Natural variation in Drosophila melanogaster diapause due to the insulin-regulated PI3-kinase

  • Karen D. Williams
  • , Macarena Busto
  • , Maximiliano L. Suster
  • , Anthony K.C. So
  • , Yehuda Ben-Shahar
  • , Sally J. Leevers
  • , Marla B. Sokolowski

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

138 Scopus citations

Abstract

This study links natural variation in a Drosophila melanogaster overwintering strategy, diapause, to the insulin-regulated phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3-kinase) gene, Dp110. Variation in diapause, a reproductive arrest, was associated with Dp110 by using Dp110 deletions and genomic rescue fragments in transgenic flies. Deletions of Dp110 increased the proportion of individuals in diapause, whereas expression of Dp110 in the nervous system, but not including the visual system, decreased it. The roles of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase for both diapause in D. melanogaster and dauer formation in Caenorhabditis elegans suggest a conserved role for this kinase in both reproductive and developmental arrests in response to environmental stresses.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)15911-15915
Number of pages5
JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Volume103
Issue number43
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 24 2006

Keywords

  • Evolutionary genetics

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