Pleiotropic Effects of ebony and tan on Pigmentation and Cuticular Hydrocarbon Composition in Drosophila melanogaster

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 reci...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inFrontiers in physiology Vol. 10; p. 518
Main Authors Massey, Jonathan H., Akiyama, Noriyoshi, Bien, Tanja, Dreisewerd, Klaus, Wittkopp, Patricia J., Yew, Joanne Y., Takahashi, Aya
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Switzerland Frontiers Media S.A 01.05.2019
Subjects
cuticular hydrocarbons
Drosophila
ebony
Physiology
pigmentation
pleiotropy
tan
ebony
tan
pigmentation
Drosophila
trait covariation
cuticular hydrocarbons
pleiotropy
dopamine
Online AccessGet full text
ISSN1664-042X
1664-042X
DOI10.3389/fphys.2019.00518

Cover

More Information
Summary: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 .
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
content type line 23
Edited by: Geoffrey A. Head,Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, Australia
Reviewed by: Jean-Michel Gibert, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), France; Thomas Williams, University of Dayton, United States
This article was submitted to Integrative Physiology, a section of the journal Frontiers in Physiology
ISSN:1664-042X
1664-042X
DOI:10.3389/fphys.2019.00518