title: Insertion of the retroposable element, jockey, near the Adh gene of Drosophila melanogaster is associated with altered gene expression.
abstract: The alcohol dehydrogenase (Adh) gene of Drosophila melanogaster is well suited to be a gene expression reporter system. Adh produces a measurable phenotype at both the enzyme and mRNA levels. We recovered a spontaneous transposable element (TE) insertion mutation near the Adh gene. The insertion is a truncated retroposable element, jockey, inserted upstream of the adult Adh enhancer region. Comparisons between the Adhjockey allele and its direct wild-type ancestral allele were made in an isogenic background (i.e. identical cis and trans factors). Differences in Adhjockey expression compared with the wild-type can be attributed solely to the presence of the jockey element. This jockey insertion results in a decrease in adult mRNA transcript levels in the Adhjockey homozygous lines relative to the wild-type counterpart and accounts for a correlated decrease in alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) enzyme activity. The larval ADH activity levels are not detectably different.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Houston, TX 77204-5513, USA. whitel@umbi.umd.edu
authors.forename: L D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: White
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Jacobson
mesh_terms: D000426:Alcohol Dehydrogenase / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics*; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic / Q000235:genetics*; D017344:Genes, Insect / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D018626:Retroelements / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D018626:Retroelements; D000426:Alcohol Dehydrogenase