Abstract
The β1-, β2-, and β3-tubulin genes have been mapped by in situ hybridization on the polytene chromosomes of 11 selected species (15 strains) belonging to theDrosophila montium subgroup. Although the hybridization pattern among the strains of the same species does not differ, this pattern is significantly different among the species. The β-tubulin genes in themontium subgroup seem to be organized in a cluster, or in a semi-cluster, or are completely dispersed. The clustered arrangement is found in the North-Oriental sibling speciesD. auraria, D. triauraria, andD. quadraria. The semi-clustered arrangement, wherein the β1 and β2 genes are located at the same locus while β3 is at a different one, appears in the South-Oriental speciesD. bicomuta, D. serrata, andD. birchii, as well as in the Afrotropical speciesD. diplacantha andD. seguyi. The complete separation of the genes is observed in the Indian speciesD. kikkawai andD. jambulina and in the Afrotropical speciesD. vulcana. Based on the above results, a possible mode of evolution of the β-tubulin genes in the montium subgroup is attempted. In addition, phylogenetic relationships among themontium species are discussed.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Ashbumer M (1989) Drosophila:a laboratory handbook. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY
Ayala JF (1965) Sibling species of theDrosophila serrata group. Evolution 19:538–545
Baimai V (1970) Chromosomal polymorphism inDrosophila birchii. J Hered 61:23–34
Biolojan S, Falkenburg D, Renkawitz-Pohl R (1984) Characterization and developmental expression of β-tubulin genes inDrosophila melanogaster. EMBO J 3:2543–2548
Bock IR (1980) Current status of theDrosophila melanogaster species group (Diptera). System Entomol 5:341–346
Bock IR, Wheeler MR (1972) TheDrosophila melanogaster species group. Univ Tex Publ 7213:1–102
Cleveland DW, Sullivan KF (1985) Molecular biology and genetics of tubulin. Annu Rev Biochem 54:331–365
Fackenthal JD, Turner FR, Raff EC (1993) Tissue-specific microtubule functions inDrosophila spermatogenesis require the β2-tubulin isotype-specific carboxy terminus. Dev Biol 158:213–227
Gash A, Hinz U, Leiss D, Renkawitz-Pohl R (1988) The expression of β1 and β3 tubulin genes ofDrosophila melanogaster is spatially regulated during embryogenesis. Mol Gen Genet 211:8–16
Gash A, Hinz U, Renkawitz-Pohl R (1989) Intron and upstream sequences regulate expression of theDrosophila β-tubulin gene in the visceral and somatic musculature, respectively. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 86:3215–3218
Kalantzi-Makri MC, Margaritis LH, Sourdis J (1985) Phylogenetic relationships within themontium species subgroup of the genus-Drosophila (Sophophora) based on electrophoretic data of the major chorion proteins. Ann Soc Entomol Fr (New Set) 21:357–366
Kastritsis CD, Scouras ZG, Ashbumer M (1986) Duplications in the polytene chromosomes ofDrosophila auraria. Chromosoma 93:381–385
Kim BK (1988) Phylogenetic relationships of the seven species of theDrosophila auraria complex by two dimensional electrophoresis. Korean J Genet 10:77–84
Kim BK, Watanabe TK, Kitagawa O (1989) Evolutionary genetics of theDrosophila montium subgroup. I. Reproductive isolations and the phylogeny. Jpn J Genet 64:177–190
Kimura MT (1987) Habitat differentiation and speciation in theDrosophila auraria species complex (Diptera, Drosophilidae). Kontuy 55:429–426
Lamnissou K, Zouros E (1989) Interspecific ovarian transplantation inDrosophila: vitellogenin uptake as an index of evolutionary relatedness. Heredity 63:29–35
Leiss D, Hinz U, Gash A, Mertz R, Renkawitz-Pohl R (1988) β-tubulin expression characterizes the differentiating mesodermal germ layer duringDrosophila embryogenesis. Development 104:525–531
Lemeunier F, David JR, Tsacas L, Ashbumer M (1986) The melanogaster species group. In: Ashbumer M, Carson HL, Thompson J (eds) The genetics and biology ofDrosophila. Academic Press, London, vol 3, pp 147–256
Loukas M, Delidakis C, Kafatos FC (1986) Genomic blot hybridization as a tool for phylogenetic analysis: evolutionary divergence in the genusDrosophila. J Mol Evol 24:174–188
Luduena RF (1993) Are tubulin isotypes functionally significant. Mol Biol Cell 4:445–457
Mavragani-Tsipidou P, Scouras ZG (1991) Developmental changes in fat body and midgut chromosomes ofDrosophila auraria. Chromosome 100:443–452
Mavragani-Tsipidou P, Kyrpides N, Scouras ZG (1990) Evolutionary implications of duplications and Balbiani rings inDrosophila: a study ofDrosophila serrata. Genome 33:478–485
Mavragani-Tsipidou P, Scouras ZG, Natsiou-Voziki A (1992a) The Balbiani ring and the polytene chromosomes ofDrosophila bicornuta. Genome 35:64–67
Mavragani-Tsipidou P, Scouras ZG, Haralampidis K, Lavrendiadou S, Kastritsis CD (1992b) The polytene chromosomes ofDrosophila triauraria andD. quadraria, sibling species ofD. auraria. Genome 35:318–326
Mavragani-Tsipidou P, Zambetaki A, Kleanthous K, Pangou E, Scouras ZG (1994) Cytotaxonomic differentiation of the AfrotropicalDrosophila montium subgroup:D. diplacantha andD. seguyi—the major role of reverse tandem duplications. Genome 37 (in press)
Michiels F, Falkenburg D, Muller AM, Hinz U, Otto U, Bellmann R, Glatzer KH, Brand R, Biolojan S, Renkawitz-Pohl R (1987) Testes specific β2 tubulins are identical betweenDrosophila melanogaster andD. hydei but differ from the ubiquitous β1 tubulin. Chromosome 95:387–395
Michiels F, Gasch A, Kaltschmidt B, Renkawitz-Pohl R (1989) A 14 by promoter element directs the testis specificity of theDrosophila β2-tubulin gene. EMBO J 8:1559–1564
Natzle JE, McCarthy BJ (1984) Regulation ofDrosophila α and β tubulin genes during development. Dev Biol 104:187–198
Ohno S (1970) Evolution by gene duplication. Springer-Verlag, NY
Pardue ML (1986)Drosophila a practical approach. In Roberts DB (ed) In situ hybridization to DNA of chromosomes and nuclei. IRL Press, Oxford, p 111
Parkash R, Rajput PS (1983) Photomap of the salivary gland chromosomes ofD. jambulina (Parshad and Paika). DIS 59:96–98
Pissios P, Scouras ZG (1993) Mitochondrial DNA evolution in themontium species subgroup ofDrosophila. Mol Biol Evol 10:375–382
Roy S, Lakhotia SC (1977) Photomap of salivary chromosomes ofDrosophila kikkawai. DIS 52:118–119
Sanchez F, Natzle JE, Cleveland DW, Kirscher MW, McCarthy BJ (1980) A dispersed multigene family encoding tubulin inDrosophila melanogaster. Cell 22:845–854
Scouras ZG, Kastritsis CD (1984) Balbiani rings and puffs of the polytene chromosomes ofDrosophila auraria. Chromosoma 89:96–106
Scouras ZG, Mavragani-Tsipidou P (1992) Balbiani rings inDrosophila: the Balbiani ring 1 is a common characteristic in severalmontium species. Cytobios 69:97–100
Scouras ZG, Milioni D, Yiangou M, Duchene M, Domdey H (1994) The β-tubulin genes ofDrosophila auraria are arranged in a cluster. Curr Genet 25:84–87
Tsacas S, Tsacas L (1984) A phenetic tree of eighteen species of themelanogaster group ofDrosophila using allozyme data as compared with the classification based on other criteria. Genetica (Hague) 64:139–144
Triantaphyllidis CD, Kastritsis CD (1976) Acid phosphatases inDrosophila auraria. Experientia 32:1277–1278
Triantaphyllidis CD, Panourgias JN, Scouras ZG (1978) Enzyme variation and phylogenetic relationships among six species ofmontium subgroup of theDrosophila melanogaster species group. Genetica (Hague) 48:227–233
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Correspondence to: Z.G. Scouras
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Drosopoulou, E., Scouras, Z.G. The β-tubulin gene family evolution in theDrosophila montium subgroup of themelanogaster species group. J Mol Evol 41, 293–298 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01215176
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01215176