Universität zu Köln

Beye, Martin, Seelmann, Christine, Gempe, Tanja, Hasselmann, Martin ORCID: 0000-0003-3305-4024, Vekemans, Xavier, Fondrk, M. Kim and Page, Robert E., Jr. (2013). Gradual Molecular Evolution of a Sex Determination Switch through Incomplete Penetrance of Femaleness. Curr. Biol., 23 (24). S. 2559 - 2565. CAMBRIDGE: CELL PRESS. ISSN 1879-0445

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Abstract

Some genes regulate phenotypes that are either present or absent. They are often important regulators of developmental switches and are involved in morphological evolution. We have little understanding of the molecular mechanisms by which these absence/presence gene functions have evolved, because the phenotype and fitness of molecular intermediate forms are unknown. Here, we studied the sex-determining switch of 14 natural sequence variants of the csd gene among 76 genotypes of the honeybee (Apis mellifera). Heterozygous genotypes (different specificities) of the csd gene determine femaleness, while hemizygous genotypes (single specificity) determine maleness. Homozygous genotypes of the csd gene (same specificity) are lethal [1-6]. We found that at least five amino acid differences and length variation between Csd specificities in the specifying domain (PSD) were sufficient to regularly induce femaleness. We estimated that, on average, six pairwise amino acid differences evolved under positive selection [7-9]. We also identified a natural evolutionary intermediate that showed only three amino acid length differences in the PSD relative to its parental allele. This genotype showed an intermediate fitness because it implemented lethality regularly and induced femaleness infrequently (i.e., incomplete, penetrance). We suggest incomplete penetrance as a mechanism through which new molecular switches can gradually and adaptively evolve.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID ORCID Put Code Beye, Martin UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Seelmann, Christine UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Gempe, Tanja UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Hasselmann, Martin UNSPECIFIED orcid.org/0000-0003-3305-4024 UNSPECIFIED Vekemans, Xavier UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Fondrk, M. Kim UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Page, Robert E., Jr. UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED
URN:	urn:nbn:de:hbz:38-470048
DOI:	10.1016/j.cub.2013.10.070
Journal or Publication Title:	Curr. Biol.
Volume:	23
Number:	24
Page Range:	S. 2559 - 2565
Date:	2013
Publisher:	CELL PRESS
Place of Publication:	CAMBRIDGE
ISSN:	1879-0445
Language:	English
Faculty:	Unspecified
Divisions:	Unspecified
Subjects:	no entry
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Keywords Language SELF-INCOMPATIBILITY; BALANCING SELECTION; APIS-MELLIFERA; HONEY-BEE; GENEALOGICAL STRUCTURE; DETERMINING ALLELES; GENE; POPULATION; DROSOPHILA; DOUBLESEX Multiple languages Biochemistry & Molecular Biology; Biology; Cell Biology Multiple languages
URI:	http://kups.ub.uni-koeln.de/id/eprint/47004