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Structural and genetic studies of the proliferation disrupter genes of Drosophila simulans and D. melanogaster

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Abstract

To examine whether structural and functional differences exist in the proliferation disrupter (prod) genes between Drosophila simulans and D. melanogaster, we analyzed and compared both genes. The exon–intron structure of the genes was found to be the same – three exons were interrupted by two introns, although a previous report suggested that only one intron existed in D. melanogaster. The prod genes of D. simulans and D. melanogaster both turn out to encode 346 amino acids, not 301 as previously reported for D. melanogaster. The numbers of nucleotide substitutions in the prod genes was 0.0747 ±  per synonymous site and 0.0116 ± 0.0039 per replacement site, both comparable to those previously known for homologous genes between D. simulans and D. melanogaster. Genetic analysis demonstrated that D. simulans PROD can compensate for a deficiency of D. melanogaster PROD in hybrids. The PRODs of D. simulans and D. melanogaster presumably share the same function and a conserved working mechanism. The prod gene showed no significant interaction with the lethality of the male hybrid between these species.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Applied Biology, Kyoto Institute of Technology, Matsugasaki, Sakyo-Ku, Kyoto, 606-8585, Japan

    Masanobu Itoh, Sida Yu & Takao K. Watanabe

  2. Drosophila Genetic Resource Center, Kyoto Institute of Technology, Matsugasaki, Sakyo-Ku, Kyoto, 606-8585, Japan

    Masa-Toshi Yamamoto

Authors
  1. Masanobu Itoh
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  2. Sida Yu
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  3. Takao K. Watanabe
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  4. Masa-Toshi Yamamoto
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Itoh, M., Yu, S., Watanabe, T.K. et al. Structural and genetic studies of the proliferation disrupter genes of Drosophila simulans and D. melanogaster. Genetica 106, 223–229 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1003953518269

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1003953518269

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