Originally published as Genetics Published Articles Ahead of Print on March 21, 2005.

Genetics, Vol. 170, 207-219, May 2005, Copyright © 2005
doi:10.1534/genetics.104.037283

Origin and Evolution of a Chimeric Fusion Gene in Drosophila subobscura, D. madeirensis and D. guanche

Corbin D. Jones^*,,1, Andrew W. Custer^* and David J. Begun^*

^* Center for Population Biology, University of California, Davis, California 95616
Department of Biology and Carolina Center for Genome Sciences, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-3280

¹ Corresponding author: Department of Biology, Carolina Center for Genome Sciences, CB 3280, 414 Coker Hall, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3280.
E-mail: cdjones{at}email.unc.edu

An understanding of the mutational and evolutionary mechanisms underlying the emergence of novel genes is critical to studies of phenotypic and genomic evolution. Here we describe a new example of a recently formed chimeric fusion gene that occurs in Drosophila guanche, D. madeirensis, and D. subobscura. This new gene, which we name Adh-Twain, resulted from an Adh mRNA that retrotransposed into the Gapdh-like gene, CG9010. Adh-Twain is transcribed; its 5' promoters and transcription patterns appear similar to those of CG9010. Population genetic and phylogenetic analyses suggest that the amino acid sequence of Adh-Twain evolved rapidly via directional selection shortly after it arose. Its more recent history, however, is characterized by slower evolution consistent with increasing functional constraints. We present a model for the origin of this new gene and discuss genetic and evolutionary factors affecting the evolution of new genes and functions.

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