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Science 335 (6071): 943-947

Copyright © 2012 by the American Association for the Advancement of Science

Evolution of Shape by Multiple Regulatory Changes to a Growth Gene

David W. Loehlin*,{dagger}, and John H. Werren{dagger}

Abstract: The genetic changes responsible for morphological differences between species are largely unidentified. Such changes can involve modifications of growth that are relevant to understanding evolution, development, and disease. We identified a gene that induces male-specific wing size and shape differences between Nasonia wasp species. Fine-scale mapping and in situ hybridization reveal that changes in at least three regions (two strictly in noncoding sequence) around the gene unpaired-like (upd-like) cause changes in spatial and temporal expression of upd-like in the developing wing and corresponding changes in wing width. Upd-like shows homology to the Drosophila unpaired gene, a well-studied signaling protein that regulates cell proliferation and differentiation. Our results indicate how multiple changes in the regulation of upd-like are involved in microevolution of morphological and sex-specific differences between species.

Department of Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA.

* Present address: Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Laboratory of Molecular Biology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA.

{dagger} To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: loehlin{at}wisc.edu (D.W.L.); werr{at}mail.rochester.edu (J.H.W.)

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Fine-Scale Mapping of the Nasonia Genome to Chromosomes Using a High-Density Genotyping Microarray.
C. A. Desjardins, J. Gadau, J. A. Lopez, O. Niehuis, A. R. Avery, D. W. Loehlin, S. Richards, J. K. Colbourne, and J. H. Werren (2013)
g3 3, 205-215
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Diversification of complex butterfly wing patterns by repeated regulatory evolution of a Wnt ligand.
A. Martin, R. Papa, N. J. Nadeau, R. I. Hill, B. A. Counterman, G. Halder, C. D. Jiggins, M. R. Kronforst, A. D. Long, W. O. McMillan, et al. (2012)
PNAS 109, 12632-12637
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »

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