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bioRxiv · 10.1101/072710

Mating success associated with the white gene in Drosophila melanogaster

Chengfeng Xiao·Shuang Qiu·R Meldrum Robertson
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Abstract

Characteristics of male courtship behavior in Drosophila melanogaster have been well-described, but the genetic basis of male-female copulation is largely unknown. Here we show that the white (w) gene, a classical gene for eye color, is associated with copulation success. 82.5 % of wild-type Canton-S flies copulated within 60 minutes in circular arenas, whereas few white-eyed mutants mated successfully. The w+ allele exchanged to the X chromosome or duplicated to the Y chromosome in the white-eyed genetic background rescued the defect of copulation success. The w+-associated copulation success was independent of eye color phenotype. Addition of the mini-white (mw+) gene to the white-eyed mutant rescued the defect of copulation success in a manner that was mw+ copy number-dependent. Lastly, male-female sexual experience mimicked the effects of w+/mw+ in improving successful copulation. These data suggest that the w+ gene controls copulation success in Drosophila melanogaster.

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Chengfeng Xiao, Shuang Qiu, R Meldrum Robertson. 2016-08-31. Mating success associated with the white gene in Drosophila melanogaster. https://doi.org/10.1101/072710

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