Heightened condition-dependence of the sexual transcriptome as a function of genetic quality in Drosophila melanogaster head tissue.

ABSTRACT: Theory suggests sexual traits should show heightened condition-dependent expression. This prediction has been tested extensively in experiments where condition has been manipulated through environmental quality. Condition-dependence as a function of genetic quality has, however, only rarely been addressed, despite its central importance in evolutionary theory. To address the effect of genetic quality on expression of sexual and non-sexual traits, we here compare gene expression in Drosophila melanogaster head tissue between flies with intact genomes (high condition) and flies carrying a major deleterious mutation (low condition). We find that sex-biased genes show heightened condition-dependent expression in both sexes, and that expression in low condition males and females regresses towar

SUBMITTER: Malacrino A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6650720 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature