Divergence of the genealyin experimentally evolved cytoraces, the members of the nasuta-albomicans complex of Drosophila

Abstract

We generated cytoraces by crossing the chromosomal races (Drosophila nasuta nasuta and Drosophila nasuta albomicans) of the nasuta subgroup of Drosophila and maintained the offspring over many generations through sibling mating. These cytoraces, along with their parents, are members of the nasuta-albomicans complex of Drosophila. The gene always early (aly) is one of the rapidly evolving genes in the genus Drosophila and plays a central role in regulating meiosis. Here we examined the rate of molecular evolution of aly in cytoraces of Drosophila and demonstrated that the rate of substitutions amongst cytoraces is around eight times greater than their parents and even amongst species of subgenera. Thus, the presence of positive selection in the laboratory-derived cytoraces based on the analysis of the synonymous and nonsynonymous substitution rates of aly suggests the rapid evolution in cytoraces.