Y-Linked male sterile mutations induced by P element in Drosophila melanogaster.
The Y chromosome in Drosophila melanogaster is composed of highly repetitive sequences and is essential only in the male germ line. We employed P-element insertional mutagenesis to induce male sterile mutations in the Y chromosome. By using a combination of two modifiers of position effect variegation, adding an extra Y chromosome and increasing temperature, we isolated 61 P(ry+) elements in the Y chromosome. Six of these Y-linked insertions (approximately 10%) induced male sterile mutations that are mapped to two genes on the long and one on the short arms of the Y chromosome. These mutations are revertible to the wild type in a cell-autonomous and germ-line-dependent manner, consistent with previously defined Y-linked gene functions. Phenotypes associated with these P-induced mutations are similar to those resulting from deletions of the Y chromosome regions corresponding to the male fertility genes. Three alleles of the kl-3 gene on the Y long arm result in loss of the axonemal outer dynein arms in the spermatid tail, while three ks-2 alleles on the Y short arm induce defects at early postmeiotic stages. The recovery of the ms(Y) mutations induced by single P-element insertions will facilitate our effort to understand the structural and functional properties of the Y chromosome.
Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut 06269, USA. ping@uconnvm.uconn.edu
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D000818:Animals; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements / Q000235:genetics*; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000235:genetics*; D015870:Gene Expression; D005816:Genetic Complementation Test; D006570:Heterochromatin / Q000235:genetics; D007248:Infertility, Male / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D016254:Mutagenesis, Insertional / Q000379:methods; D010641:Phenotype; D020161:Physical Chromosome Mapping; D013082:Sperm Tail / Q000648:ultrastructure; D013087:Spermatids / Q000648:ultrastructure; D013091:Spermatogenesis; D013696:Temperature; D014998:Y Chromosome / Q000235:genetics*
D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D006570:Heterochromatin