RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 The <em>white</em> gene controls copulation success in <em>Drosophila melanogaster</em>
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 072710
DO 10.1101/072710
A1 Chengfeng Xiao
A1 Shuang Qiu
A1 R Meldrum Robertson
YR 2017
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2017/05/15/072710.abstract
AB Characteristics of male courtship behavior in Drosophila melanogaster have been well-described, but the genetic basis of male-female copulation is largely unknown. Here we show that the white (w) gene, a classical gene for eye color, is associated with copulation success. 82.5 % of wild-type Canton-S flies copulated within 60 minutes in circular arenas, whereas few white-eyed mutants mated successfully. The w + allele exchanged to the X chromosome or duplicated to the Y chromosome in the white-eyed genetic background rescued the defect of copulation success. The w +-associated copulation success was independent of eye color phenotype. Addition of the mini-white (mw +) gene to the white-eyed mutant rescued the defect of copulation success in a manner that was mw + copy number-dependent. Lastly, male-female sexual experience mimicked the effects of w +/mw + in improving successful copulation. These data suggest that the w + gene controls copulation success in Drosophila melanogaster.