Allelic polymorphism at foxo contributes to local adaptation in Drosophila melanogaster.

ABSTRACT: The insulin/insulin-like growth factor signalling pathway has been hypothesized as a major determinant of life-history profiles that vary adaptively in natural populations. In Drosophila melanogaster, multiple components of this pathway vary predictably with latitude; this includes foxo, a conserved gene that regulates insulin signalling and has pleiotropic effects on a variety of fitness-associated traits. We hypothesized that allelic variation at foxo contributes to genetic variance for size-related traits that vary adaptively with latitude. We first examined patterns of variation among natural populations along a latitudinal transect in the eastern United States and show that thorax length, wing area, wing loading, and starvation tolerance exhibit significant latitudinal clines for both

SUBMITTER: Betancourt NJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8693798 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature