The Goddard and Saturn Genes Are Essential for Drosophila Male Fertility and May Have Arisen De Novo.

ABSTRACT: New genes arise through a variety of mechanisms, including the duplication of existing genes and the de novo birth of genes from noncoding DNA sequences. While there are numerous examples of duplicated genes with important functional roles, the functions of de novo genes remain largely unexplored. Many newly evolved genes are expressed in the male reproductive tract, suggesting that these evolutionary innovations may provide advantages to males experiencing sexual selection. Using testis-specific RNA interference, we screened 11 putative de novo genes in Drosophila melanogaster for effects on male fertility and identified two, goddard and saturn, that are essential for spermatogenesis and sperm function. Goddard knockdown (KD) males fail to produce mature sperm, while saturn KD males produ

SUBMITTER: Gubala AM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5400382 | biostudies-literature | 2017 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature