Selection driven signatures of domestication in Drosophila. Craig E Stanley, Rob J Kulathinal. Dept. of Biology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA.

   Genomic analyses highlight potential regions under selection during domestication of Drosophila melanogaster Craig E. Stanley Jr.* & Rob J. Kulathinal Session: 07 Evolution and quantitative genetics Drosophila melanogaster, one the first genetic model systems (and arguably the most important), has been studied in the laboratory setting for over a century. While many studies have focused on the time required for selection to act on laboratory populations, the effect of inadvertent selection on laboratory lines of Drosophila remains unknown. With more than 12 generations per year and the presence of similar laboratory environments with relatively constant selective pressures, there has been ample opportunity for selection to act. Additionally, anecdotal phenotypic evidence has been reported between the behavioral and life history traits of laboratory and wild D. melanogaster. Here, we compare the genomes of laboratory vs. wild-derived flies in order to understand the heritable genomic alterations that have occurred across decades of domestication. Using data from Flysnp, DGRP, and DPGP, we identify a high fraction of SNPs unique to the laboratory strains of D. melanogaster. Within genes, unique SNPs are overrepresented in non-coding regions, more specifically, in 5 and 3 UTRs. Genes containing unique SNPs are also enriched for neural and sensory gene ontological classes. Additionally, a combination of whole genome assemblies and RNAseq data were used to conduct individual-level (SNP analysis) along with population-level (tests of selection) analyses. Moreover, six genome sequences from D. simulans (DPGP) were used to polarize allelic changes. Results from this study provide a genetic basis into observed phenotypic differences between laboratory and wild-caught D. melanogaster.