JIL-1 kinase, a member of the male-specific lethal (MSL) complex, is necessary for proper dosage compensation of eye pigmentation in Drosophila.
The upregulation of the JIL-1 kinase on the male X chromosome and its association with the male-specific lethal (MSL) complex suggest that JIL-1 may play a role in regulating dosage compensation. To directly test this hypothesis we measured eye pigment levels of mutants in the X-linked white gene in an allelic series of JIL-1 hypomorphic mutants. We show that dosage compensation of w(a) alleles that normally do exhibit dosage compensation was severely impaired in the JIL-1 mutant backgrounds. As a control we also examined a hypomorphic white allele w(e) that fails to dosage compensate in males due to a pogo element insertion. In this case the relative pigment level measured in males as compared to females remained approximately the same even in the most severe JIL-1 hypomorphic background. These results indicate that proper dosage compensation of eye pigment levels in males controlled by X-linked white alleles requires normal JIL-1 function.
Lerach
Stephanie
S
Zhang
Weiguo
W
Deng
Huai
H
Bao
Xiaomin
X
Girton
Jack
J
Johansen
Jørgen
J
Johansen
Kristen M
KM
D000483:Alleles; D000818:Animals; D004303:Dosage Compensation, Genetic; D004330:Drosophila / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D005123:Eye / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D009154:Mutation; D010858:Pigmentation; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D012737:Sex Factors; D014960:X Chromosome
D029721:Drosophila Proteins; C507306:JIL-1 protein, Drosophila; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases