Mitochondrial-nuclear epistasis affects fitness within species but does not contribute to fixed incompatibilities between species of Drosophila.

ABSTRACT: Efficient mitochondrial function requires physical interactions between the proteins encoded by the mitochondrial and nuclear genomes. Coevolution between these genomes may result in the accumulation of incompatibilities between divergent lineages. We test whether mitochondrial-nuclear incompatibilities have accumulated within the Drosophila melanogaster species subgroup by combining divergent mitochondrial and nuclear lineages and quantifying the effects on relative fitness. Precise placement of nine mtDNAs from D. melanogaster, D. simulans, and D. mauritiana into two D. melanogaster nuclear genetic backgrounds reveals significant mitochondrial-nuclear epistasis affecting fitness in females. Combining the mitochondrial genomes with three different D. melanogaster X chromosomes reveals sig

SUBMITTER: Montooth KL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2997886 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature