Temporal flexibility of gene regulatory network underlies a novel wing pattern in flies

Abstract

<jats:p>Organisms have evolved endless morphological, physiological, and behavioral novel traits during the course of evolution. Novel traits were proposed to evolve mainly by orchestration of preexisting genes. Over the past two decades, biologists have shown that cooption of gene regulatory networks (GRNs) indeed underlies numerous evolutionary novelties. However, very little is known about the actual GRN properties that allow such redeployment. Here we have investigated the generation and evolution of the complex wing pattern of the fly<jats:italic>Samoaia leonensis</jats:italic>. We show that the transcription factor Engrailed is recruited independently from the other players of the anterior–posterior specification network to generate a new wing pattern. We argue that partial cooption is made possible because 1) the anterior–posterior specification GRN is flexible over time in the developing wing and 2) this flexibility results from the fact that every single gene of the GRN possesses its own functional time window. We propose that the temporal flexibility of a GRN is a general prerequisite for its possible cooption during the course of evolution.</jats:p>

DrosoPhyla: Resources for Drosophilid Phylogeny and Systematics

“…Samoaia is a small genus of seven described species endemic to the Samoan Archipelago ( Malloch 1934 ; Wheeler and Kambysellis 1966 ), particularly studied for their body and wing pigmentation ( Dufour et al 2020 ). In our analysis, the genus Samoaia is found to group with the quadrilineata species subgroup of the immigrans group.…”

No evidence for contribution of sexually monomorphic wing pigmentation pattern to mate choice in Drosophila guttifera

“…Many species of fruit flies are known to have sexually monomorphic wing pigmentations (Dufour et al, 2020;Werner, Steenwinkel, & Jaenike, 2020;Miller et al, 2017;Patterson, 1943), but no functional testing of these monomorphic traits has been reported.…”

“…However, the function of this sexually monomorphic pigmentation during courtship has not been studied experimentally. Many species of fruit flies are known to have sexually monomorphic wing pigmentations (Dufour et al., 2020; Werner, Steenwinkel, & Jaenike, 2020; Miller et al., 2017; Patterson, 1943), but no functional testing of these monomorphic traits has been reported.…”

The color pattern inducing genewinglessis expressed in specific cell types of campaniform sensilla of a polka-dotted fruit fly,Drosophila guttifera

“…Various pigmentation patterns are found in adult wings of Drosophila fruit flies (Insecta, Diptera, Drosophilidae) (Wittkopp et al 2002; Massey and Wittkopp 2016; Dufour et al 2020; Koshikawa 2020; Werner et al 2020). Adult Drosophila guttifera flies have a species-specific wing spot pattern (Fig.…”