title: The Drosophila melanogaster cinnabar gene is a cell autonomous genetic marker in Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae).
abstract: The cinnabar gene of Drosophila melanogaster (Meigen) encodes for kynurenine hydroxylase, an enzyme involved in ommochrome biosynthesis. This gene is commonly included as a visible genetic marker in gene vectors used to create transgenic Aedes aegypti (L.) that are homozygous for the khw allele, the mosquito homolog of cinnabar. Unexpectedly, the phenotype of cells expressing kynurenine hydroxylase in transgenic Ae. aegypti is cell autonomous as demonstrated by the recovery of insects heterozygous for the kynurenine hydroxylase transgene with mosaic eye color patterns. In addition, a transgenic gynandromorph was recovered in which one-half of the insect was expressing the kynurenine hydroxylase transgene, including one eye with red pigmentation, whereas the other half of the insect was homozygous khw and included a white eye. The cell autonomous behavior of cinnabar in transgenic Ae. aegypti is unexpected and increases the utility of this genetic marker.
authors.affiliation: University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute, Center for Biosystems Research, College Park, MD 20742, USA.
authors.forename: Nagaraja
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sethuraman
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: O'Brochta
mesh_terms: D000330:Aedes / Q000235:genetics*; D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000235:genetics*; D005127:Eye Color / Q000235:genetics; D005819:Genetic Markers; D050601:Kynurenine 3-Monooxygenase; D006899:Mixed Function Oxygenases / Q000235:genetics*; D009030:Mosaicism
chemical_list: D005819:Genetic Markers; D006899:Mixed Function Oxygenases; D050601:Kynurenine 3-Monooxygenase