Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-dlnhk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-28T04:40:06.269Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Quantitative inheritance of red eye pigment in Drosophila melanogaster

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 April 2009

Narendra S. Chauhan  and
Forbes W. Robertson
Narendra S. Chauhan
Affiliation:
Institute of Animal Genetics, Edinburgh
Forbes W. Robertson
Affiliation:
Institute of Animal Genetics, Edinburgh
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

1. The genetic and environmental variation of red eye pigment in individuals of a wild population of Drosophila melanogaster has been studied by extracting and measuring the pigment content of individual flies, which were also scored for eye and body size.

2. Comparison of such variability in the wild population with the individual variation in crosses between inbred lines suggested that 60% of the phenotypic variance is genetic. About 75% of both genetic and environmental variance is due to intrinsic variation of pigment content while the remainder is correlated with eye size, which shows appreciable variation, independent of general body size, as measured by thorax length.

3. Selection for high and low pigment content by both phenotypic and family selection led to 40–50% differences between high and low lines after eight genera tions. The response was asymmetrical and proceeded further and faster with selection for lower pigment content. Crosses between high and low lines showed positive departure from intermediacy, suggesting that more or less recessive effects had contributed to the selection for lower pigment content.

4. There was some evidence of lower viability in the selected lines but no evidence of lower fertility or gamete viability in more extreme individuals of either sex.

5. Comparison of pigment content, eye and body size at different temperatures and under different levels of crowding suggested that the pigment content per ommatidium is subject to a high degree of genetic determination.

6. The average pigment content in strains derived from widely separated localities showed substantial variation, independent of both eye and body size.

7. Inbred lines, derived from the same population, were found to differ greatly in pigment content. Crosses and the exchange of homologous pairs of chromosomes between two of these lines suggested that one or more completely recessive genes were fixed in both the second and third chromosome of one line, while the same second chromosome effect was also fixed in another line. The second and third chromosome difference reduced pigment content by respectively 30% and 50% and combined additively, judging by the effects of single and joint substitutions of homologous pairs.

8. The possibility of combining genetic and biochemical analysis of pigment content is discussed.

Type
Research Article
Information
Genetics Research , Volume 8 , Issue 2 , September 1966 , pp. 143 - 164
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1966

References

REFERENCES

Alpatov, W. W. (1930). Phenotypic variation in body and cell size of Drosophila melanogaster. Biol. Bull. mar. biol. Lab., Woods Hole, 58, 85–103.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Beadle, G. W. & Tatum, E. L. (1941). Experimental control of development and differentiation. Genetic control of developmental reactions. Am. Nat. 75, 107–116.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Becker, E. (1949). Uber Eigenschaften, Verbreitung und die genetischentwicklungsphysio-logische Bedeutung der Pigmente der Ommatin-und Ommingruppe (Ommochrome) bei der Arthropoden. Z. indukt. Abstamm.- u. VererbLehre, 80, 157–204.Google Scholar
Ephrussi, B. & Herold, J. L. (1944). Studies on eye pigments of Drosophila. I. Methods of extraction and quantitative estimation of the pigment components. Genetics, 29, 148–175.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ephrussi, B. & Herold, J. L. (1945). Studies on eye pigments of Drosophila. II. Effect of temperature on the red and brown pigments in the mutant blood (w). Genetics, 30, 62–70.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Forrest, H. S. & Mitchell, H. K. (1954 a). Pteridines from Drosophila. I. Isolation of a yellow pigment. J. Am. chem. Soc. 76, 5656–5658.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Forrest, H. S. & Mitchell, H. K. (1954 b). Pteridines from Drosophila. II. Structure of the yellow pigment. J. Am. chem. Soc. 76, 5658–5662.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goldschmidt, E. (1958). Cryptic genetic factors changing pterin concentrations of Drosophila eyes. Proc. X Int. Congr. Genet. (Montreal), 99–100.Google Scholar
Hadorn, E. & Mitchell, H. K. (1951). Properties of mutants of Drosophila melanogaster and changes during development as revealed by paper chromatography. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 37, 650–665.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hoenigsberg, H. F., Chejne, A. J. & Castro, L. (1964). Interspecific differences in the red pigments of the eye of Drosophila. Drosoph. Inf. Serv. 39, 130.Google Scholar
Mainx, F. (1938). Analyse der Genwirkung durch faktorenkombination. Versuche mit den Augenfarbenfaktoren von Drosophila melanogaster. Z. indukt. Abstamm.- u. VererbLehre, 75, 256–276.Google Scholar
Nolte, D. J. (1952 a). The eye pigmentary system of Drosophila. II. Phenotypic effects of gene combinations. J. Genet. 51, 130–141.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nolte, D. J. (1952 b). The eye pigmentary system of Drosophila. III. The action of eye colour genes. J. Genet. 51, 142–186.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nolte, D. J. (1955). Eye colour polygenes. Drosoph. Inf. Serv. 29, 149.Google Scholar
Robertson, F. W. (1957). Studies in quantitative inheritance. XI. Genetic and environmental correlation between body size and egg production in Drosophila melanogaster. J. Genet. 55, 428–443.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Robertson, F. W. (1959). Studies in quantitative inheritance. XII. Cell size and number in relation to genetic and environmental variation of body size in Drosophila. Genetics, 44, 869–896.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Robertson, F. W. (1964). The ecological genetics of growth in Drosophila. 7. The role of canalization in the stability of growth relations. Genet. Res. 5, 107–126.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Robertson, F. W. & Forrest, H. S. (1957). Genetic variation of Isoxanthopterin content in Drosophila melanogaster. Genetics of Drosophila, University of Texas Publ. No. 5721.Google Scholar
Robertson, F. W. & Reeve, E. C. R. (1952). Studies in quantitative inheritance. I.Theeffects of selection of wing and thorax length in Drosophila melanogaster. J. Genet. 50, 414–448.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Robertson, F. W. & Reeve, E. C. R. (1955). Studies in quantitative inheritance. VIII. Further analysis of heterosis in crosses between inbred lines of Drosophila melanogaster. Z. indukt. Abstamm.- u. Vererb Lehre, 86, 439–458.Google ScholarPubMed
Viscontini, M. E. & Möhlmann, E. (1959). Fluoreszierende Stoffe aus Drosophila melanogaster. 12 Mitt. Die gelb fiuoreszierenden Pterine: Sepiapterin und Isosepiapterin. Helv. chim. Acta, 42, 836–841.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zeigler, I. (1961). Genetic aspects of ommochrome and pterin pigments. Adv. Genet. 10, 349–403.CrossRefGoogle Scholar