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The evolution of courtship behaviours through the origination of a new gene in Drosophila
journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-08, 07:23 authored by Hongzheng Dai, Ying Chen, Sidi Chen, Qiyan Mao, David Kennedy, Patrick Landback, Adam Eyre-WalkerAdam Eyre-Walker, Wei Du, Manyuan LongNew genes can originate by the combination of sequences from unrelated genes or their duplicates to form a chimeric structure. These chimeric genes often evolve rapidly, suggesting that they undergo adaptive evolution and may therefore be involved in novel phenotypes. Their functions, however, are rarely known. Here, we describe the phenotypic effects of a chimeric gene, sphinx, that has recently evolved in Drosophila melanogaster. We show that a knockout of this gene leads to increased male¿male courtship in D. melanogaster, although it leaves other aspects of mating behavior unchanged. Comparative studies of courtship behavior in other closely related Drosophila species suggest that this mutant phenotype of male¿male courtship is the ancestral condition because these related species show much higher levels of male¿male courtship than D. melanogaster. D. melanogaster therefore seems to have evolved in its courtship behaviors by the recruitment of a new chimeric gene.
History
Publication status
- Published
Journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of SciencesISSN
0027-8424Publisher
National Academy of SciencesExternal DOI
Issue
21Volume
105Page range
7478-7483Pages
6.0Department affiliated with
- Evolution, Behaviour and Environment Publications
Full text available
- No
Peer reviewed?
- Yes
Legacy Posted Date
2012-02-06Usage metrics
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