The Journal of Heredity 2001:92(4)
© 2001 The American Genetic Association 92:349-351
Brief Communication |
Recombination Between Two Amplified Esterase Alleles in Culex pipiens
From Team Genetics of Adaptation, Laboratoire Génétique et Environnement, Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution (UMR CNRS 5554), Université de Montpellier II (C.C. 065), F-34095 Montpellier cedex 05, France.
Address correspondence to Claire Berticat at the address above or e-mail: berticat{at}isem.univ-montp2.fr.
Esterase gene amplification at the Ester superlocus provides organophosphate resistance in the mosquito Culex pipiens (L.). In this study we explored the possibility of recombination between two amplified esterase alleles, thus generating a composite amplified allele. To do that, females heterozygous for two distinct amplified alleles (Ester2 and Ester4) were crossed with males homozygous for a third resistance allele (Ester8). Among analyzed offspring, one recombinant composite allele (Ester24) was detected, providing a rate of recombination of approximately 0.2%. This is the first report of a recombination between two distinct amplified esterase alleles. This phenomenon renders the predictability of allele evolution considerably more complex than was previously thought.