Autosomal P[ovoD1] dominant female-sterile insertions in Drosophila and their use in generating germ-line chimeras.
The 'dominant female-sterile' technique used to generate germ-line mosaics in Drosophila is a powerful tool to determine the tissue specificity (germ line versus somatic) of recessive female-sterile mutations as well as to analyze the maternal effect of recessive zygotic lethal mutations. This technique requires the availability of germ-line-dependent, dominant female-sterile (DFS) mutations that block egg laying but do not affect viability. To date only one X-linked mutation, ovoD1 has been isolated that completely fulfills these criteria. Thus the 'DFS technique' has been largely limited to the X-chromosome. To extend this technique to the autosomes, we have cloned the ovoD1 mutation into a P-element vector and recovered fully expressed P[ovoD1] insertions on each autosomal arm. We describe the generation of these P[ovoD1] strains as well as demonstrate their use in generating germ-line chimeras. Specifically, we show that the Gap1 gene, which encodes a Drosophila homologue of mammalian GTPase-activating protein, is required in somatic follicle cells for embryonic dorsoventral polarity determination.
Chou
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TB
Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115.
Noll
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E
Perrimon
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D000818:Animals; D002678:Chimera / Q000235:genetics*; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004330:Drosophila / Q000196:embryology / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D018014:Gene Transfer Techniques; D005799:Genes, Dominant; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D007247:Infertility, Female / Q000235:genetics*; D016254:Mutagenesis, Insertional / Q000379:methods; D009865:Oocytes / Q000502:physiology; D006080:Ovarian Follicle / Q000502:physiology; D010641:Phenotype