Population genetics of the developmental gene optomotor-blind (omb) in Drosophila polymorpha: evidence for a role in abdominal pigmentation variation.

ABSTRACT: The developmental gene optomotor-blind (omb) encodes a T-box-containing transcription factor that has multiple roles in Drosophila development. Previous genetic analyses established that omb plays a key role in establishing the abdominal pigmentation pattern of Drosophila melanogaster. In this report we examine patterns of omb nucleotide variation in D. polymorpha, a species that is highly polymorphic for the phenotype of abdominal pigmentation. Haplotypes at this locus fall into two classes that are separated by six mutational steps; five of these mutational events result in amino acid changes. Two lines of evidence are consistent with a role for omb in the abdominal pigmentation polymorphism of D. polymorpha. First, we find that haplotype classes of omb are correlated with abdominal pigm

SUBMITTER: Brisson JA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1448714 | biostudies-literature | 2004 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature