Divergent evolution and molecular adaptation in the Drosophila odorant-binding protein family: inferences from sequence variation at the OS-E and OS-F genes
2008

Evolution and Adaptation of Drosophila Odorant-Binding Proteins

Sample size: 22 publication 10 minutes Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Sánchez-Gracia Alejandro, Rozas Julio

Primary Institution: Departament de Genètica, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona

Hypothesis

What are the mechanisms driving the evolution of the OS-E and OS-F genes in Drosophila?

Conclusion

Positive selection likely played a significant role in the functional differentiation of the OBP multigene family after gene duplication.

Supporting Evidence

  • Positive selection was likely involved in the functional diversification of new copies in the early stages after gene duplication.
  • The OS-E gene evolves more rapidly than the OS-F gene.
  • Functional divergence was detected between OS-E and OS-F proteins.

Takeaway

Scientists studied how certain genes in fruit flies evolved and adapted over time, finding that some changes were likely due to natural selection.

Methodology

The study analyzed nucleotide and amino acid variation across 18 Drosophila and 4 mosquito species using a phylogenetic-based maximum likelihood approach.

Limitations

The study primarily focused on a limited number of species and may not capture the full evolutionary dynamics across all Drosophila.

Participant Demographics

The study included 18 species of Drosophila and 4 mosquito species.

Statistical Information

P-Value

0.05

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1186/1471-2148-8-323

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