Gene expression disruptions of organism versus organ in Drosophila species hybrids.
Abstract
Hybrid dysfunctions, such as sterility, may result in part from disruptions in the
regulation of gene expression. Studies of hybrids within the Drosophila simulans clade
have reported genes expressed above or below the expression observed in their parent
species, and such misexpression is associated with male sterility in multigenerational
backcross hybrids. However, these studies often examined whole bodies rather than
testes or had limited replication using less-sensitive but global techniques. Here,
we use a new RNA isolation technique to re-examine hybrid gene expression disruptions
in both testes and whole bodies from single Drosophila males by real-time quantitative
RT-PCR. We find two early-spermatogenesis transcripts are underexpressed in hybrid
whole-bodies but not in assays of testes alone, while two late-spermatogenesis transcripts
seem to be underexpressed in both whole-bodies and testes alone. Although the number
of transcripts surveyed is limited, these results provide some support for a previous
hypothesis that the spermatogenesis pathway in these sterile hybrids may be disrupted
sometime after the expression of the early meiotic arrest genes.
Type
Journal articleSubject
AnimalsCyclin B
Drosophila
Drosophila Proteins
Gene Expression Profiling
Gene Expression Regulation
Male
Nucleic Acid Hybridization
RNA, Messenger
Spermatids
Spermatogenesis
Transcription, Genetic
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https://hdl.handle.net/10161/4502Published Version (Please cite this version)
10.1371/journal.pone.0003009Publication Info
Catron, Daniel J; & Noor, Mohamed AF (2008). Gene expression disruptions of organism versus organ in Drosophila species hybrids.
PLoS One, 3(8). pp. e3009. 10.1371/journal.pone.0003009. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/4502.This is constructed from limited available data and may be imprecise. To cite this
article, please review & use the official citation provided by the journal.
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Show full item recordScholars@Duke
Mohamed A. F. Noor
Professor of Biology
Research in my laboratory strives to understand what genetic changes contribute to
the formation of new species, what maintains fitness-related variation in natural
populations, and how the process of genetic recombination affects both species formation
and molecular evolution. Our approaches combine classical genetic, molecular genetic,
and genomic/ bioinformatic analyses, along with occasional forays into areas like
animal behavior (in relation to speciation). I am also very interested in help

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