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doublesex is a mimicry supergene.

K Kunte1, W Zhang2, A Tenger-Trolander3

  • 11] National Center for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bengaluru 560065, India [2].

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|March 7, 2014
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

A single gene, doublesex, controls sex-limited mimicry in swallowtail butterflies, challenging the supergene cluster hypothesis. This finding explains how one gene can switch wing patterns for mimicry.

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary biology
  • Genetics
  • Entomology

Background:

  • Sex-limited mimicry in butterflies, particularly Papilio, involves females mimicking toxic models.
  • This mimicry is often linked to female polymorphic wing patterns controlled by 'supergenes'.
  • The functional nature of mimicry supergenes remains largely uncharacterized empirically.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify the genetic basis of mimicry supergenes in Papilio polytes.
  • To investigate the functional mechanisms underlying sex-limited mimicry control.
  • To test the hypothesis that supergenes are single genes versus tightly linked loci.

Main Methods:

  • Integrative approach combining genetic mapping, association mapping, and sequencing.
  • Transcriptome and genome sequencing were employed.
  • Gene expression analyses and DNA sequence variation were analyzed.

Main Results:

  • A single gene, doublesex (dsx), was identified as the controller of mimicry supergene in Papilio polytes.
  • This contrasts with the prevailing view of supergenes as tightly linked clusters of loci.
  • Isoform expression differences and potentially protein sequence evolution contribute to mimicry phenotype variation.

Conclusions:

  • The doublesex gene acts as a mimicry supergene, controlling entire wing patterns in Papilio polytes.
  • This demonstrates that a single gene can mediate complex mimicry phenotypes, challenging traditional supergene concepts.
  • The findings integrate different supergene hypotheses, suggesting a single gene with multiple linked mutations can drive mimicry evolution.