Genetic control and evolution of sexually dimorphic characters in Drosophila

Artyom Kopp, Ian Duncan and Sean B. Carroll ()
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Artyom Kopp: Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Laboratory of Molecular Biology, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Ian Duncan: Washington University
Sean B. Carroll: Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Laboratory of Molecular Biology, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Nature, 2000, vol. 408, issue 6812, 553-559

Abstract: Abstract Sexually dimorphic abdominal pigmentation and segment morphology evolved recently in the melanogaster species group of the fruitfly Drosophila . Here we show that these traits are controlled by the bric-a-brac (bab) gene, which integrates regulatory inputs from the homeotic and sex-determination pathways. bab expression is modulated segment- and sex-specifically in sexually dimorphic species, but is uniform in sexually monomorphic species. We suggest that bab has an ancestral homeotic function, and that regulatory changes at the bab locus played a key role in the evolution of sexual dimorphism. Pigmentation patterns specified by bab affect mating preferences, suggesting that sexual selection has contributed to the evolution of bab regulation.

Date: 2000
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DOI: 10.1038/35046017

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