Repeated Duplication of Argonaute2 Is Associated with Strong Selection and Testis Specialization in Drosophila.

ABSTRACT: Argonaute2 (Ago2) is a rapidly evolving nuclease in the Drosophila melanogaster RNA interference (RNAi) pathway that targets viruses and transposable elements in somatic tissues. Here we reconstruct the history of Ago2 duplications across the D. obscura group and use patterns of gene expression to infer new functional specialization. We show that some duplications are old, shared by the entire species group, and that losses may be common, including previously undetected losses in the lineage leading to D. pseudoobscura We find that while the original (syntenic) gene copy has generally retained the ancestral ubiquitous expression pattern, most of the novel Ago2 paralogs have independently specialized to testis-specific expression. Using population genetic analyses, we show that most testis-

SUBMITTER: Lewis SH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5068860 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature