Evolution of sex chromosomes: dosage compensation of the Lcp1-4 gene cluster on the evolving neo-X chromosome in Drosophila miranda.
In Drosophila miranda the small multigene family of the larval cuticle protein (Lcp1-4) genes resides on the evolving neo-X and neo-Y sex chromosome pair while in the sibling species Drosophila pseudoobscura and Drosophila persimilis the gene cluster is inherited autosomally. The neo-Y chromosomal Lcp1, Lcp2 and Lcp4 genes are, as previously shown by us, not expressed and only Lcp3 is expressed at a strongly reduced level. As a first step in understanding the evolutionary mechanism(s) transforming an autosome into a dosage compensated X we analysed the expression behaviour and promoter structure of the Lcp1-4 genes on the neo-X. The normalized relative expression levels reveal that all four neo-X chromosomal Lcp genes in D. miranda males, including Lcp3, are already dosage compensated.
Steinemann
S
S
Institut für Molekulargenetik, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, 55128 Mainz, Germany. s.steinem@uni-mainz.de
Steinemann
M
M
D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D004303:Dosage Compensation, Genetic; D004330:Drosophila / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D017344:Genes, Insect; D050172:Genes, X-Linked; D050173:Genes, Y-Linked; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D005810:Multigene Family; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid
D029721:Drosophila Proteins