title: Analysis of autosomal dosage compensation involving the alcohol dehydrogenase locus in Drosophila melanogaster.
abstract: An example of autosomal dosage compensation involving the expression of the alcohol dehydrogenase (Adh) locus is described. Flies trisomic for a quarter of the length of the left arm of chromosome two, including Adh, have diploid levels of enzyme activity and alcohol dehydrogenase messenger RNA. Subdivision of the compensating trisomic into smaller ones revealed a region that exerts an inverse regulatory effect on alcohol dehydrogenase activity and messenger RNA levels and a smaller region surrounding the structural gene that exhibits a direct gene dosage response. The two opposing effects are of sufficient magnitude that they cancel when simultaneously present resulting in the observed compensation in the larger aneuploid. An Adh promoter-white structural gene fusion construct is affected by the inverse regulatory region indicating that the effect is mediated through the Adh promoter sequences. The role of autosomal dosage compensation in understanding aneuploid syndromes and karyotype evolution in Drosophila species is discussed.
authors.affiliation: Biological Laboratories, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138.
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Birchler
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Hiebert
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Paigen
mesh_terms: D000426:Alcohol Dehydrogenase / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D002875:Chromosomes; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004247:DNA / Q000032:analysis; D004171:Diploidy; D004303:Dosage Compensation, Genetic; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; D005796:Genes; D008297:Male; D010641:Phenotype; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D014178:Translocation, Genetic; D014314:Trisomy
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D004247:DNA; D000426:Alcohol Dehydrogenase