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Pleiotropic Effects of ebony and tan on Pigmentation and Cuticular Hydrocarbon Composition in Drosophila melanogaster
Ist Teil von
Frontiers in physiology, 2019-05, Vol.10, p.518-518
Ort / Verlag
Switzerland: Frontiers Media S.A
Erscheinungsjahr
2019
Quelle
EZB Electronic Journals Library
Beschreibungen/Notizen
Pleiotropic genes are genes that affect more than one trait. For example, many genes required for pigmentation in the fruit fly
also affect traits such as circadian rhythms, vision, and mating behavior. Here, we present evidence that two pigmentation genes,
and
, which encode enzymes catalyzing reciprocal reactions in the melanin biosynthesis pathway, also affect cuticular hydrocarbon (CHC) composition in
females. More specifically, we report that
loss-of-function mutants have a CHC profile that is biased toward long (>25C) chain CHCs, whereas
loss-of-function mutants have a CHC profile that is biased toward short (<25C) chain CHCs. Moreover, pharmacological inhibition of dopamine synthesis, a key step in the melanin synthesis pathway, reversed the changes in CHC composition seen in
mutants, making the CHC profiles similar to those seen in
mutants. These observations suggest that genetic variation affecting
and/or
activity might cause correlated changes in pigmentation and CHC composition in natural populations. We tested this possibility using the
Genetic Reference Panel (DGRP) and found that CHC composition covaried with pigmentation as well as levels of
and
expression in newly eclosed adults in a manner consistent with the
and
mutant phenotypes. These data suggest that the pleiotropic effects of
and
might contribute to covariation of pigmentation and CHC profiles in
.