Dr. Siu Fai Lee (Ronald)
Room 107
CESAR Building
Bio21 Institute
Melbourne University

Tel: +613 8344 2524
Fax: +613 8344 1179
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Genes underlie adaptive size variation

Many ecologically important traits exhibit latitudinal variation. One such example is the Drosophila body size cline along the east coast of Australia. Previous work in D. melanogaster has identified three distinct quantitative trait loci (QTLs) within the In(3R)Payne inversion on chromosome 3. We will carry out fine-scale mapping and association studies to further narrow down these intervals and identify candidate genes. In collaboration with Prof Linda Partridge (University College of London), we will perform definitive transgenic experiments to establish a causal link between the candidate genes and their effect on body size.

Populations of D. simulans, a close relative of D. melanogaster, also show a similar clinal pattern in Australia. Detailed QTL analysis in this species has now become possible because of the whole genome sequence. I intend to conduct a comparative QTL study to test whether the same genomic regions are involved in controlling body size in these two species.