RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Correlated Evolution of two Sensory Organs via a Single Cis-Regulatory Nucleotide Change
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 313197
DO 10.1101/313197
A1 Olga Nagy
A1 Isabelle Nuez
A1 Rosina Savisaar
A1 Alexandre E. Peluffo
A1 Amir Yassin
A1 Michael Lang
A1 David L. Stern
A1 Daniel R Matute
A1 Jean R. David
A1 Virginie Courtier-Orgogozo
YR 2018
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2018/05/02/313197.abstract
AB Diverse traits often covary between species. The possibility that a single mutation could contribute to the evolution of several characters between species is rarely investigated as relatively few cases are dissected at the nucleotide level. Drosophila santomea has evolved additional sex comb sensory teeth on its legs and has lost two sensory bristles on its genitalia. We found that a single nucleotide substitution in an enhancer of the scute gene contributes to both changes. The mutation alters a binding site for the Hox protein Abdominal-B in the developing genitalia, leading to bristle loss, and for another factor in the developing leg, leading to bristle gain. Our study shows that morphological evolution between species can occur through a single nucleotide change affecting several sexually dimorphic traits.One Sentence Summary We identify one nucleotide substitution in a gene regulatory region contributing to evolutionary change of two distinct organs.