TWO ALTERNATE TRANSCRIPTS CODING FOR ALCOHOL DEHYDROGENASE ACCUMULATE WITH DIFFERENT DEVELOPMENTAL SPECIFICITIES IN DIFFERENT SPECIES OF PICTURE-WINGEDDROSOPHILA

[摘要] Two alternate transcripts of the single copy Alcohol dehydrogenase ( Adh ) gene accumulate with developmental specificity in all of 12 species of Hawaiian picture-winged Drosophila which have been examined. Relative to the paradigm species D. affinidisjuncta , the Adh transcript normally restricted to larvae is found to accumulate in both larval and adult tissues in D. formella . The other Adh transcript, which normally accumulates only in adults, accumulates in third-instar D. prostopalpis larvae as well. In species hybrids, the D. formella phenotype shows additive inheritance. These observations document the existence of a novel type of genetic variability. Furthermore, such variants suggest specific properties for the biological systems that regulate ADH expression in Drosophila, and they should facilitate further experimental investigations.

[学科分类] 医学（综合）