The genetics of an acid phosphatase in Drosophila melanogaster and Drosophila simulans.

very recently, genes whose effects are described at the protein level uNzv! been unknown in Drosophila. Gel electrophoresis, however, has remedied this situation. Within the past few years, the following gene-enzyme systems have been elucidated by means of this technique: Amylase (KIKKAWA 1964), Esterase 6 (WRIGHT 1963), Esterase C (BECKMAN and JOHNSON 1964a), Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (YOUNG, PORTER and CHILDS 1964), Alcohol dehydrogenase ( JOHNSON and DENNISTON 1964; GRELL, JACOBSON and MURPHY 1965), Alkaline phosphatase (BECIIMAN and JOHNSON 1964b), Leucine aminopeptidases A and D ( BECKMAN and JOHNSON 1964c), and 6-phosphogluconic acid dehydrogenase (KAZAZIAN, YOUNG, and CHILDS 1965). Electrophoretic techniques are being used in solving fundamental problems unique to higher organisms. For example, it is now feasible to study linkage relationships and controlling mechanisms of genes whose enzymes catalyze sequential biochemical reactions in higher organisms. In evolutionary genetics, too, questions concerning the evolution of genes and the existence of biochemical polymorphisms are now open to experimental analysis (see WRIGHT and MACINTYRE 1963; HUBBY and THROCKMORTON 1965). The present paper reports the discovery of still another gene-enzyme system, an acid phosphatase, in the two sibling species, D. melanogaster and D. simulans. It also provides evidence that the responsible genes in the two species are homologous, even though at this time no allele is known to be shared by both.