Hybrid dysgenesis in Drosophila melanogaster.
Several dysgenic traits may occur within the Drosophila melanogaster species as a result of crosses between different strains. Crossing two mutually interacting categories, named inducer and reactive, may lead, among other abnormalities, to a specific kind of female sterility that has proved useful for investigating the genetic factors involved in the interaction. The reactive state  appears to result from a cytoplasmic state ultimately controlled by a chromosomal polygenic system. The inducer character is determined by a chromosomal factor that exhibits all characteristics of a transposable element. Overall, the data contribute to clarification of mutator activities in D. melanogaster and open new opportunities to investigate unusual genetic mechanisms.
D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D000830:Animals, Laboratory / Q000235:genetics; D000835:Animals, Wild / Q000235:genetics; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000502:physiology; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000235:genetics*; D004463:Ecology; D005260:Female; D005809:Genes, Regulator; D006358:Hot Temperature; D006824:Hybridization, Genetic; D007247:Infertility, Female / Q000235:genetics; D009154:Mutation; D009865:Oocytes / Q000502:physiology