Rates and patterns of scnDNA and mtDNA divergence within the Drosophila melanogaster subgroup.

Genetics ◽  
1988 ◽  
Vol 118 (4) ◽  
pp. 671-683
Author(s):  
A Caccone ◽  
G D Amato ◽  
J R Powell

Abstract Levels of DNA divergence among the eight species of the Drosophila melanogaster subgroup and D. takahashii have been determined using the technique of DNA-DNA hybridization. Two types of DNA were used: single-copy nuclear DNA (scnDNA) and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). The major findings are: (1) A phylogeny has been derived for the group based on scnDNA which is congruent with chromosomal data, morphology, and behavior. The three homosequential species, simulans, sechellia, and mauritiana, are very closely related; the scnDNA divergence indicate the two island species are a monophyletic group. (2) The rates of change of scnDNA and mtDNA are not greatly different; if anything scnDNA evolves faster than mtDNA. (3) The rates of scnDNA evolution are not closely correlated to chromosomal (inversion) evolution. (4) The Drosophila genome appears to consist of two distinct classes of scnDNA with respect to rate of evolutionary change, a very rapidly evolving fraction and a relatively conservative fraction. (5) The absolute rate of change was estimated to be at least 1.7% nucleotide substitution per one million years. (6) DNA distance estimates based on restriction site variation are correlated with distances based on DNA-DNA hybridization, although the correlation is not very strong.

1988 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 75-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles R. Marshall

In 1962 Zuckerkandl & Pauling suggested that the amino acid sequence of proteins might evolve in a clock-like fashion and thus may be useful for phylogenetic reconstruction. Since then, many different molecular approaches to phylogenetic reconstruction have been proposed (Wilson et al., 1977). Enthusiasm for the clock hypothesis was dampened by the discovery that rates of molecular evolution for many macromolecules have been highly variable through time (Romero-Herrera et al., 1979). However, the contribution of molecular characters to the study of phylogeny is not necessarily dependent on the notion of a molecular clock and molecular approaches continue to be an important source of phylogenetic information. One of the more powerful and cost-effective molecular techniques for phylogenetic purposes is DNA-DNA hybridization, which measures the single-copy nuclear DNA sequence divergences between species.


Genetics ◽  
1995 ◽  
Vol 139 (1) ◽  
pp. 349-363 ◽  
Author(s):  
G S Mastick ◽  
R McKay ◽  
T Oligino ◽  
K Donovan ◽  
A J López

Abstract A method based on the transcriptional activation of a selectable reporter in yeast cells was used to identify genes regulated by the Ultrabithorax homeoproteins in Drosophila melanogaster. Fifty-three DNA fragments that can mediate activation by UBX isoform Ia in this test were recovered after screening 15% of the Drosophila genome. Half of these fragments represent single-copy sequences in the genome. Six single-copy fragments were investigated in detail, and each was found to reside near a transcription unit whose expression in the embryo is segmentally modulated as expected for targets of homoeotic genes. Four of these putative target genes are expressed in patterns that suggest roles in the development of regional specializations within mesoderm derivatives; in three cases these expression patterns depend on Ultrabithorax function. Extrapolation from this pilot study indicates that 85-170 candidate target genes can be identified by screening the entire Drosophila genome with UBX isoform Ia. With appropriate modifications, this approach should be applicable to other transcriptional regulators in diverse organisms.


Genetics ◽  
1980 ◽  
Vol 95 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-94
Author(s):  
Barbara R Hough-Evans ◽  
Marcelo Jacobs-Lorena ◽  
Michael R Cummings ◽  
Roy J Britten ◽  
Eric H Davidson

ABSTRACT Comparative measurements are presented of the sequence complexity of the RNA stored in the eggs of two dipteran flies, Musca domestica and Drosophila melanogaster. The genome of Musca is about five times the size of the Drosophila genome and contains about 3.6 times as much single-copy sequence. As shown earlier, the interspersion of repetitive and single-copy sequence is of the short-period form in Musca, and is of the long-period form in Drosophila. The egg RNA complexities were determined by hybridization of excess RNA with radioactively labeled single-copy DNA. Complexity is expressed as the length (in nucleotides) of diverse single-copy sequence represented in the RNA. The complexity of the RNA of the Musca egg is about 2.4 x 107 nucleotides, and that of the Drosophila egg is about 1.2 x 107 nucleotides. The RNA of the Musca egg is similar to or very slightly lower in complexity than that of other egg RNAs, e.g., those of Xenopus and sea urchin. Compared to all previously measured egg RNAs, Drosophila egg RNA is low in sequence complexity.


Author(s):  
Hossam Ebaid ◽  
Mohamed Habila ◽  
Iftekhar Hassan ◽  
Jameel Al-Tamimi ◽  
Mohamed S. Omar ◽  
...  

Background: Hepatotoxicity remains an important clinical challenge. Hepatotoxicity observed in response to toxins and hazardous chemicals may be alleviated by delivery of the curcumin in silver nanoparticles (AgNPs-curcumin). In this study, we examined the impact of AgNPs-curcumin in a mouse model of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced hepatic injury. Methods: Male C57BL/6 mice were divided into three groups (n=8 per group). Mice in group 1 were treated with vehicle control alone, while mice in Group 2 received a single intraperitoneal injection of 1 ml/kg CCl4 in liquid paraffin (1:1 v/v). Mice in group 3 were treated with 2.5 mg/kg AgNPs-curcumin twice per week for three weeks after the CCl4 challenge. Results: Administration of CCL4 resulted in oxidative dysregulation, including significant reductions in reduced glutathione and concomitant elevations in the level of malondialdehyde (MDA). CCL4 challenge also resulted in elevated levels of serum aspartate transaminase (AST) and alanine transaminase (ALT); these findings were associated with the destruction of hepatic tissues. Treatment with AgNPs-curcumin prevented oxidative imbalance, hepatic dysfunction, and tissue destruction. A comet assay revealed that CCl4 challenge resulted in significant DNA damage as documented by a 70% increase in nuclear DNA tail-length; treatment with AgNPs-curcumin inhibited the CCL4-mediated increase in nuclear DNA tail-length by 34%. Conclusion: Administration of AgNPs-curcumin resulted in significant antioxidant activity in vivo. This agent has the potential to prevent the hepatic tissue destruction and DNA damage that results from direct exposure to CCL4.


Genetics ◽  
1991 ◽  
Vol 127 (4) ◽  
pp. 681-698 ◽  
Author(s):  
A J Link ◽  
M V Olson

Abstract A physical map of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae genome is presented. It was derived by mapping the sites for two restriction endonucleases, SfiI and NotI, each of which recognizes an 8-bp sequence. DNA-DNA hybridization probes for genetically mapped genes and probes that span particular SfiI and NotI sites were used to construct a map that contains 131 physical landmarks--32 chromosome ends, 61 SfiI sites and 38 NotI sites. These landmarks are distributed throughout the non-rDNA component of the yeast genome, which comprises 12.5 Mbp of DNA. The physical map suggests that those genes that can be detected and mapped by standard genetic methods are distributed rather uniformly over the full physical extent of the yeast genome. The map has immediate applications to the mapping of genes for which single-copy DNA-DNA hybridization probes are available.


Genetics ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 147 (4) ◽  
pp. 1843-1854 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nancy N FitzSimmons ◽  
Craig Moritz ◽  
Colin J Limpus ◽  
Lisa Pope ◽  
Robert Prince

Abstract The genetic structure of green turtle (Chelonia mydas) rookeries located around the Australian coast was assessed by (1) comparing the structure found within and among geographic regions, (2) comparing microsatellite loci vs. restriction fragment length polymorphism analyses of anonymous single copy nuclear DNA (ascnDNA) loci, and (3) comparing the structure found at nuclear DNA markers to that of previously analyzed mitochondrial (mtDNA) control region sequences. Significant genetic structure was observed over all regions at both sets of nuclear markers, though the microsatellite data provided greater resolution in identifying significant genetic differences in pairwise tests between regions. Inferences about population structure and migration rates from the microsatellite data varied depending on whether statistics were based on the stepwise mutation or infinite allele model, with the latter being more congruent with geography. Estimated rates of gene flow were generally higher than expected for nuclear DNA (nDNA) in comparison to mtDNA, and this difference was most pronounced in comparisons between the northern and southern Great Barrier Reef (GBR). The genetic data combined with results from physical tagging studies indicate that the lack of nuclear gene divergence through the GBR is likely due to the migration of sGBR turtles through the courtship area of the nGBR population, rather than male-biased dispersal. This example highlights the value of combining comparative studies of molecular variation with ecological data to infer population processes.


1995 ◽  
Vol 15 (5) ◽  
pp. 2367-2373 ◽  
Author(s):  
N Armes ◽  
M Fried

The Surf-3 gene of the unusually tight mouse Surfeit locus gene cluster has been identified as the highly conserved ribosomal protein gene L7a (rpL7a). The topography and juxtaposition of the Surfeit locus genes are conserved for the 600 million years of divergent evolution between mammals and birds. This suggests cis interaction and/or coregulation of the genes and suggests that, within this locus, gene organization plays an important role in gene expression. The further evolutionary conservation of the organization of the Surfeit locus was investigated. A cDNA encoding the Drosophila melanogaster homolog of the Surf-3/rpL7a gene was cloned, was shown to be present as a single copy, and was expressed constitutively at high levels throughout development. Genomic cosmid clones encompassing the gene and its surrounding DNA were isolated. The gene was determined to have five introns, of which two were located in the 5' untranslated region of the gene. The remaining three introns had splice sites at positions equivalent to those found in the Surf-3/rpL7a mammalian homologs. S1 analysis and 5' rapid amplification of cDNA ends both confirmed the start of transcription to occur in a polypyrimidine tract in the absence of a TATA box in the promoter. The genomic region around the Surf-3/rpL7a gene was analyzed by low-stringency hybridization with murine Surfeit gene probes, by partial sequence analysis, and by hybridization of fragments to Northern (RNA) blots. No homologs of other members of the Surfeit gene cluster were detected in close proximity to the D. melanogaster Surf-3/rpL7a gene. However, a gene which was detected directly 3' to the Surf-3/rpL7a gene was shown to encode a homolog of a mammalian serine-pyruvate aminotransferase.


2001 ◽  
Vol 58 (2) ◽  
pp. 347-356 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. A. GITZENDANNER ◽  
P. S. SOLTIS

Plant conservation genetics has been hampered by a lack of markers for studies of levels and patterns of variation in rare species. We investigated the levels of variation in several rare and widespread species of the western North American genus Lomatium Raf. (Apiaceae) using two relatively new molecular markers: AFLPs and single-strand conformation polymorphisms (SSCPs). For each species, approximately 150 AFLP loci have been scored, yielding estimates of species-level percent polymorphic loci in rare species ranging from near zero to over 80%. Levels of AFLP diversity were similar in two of the rare species, L. bradshawii (Rose ex Mathias) Mathas & Constance and L. ochocense Helliwell & Constance, and the widespread species. The third rare species, L. cookii Kagan, which has small populations, has low levels of diversity based on AFLPs. We also examined nucleotide diversity at the single-copy nuclear-DNA locus glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (Gap-C). PCR-amplified segments were analysed for allelic variation using SSCPs, and intrapopulational nucleotide polymorphisms were identified in both L. bradshawii and L. cookii. In the 211bp segment of Gap-C analysed, five nucleotide sites were segregating within populations of L. bradshawii and two in L. cookii.


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