Identification of five new genes on the Y chromosome of Drosophila melanogaster.
The heterochromatic state of the Drosophila Y chromosome has made the cloning and identification of Y-linked genes a challenging process. Here, we report application of a procedure to identify Y-linked gene fragments from the unmapped residue of the whole genome sequencing effort. Previously identified Y-linked genes appear in sequenced scaffolds as individual exons, apparently because many introns have become heterochromatic, growing to enormous size and becoming virtually unclonable. A TBLASTN search using all known proteins as query sequences, tested against a blastable database of the unmapped fragments, produced a number of matches consistent with this scenario. Reverse transcription-PCR and genetic methods were used to confirm those that are expressed, Y-linked genes. The five genes reported here include three protein phosphatases (Pp1-Y1, Pp1-Y2, and PPr-Y), an occludin-related gene (ORY), and a coiled-coils gene (CCY). This brings the total to nine protein-coding genes identified on the Drosophila Y chromosome. ORY and CCY may correspond, respectively, to the fertility factors ks-1 and ks-2, whereas the three protein phosphatases represent novel genes. There remains a strong functional coherence to male function among the genes on the Drosophila Y chromosome.
Carvalho
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Departamento de Genética, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Caixa Postal 68011 CEP 21944-970, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. bernardo@biologia.ufrj.br
Dobo
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BA
Vibranovski
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MD
Clark
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D000818:Animals; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000235:genetics*; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D020224:Expressed Sequence Tags; D008040:Genetic Linkage; D008297:Male; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D062793:Occludin; D010749:Phosphoprotein Phosphatases / Q000235:genetics; D010802:Phylogeny; D014998:Y Chromosome
D008565:Membrane Proteins; D062793:Occludin; D010749:Phosphoprotein Phosphatases