title: Divergence of the gene aly in experimentally evolved cytoraces, the members of the nasuta-albomicans complex of Drosophila.
abstract: We generated cytoraces by crossing the chromosomal races (Drosophila nasuta nasuta and Drosophila nasuta albomicans) of the nasuta subgroup of Drosophila and maintained the offspring over many generations through sibling mating. These cytoraces, along with their parents, are members of the nasuta-albomicans complex of Drosophila. The gene always early (aly) is one of the rapidly evolving genes in the genus Drosophila and plays a central role in regulating meiosis. Here we examined the rate of molecular evolution of aly in cytoraces of Drosophila and demonstrated that the rate of substitutions amongst cytoraces is around eight times greater than their parents and even amongst species of subgenera. Thus, the presence of positive selection in the laboratory-derived cytoraces based on the analysis of the synonymous and nonsynonymous substitution rates of aly suggests the rapid evolution in cytoraces.
authors.affiliation: Drosophila Stock Centre, Unit on Evolution and Genetics, Department of Studies in Zoology, University of Mysore, Mysore, India.
authors.forename: P N
authors.initials: PN
authors.lastname: Radhika
authors.forename: N B
authors.initials: NB
authors.lastname: Ramachandra
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004330:Drosophila / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D005260:Female; D049810:Genetic Speciation; D006824:Hybridization, Genetic; D059785:Karyotype; D008297:Male
keywords: cytoraces; experimental evolution; hybridization; incipient speciation; nasuta subgroup; nasuta-albomicans complex of Drosophila