Mitochondrial DNA heteroplasmy maintained in natural populations ofDrosophila simulansin Réunion

Abstract

SummaryMitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variation inDrosophila simulanswas studied to determine whether the cytoplasmic state of mtDNA heteroplasmy persists in natural populations in Réunion. For this purpose, 172 isofemale lines, newly collected from two local populations, were examined, among which three types of mtDNA (siII,siIII andsiIII′) were found, based on theHpaII restriction pattern. Ten of the lines were heteroplasmic for a combination ofsiII and siIII, as determined by autoradiography. The same type of heteroplasmy had been noted in one of the two local populations 8 years before (Sattaet al.1988). The present results suggest that the heteroplasmic state occurs recurrently in natural populations ofD. simulansin Réunion.