Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853-7202.
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853-7202
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2017 Oct 3;114(40):10707-10712. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1709058114. Epub 2017 Sep 18.
The gene has been implicated in butterfly wing pattern adaptation by genetic association, mapping, and expression studies. The actual developmental function of this gene has remained unclear, however. Here we used CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing to show that plays a fundamental role in nymphalid butterfly wing pattern development, where it is required for determination of all chromatic coloration. knockouts in four species show complete replacement of color pigments with melanins, with corresponding changes in pigment-related gene expression, resulting in black and gray butterflies. We also show that simultaneously acts as a switch gene for blue structural iridescence in some butterflies, demonstrating simple regulatory coordination of structural and pigmentary coloration. Remarkably, these knockouts phenocopy the recurring "black and blue" wing pattern archetype that has arisen on many independent occasions in butterflies. Here we demonstrate a simple genetic basis for structural coloration, and show that plays a deeply conserved role in butterfly wing pattern development.
该基因通过遗传关联、映射和表达研究与蝴蝶翅膀图案适应有关。然而，该基因的实际发育功能仍不清楚。在这里，我们使用 CRISPR/Cas9 基因组编辑来表明在鳞翅目蝴蝶翅膀图案发育中发挥着基础性作用，它需要决定所有的显色。在四个物种中的敲除显示出颜色颜料完全被黑色素取代，相应的色素相关基因表达发生变化，导致黑色和灰色的蝴蝶。我们还表明，在某些蝴蝶中，同时充当蓝色结构虹彩的开关基因，表明结构和色素颜色的简单调节协调。值得注意的是，这些敲除表现出经常出现的“黑与蓝”翅膀图案原型，这种图案已经在许多独立的蝴蝶中出现。在这里，我们证明了结构颜色的简单遗传基础，并表明在蝴蝶翅膀图案发育中发挥着保守作用。
