Abstract
The Odysseus (OdsH) gene was duplicated from its ancestral neuron-expressed gene, unc-4, and then evolved very rapidly under strong positive Darwinian selection as a speciation gene causing hybrid-male sterility between closely related species of the Drosophila simulans clade. Has OdsH also experienced similar positive selection between Drosophila sibling species other than those of the simulans clade? We cloned and sequenced OdsH and unc-4 from two clades of the Drosophila montium species subgroup, the Drosophila lini and the Drosophila kikkawai clades. The ratios of Ka/Ks for OdsH were remarkably low between sibling species of these two clades, suggesting that OdsH has been subjected to strong purifying selection in these two clades.
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Acknowledgments
This work was partly supported by Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research from Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (Nos. 12375002, 15255006, and 16370040) and a grant from the “211 Project of Chinese Higher Education” to the National Key Subject of “Agricultural Insects and Pest Control” of South China Agricultural University. We appreciate the crucial suggestions of Professor C.-I. Wu. We also thank Dr. W. Wang for helpful discussion and reading of the manuscript. S.-Y. Wen wishes to thank Professor X.-F. Pang, academician of the Chinese Academy of Science, for his spirit in science and education.
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[Reviewing Editior:DR. Gail Simmons]
Research was performed at the Institute of Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
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Wen, SY., Shimada, K., Kawai, K. et al. Strong Purifying Selection on the Odysseus Gene in Two Clades of Sibling Species of the Drosophila montium Species Subgroup. J Mol Evol 62, 659–662 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00239-005-0101-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00239-005-0101-8