Heterochromatin position effects on circularized sex chromosomes cause filicidal embryonic lethality in Drosophila melanogaster.
Some circularized X-Y chromosomes in Drosophila melanogaster are mitotically unstable and induce early embryonic lethality, but the genetic basis is unknown. Our experiments suggest that a large region of X-linked satellite DNA causes anaphase bridges and lethality when placed into a new heterochromatic environment within certain circularized X-Y chromosomes. These results reveal that repetitive sequences can be incompatible with one another in cis. The lethal phenotype also bears a remarkable resemblance to a case of interspecific hybrid lethality.
W. M. Keck Science Department, Claremont McKenna, Pitzer, and Scripps Colleges, Claremont, California 91711.
Patrick M
PM
Ferree
Karina
K
Gomez
Peter
P
Rominger
Dagnie
D
Howard
Hannah
H
Kornfeld
Daniel A
DA
Barbash
D000705:Anaphase; D000818:Animals; D059006:Chromosomes, Insect; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000196:embryology* / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D017344:Genes, Insect; D005804:Genes, Lethal; D006570:Heterochromatin / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D012091:Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid; D012303:Ring Chromosomes; D012730:Sex Chromosomes / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
D006570:Heterochromatin