English (United Kingdom)

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/featured_content/oa?rat=en

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/highlighted_journal/

Global: Zendy Plus annual

Presents the access of premium content as premium feature

Premium Content

Presents the keyphrase highlighting as premium feature

Keyphrase Highlighting

Presents the summarisation as premium feature

Summarisation

Insights

Presents the pdf analysis as premium feature

PDF Analysis

Presents the zaia usage as premium feature

ZAIA

Global: Zendy Tools annual

Global: Zendy Free Plan

Global: Zendy Tools monthly

Global: Zendy Plus monthly

The animal chemosensory system is involved in essential biological processes, most of them mediated by proteins encoded in multigene families. These multigene families have been fundamental for the adaptation to new environments, significantly contributing to phenotypic variation. This adaptive potential contrasts, however, with the lack of studies at their upstream regions, especially taking into account the evidence linking their transcriptional changes to certain phenotypic effects. Here, we explicitly characterize the contribution of the upstream sequences of the major chemosensory gene families to rapid adaptive processes. For that, we analyze the genome sequences of 158 lines from a population of Drosophila melanogaster that recently colonized North America, and integrate functional and transcriptional data available for this species. We find that both, strong negative and strong positive selection, shape transcriptional evolution at the genome-wide level. The chemosensory upstream regions, however, exhibit a distinctive adaptive landscape, including multiple mutations of small beneficial effect and a reduced number of cis-regulatory elements. Together, our results suggest that the promiscuous and partially redundant transcription and function of the chemosensory genes provide evolutionarily opportunities for rapid adaptive episodes through weak polygenic selection.

Weak Polygenic Selection Drives the Rapid Adaptation of the Chemosensory System: Lessons from the Upstream Regions of the Major Gene Families