Rapid evolution in a fraction of the Drosophila nuclear genome

Abstract

Previous observations have indicated that Drosophila DNA contains a component that evolves so rapidly that it fails to hybridize between the DNAs of sibling species. To establish the reality of this component and study its properties, the fraction (about 20%) of Drosophila simulans (Dsim) DNA that fails to hybridize to Drosophila melanogaster (Dmel) DNA has been isolated. The majority of the hybridizable part of this isolated fraction (based on control tests on Dsim DNA) fails to hybridize with Dmel DNA under the conditions used for the initial fractionation. Clones of this fraction do hybridize with Dmel DNA at open criterion producing duplexes with greatly reduced thermal stability, indicating that the underlying process is rapid sequence divergence rather than loss of the homologous sequences by relatively large deletions. Cloned fragments from the nonhybridizing fraction from Dsim are more than 15% divergent from the Dmel homologues, whereas the fraction that does hybridize is only 3-5% divergent. In comparison, synonymous substitutions in the coding regions of five genes show a 9% average divergence between Dsim and Dmel. They appear to be intermediate in their degree of divergence between the hybridizing and nonhybridizing components.