:Repressor Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D013045:Species Specificity
D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D063146:Polycomb-Group Proteins; D012097:Repressor Proteins; C099357:SCM protein, Drosophila