Gene regulatory network co-option is sufficient to induce a morphological novelty in Drosophila
G. R. Rice, T. Gaitan-Escudero, K. Charles-Obi, J. Zeitlinger, M. Rebeiz
This study shows that co-opting the trichome genetic network in Drosophila can induce large apical projections on the phallus, demonstrating the flexibility of gene regulatory networks in evolving new morphologies.
bioRxiv · Mar 22, 2024Evolutionary Biology