Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 16, 2026

Quantitative Comparison of cis-Regulatory Element (CRE) Activities in Transgenic Drosophila melanogaster
Published on: December 19, 2011
Compensatory cis-trans evolution and the dysregulation of gene expression in interspecific hybrids of Drosophila
Christian R Landry1, Patricia J Wittkopp, Clifford H Taubes
1Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, The Biological laboratories, 16 Divinity Avenue, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
Abstract:
Hybrids between species are often characterized by novel gene-expression patterns. A recent study on allele-specific gene expression in hybrids between species of Drosophila revealed cases in which cis- and trans-regulatory elements within species had coevolved in such a way that changes in cis-regulatory elements are compensated by changes in trans-regulatory elements. We hypothesized that such coevolution should often lead to gene misexpression in the hybrid. To test this hypothesis, we estimated allele-specific expression and overall expression levels for 31 genes in D. melanogaster, D. simulans, and their F1 hybrid. We found that 13 genes with cis-trans compensatory evolution are in fact misexpressed in the hybrid. These represent candidate genes whose dysregulation might be the consequence of coevolution of cis- and trans-regulatory elements within species. Using a mathematical model for the regulation of gene expression, we explored the conditions under which cis-trans compensatory evolution can lead to misexpression in interspecific hybrids.
Related Concept Videos
Dosage Compensation
In addition to sexual development, the X chromosome has genes involved in autosomal functions such as brain development and the immune system. Therefore, males and females with distinct numbers of X chromosomes will have...
Exon Recombination
Exon shuffling follows “splice frame rules.” Each exon has three reading...
Cis-regulatory Sequences
Position-effect Variegation
The Ratio of X Chromosome to Autosomes
Normal male Drosophila has a ratio of one X chromosome to two sets of autosomes. In contrast, normal female Drosophila...
Gene Conversion
