Diptera Bicoid Evolution - Mulhair et al

This study analyses the emergence and evolution of the bicoid gene in Diptera. We uncover a non-cyclorrhaphan origin for bicoid and describe high rates of gene loss. To determine if the non-cyclorrhaphan bicoid mRNA is also localised to the anterior region of the developing embryo, as in Drosophila, we carried out in situ hybridisation using the dark edged bee fly Bombylius major, finding that it is functionaly as well as evolutionarily homologous to bicoid in Cyclorrhapha. In order to confidently place the point of origin we revisit the dipteran species phylogeny, with a particular focus on the early Brachycera branching patterns. Finally, we reconstruct the ancestral zen and bcd homeodomain sequences to assess how these newly found non-cyclorrhaphan bicoid sequences impact our understanding of the order and contribution of amino acid substitutions which gave bicoid is novel function.

All major data and code used in this study are available on this figshare repository. If there are any queries about any of the files please do not hesitate to contact any of the authors.