Local transposition of P elements in Drosophila melanogaster and recombination between duplicated elements using a site-specific recombinase.
The transposase source delta 2-3(99B) was used to mobilize a P element located at sites on chromosomes X, 2 and 3. The transposition event most frequently recovered was a chromosome with two copies of the P element at or near the original site of insertion. These were easily recognized because the P element carried a hypomorphic white gene with a dosage dependent phenotype; flies with two copies of the gene have darker eyes than flies with one copy. The P element also carried direct repeats of the recombination target (FRT) for the FLP site-specific recombinase. The synthesis of FLP in these flies caused excision of the FRT-flanked white gene. Because the two white copies excised independently, patches of eye tissue with different levels of pigmentation were produced. Thus, the presence of two copies of the FRT-flanked white gene could be verified. When the P elements lay in the same orientation, FLP-mediated recombination between the FRTs on separated elements produced deficiencies and duplications of the flanked region. When P elements were inverted, the predominant consequence of FLP-catalyzed recombination between the inverted elements was the formation of dicentric chromosomes and acentric fragments as a result of unequal sister chromatid exchange.
Golic
K G
KG
Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Chicago, Illinois 60637.
D000818:Animals; D002875:Chromosomes / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D003433:Crosses, Genetic; D004254:DNA Nucleotidyltransferases / Q000378:metabolism*; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005298:Fertility; D017344:Genes, Insect; D007247:Infertility, Female / Q000235:genetics; D007248:Infertility, Male / Q000235:genetics; D019426:Integrases; D007621:Karyotyping; D008297:Male; D010641:Phenotype; D010957:Plasmids; D045522:Recombinases; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D014960:X Chromosome
D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D045522:Recombinases; D004254:DNA Nucleotidyltransferases; D019426:Integrases; C115006:integron integrase IntI1