DYSGENESIS-INDUCED INSTABILITY OF ROSY LOCUS TRANSFORMATION IN DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER: ANALYSIS OF EXCISION EVENTS AND THE SELECTIVE RECOVERY OF CONTROL ELEMENT DELETIONS

• Published in: Genetics (Austin) Vol. 109; no. 1; pp. 95 - 117
• Main Authors: Daniels, Stephen B, McCarron, Margaret, Love, Carol, Chovnick, Arthur
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bethesda, MD Genetics Soc America 01.01.1985; Genetics Society of America
• Subjects: Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Chromosome Deletion; DNA Restriction Enzymes; DNA Transposable Elements; Drosophila melanogaster; Drosophila melanogaster - enzymology; Drosophila melanogaster - genetics; Drosophilidae; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Genic rearrangement. Recombination. Transposable element; Investigations; Male; Molecular and cellular biology; Molecular genetics; Transformation, Genetic; Xanthine Dehydrogenase - genetics; Hybrid dysgenesis; Genetic transformation; Excision; Arthropoda; Insecta; Deletion; Instability; Transposable element; Invertebrata; Drosophila melanogaster; Diptera; Genetic transfer
• ISSN: 0016-6731; 1943-2631; 1943-2631
• DOI: 10.1093/genetics/109.1.95

Utilizing the method of P-M hybrid dysgenesis-mediated gene transfer to insert rosy locus DNA into various chromosomal locations, we recovered a transformed strain that carries an ry+ transposon inserted in or near the scalloped locus in polytene section 13F on the X chromosome. The resultant product, when stabilized, behaves as a homozygous and hemizygous viable and fertile extreme scalloped allele associated with wild-type expression of the rosy locus. We have labeled this allele, sdry+. This allele has been destabilized by subsequent P-M hybrid dysgenesis, and mutations were recovered that exhibit alterations in the rosy and/or scalloped phenotypes. Representative samples of all phenotypic classes have been characterized by Southern blot analyses of restricted DNA. The most common events are excisions of DNA wholly internal to the transposon and representing sections of rosy DNA. In addition to loss of rosy locus function, such excisions affect the scalloped locus expression.--A second dysgenesis experiment was carried out involving an ry+ transposon inserted in polytene section 16D on the X chromosome. A minimal estimate of the relative frequency of imprecise excisions, determined in this experiment is 75%.--A successful pilot experiment is described that utilizes dysgenic perturbation of the sdry+ allele to select for small deletions of the 5' noncoding region of the rosy locus.