Studies on the rate and site-specificity of P element transposition.
A single genetically marked P element can be efficiently mobilized to insertionally mutagenize the Drosophila genome. We have investigated how the structure of the starting element and its location along the X chromosome influenced the rate and location of mutations recovered. The structure of two P[rosy+] elements strongly affected mobilization by the autonomous "Jumpstarter-1" element. Their average transposition rates differed more than 12-fold, while their initial chromosomal location had a smaller effect. The lethal and sterile mutations induced by mobilizing a P[rosy+] element from position 1F were compared with those identified previously using a P[neoR] element at position 9C. With one possible exception, insertion hotspots for one element were frequently also targets of the other transposon. These experiments suggested that the genomic location of a P element does not usually influence its target sites on nonhomologous chromosomes. During the course of these experiments, Y-linked insertions expressing rosy+ were recovered, suggesting that marked P elements can sometimes insert and function at heterochromatic sites.
Berg
C A
CA
Howard Hughes Medical Research Laboratories, Department of Embryology, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Baltimore, Maryland 21210.
Spradling
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D000818:Animals; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D004330:Drosophila / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D005816:Genetic Complementation Test; D005828:Genetics, Population; D008297:Male; D016254:Mutagenesis, Insertional; D016297:Mutagenesis, Site-Directed; D014960:X Chromosome; D014998:Y Chromosome
D004251:DNA Transposable Elements