Subject: Helping FlyBase: ADRC-60691 Dear Nikolai, We are currently curating the abstracts for the upcoming 48th (Philadelphia) Annual Drosophila Research Conference, for FlyBase. I am writing in connection with your abstract: High variation in putative pheromone binding receptors Gr68a and Gr32a in D. virilis species group and its role in evolution of mate recognition. You seem to suggest that the gene products that are coded for by the Gr68a and Gr32a genes in melanogaster (on 3L and 2L respectively) are encoded by a single gene, which you are calling Gr68a gene, in the 12 species of the virilis group. Do I have that correct? I'd like to be certain I have the relationships correct, for the annotation of the gene records in FlyBase. Best regards, Rachel. Subject: RE: Helping FlyBase: ADRC-60691 Dear Rachel, Yes, these two receptors are splice variants of a single gene in D.virilis group, as well as in some other Drosophila species. You can call this gene gr68a or Gr32a - I do not know exact rules for such case. We have sequenced both genomic and cDNA for both products to confirm expression and splicing sites. First and second exons of Gr32a are located within intron2 of Gr68a. Exons 3 and 4 are common for both receptors. Gr68a in melanogaster is completely intronless, which may be indication that it is a retrotransposed copy, while Gr32a has an intron-exon structure similar to D. virilis Gr32a. Best regards Nikolai.
