Genetic variation affecting host-parasite interactions: Different genes affect different aspects of sigma virus replication and transmission in Drosophila melanogaster

Jenny Bangham, Kang-Wook Kim, Claire L. Webster, Francis M. Jiggins

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract / Description of output

In natural populations, genetic variation affects resistance to disease. Knowing how much variation exists, and understanding the genetic architecture of this variation, is important for medicine, for agriculture, and for understanding evolutionary processes. To investigate the extent and nature of genetic variation affecting resistance to pathogens, we are studying a tractable model system: Drosophila melanogaster and its natural pathogen the vertically transmitted sigma virus. We show that considerable genetic variation affects transmission of the virus from parent to offspring. However, maternal and paternal transmission of the virus is affected by different genes. Maternal transmission is a simple Mendelian trait: most of the genetic variation is explained by a polymorphism in ref(2)P a gene already well known to affect resistance to sigma. In contrast, there is considerable genetic variation in paternal transmission that cannot be explained by ref(2)p and is caused by other loci on chromosome 2. Furthermore, we found no genetic correlation between paternal transmission of the virus and resistance to infection by the sigma virus following injection. This suggests that different loci affect viral replication and paternal transmission.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2191-2199
Number of pages9
JournalGenetics
Volume178
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Apr 2008

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