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At least 397 records · Page 22Linked to original sources
PubMed1999

A synthetic combination of mutations, including fs(1)pyrSu(b), rSu(b) and b, causes female sterility and reduces embryonic viability in Drosophila melanogaster.

A Drosophila melanogaster mutant, fs(1)pyrSu(b), carrying a mutation that maps to the tip of the X chromosome, has been isolated. The mutation, when present alone, does not confer a detectable phenotype. However, this mutation causes female sterility and reduces embryonic viability when combined with mutations which deregulate the pyrimidine and beta-alanine pools. Embryos that are homozygous for the mutations fs(1)pyrSu(b), rSu(b) [previously designated as Su(b)] and b, and originate from a female parent homozygous for the three mutations show severely reduced viability. Newly laid eggs begin development normally, but the majority of the embryos die just before the eggs are due to hatch.

Alleles↗
PubMed2002

Novel genes expressed in subsets of chemosensory sensilla on the front legs of male Drosophila melanogaster.

Detection of courtship-activating female pheromones by contact chemoreceptors on the front legs of male Drosophila melanogaster is thought to play an important role in triggering courtship behavior. However, the chemosensory organs, cells, and molecules responsible are not known. We have isolated two genes, CheA29a and CheB42a, expressed in nonneuronal auxiliary cells within two nested subsets of chemosensory sensilla on the front legs of sexually mature, adult males. The proteins encoded by the CheA29a and CheB42a genes have no sequence similarity to each other or any other known protein, but they belong to two novel families of proteins encoded by the D. melanogaster genome. Members of the two families are predicted to have a single transmembrane domain at their amino terminus, probably to serve as a signal peptide, suggesting that they are soluble and secreted. Finally, in addition to CheA29a and CheB42a, other genes within each family are expressed preferentially in appendages where chemosensory organs are concentrated, in several cases in a male-specific manner. Our data suggest that CheA29a and CheB42a and other members of these two protein families are involved in male-specific chemical senses, perhaps pheromone response.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2002

Characterization of the dCaMKII-GAL4 driver line whose expression is controlled by the Drosophila Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II promoter.

Transgenic flies that can drive GAL4 expression under the control of the 7 kb 5'-region of the Drosophila Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (dCaMKII) gene (dCaMKII-GAL4) were established. Characteristic features of this dCaMKII-GAL4 driven reporter expression were compatible with the endogenous dCaMKII expression pattern: The dCaMKII-GAL4 driven reporter gene was expressed preferentially in the central nervous system of the embryo and larvae. Reporter expression was also observed in the brain, thoracic ganglion, and gut of the adult. The whole-brain distribution and projections of dCaMKII-GAL4-expressing cells in the adults were visualized three-dimensionally by using UAS-linked reporter genes. Prominent signals of nuclear-localized beta-Gal reporter gene expression were found in extensive brain regions, especially in the Kenyon cells of the mushroom body (MB), cells in the pars intercerebralis, and subesophageal ganglion (SOG). tau reporter gene expression highlighting neurite projections was detected in the MB lobes, median bundle, antennal lobe glomeruli, and fibers of clusters in the SOG, ventrolateral protocerebrum and superior lateral protocerebrum. These observations agree with those of a previous study mapping the dCaMKII-dependent memory circuits in courtship conditioning. Interestingly, green fluorescent protein reporter gene expression in adult MB lobes was predominantly observed in the alpha and beta lobes with a core-deficient pattern, but not in the alpha' and beta' lobes, similar to Fasciclin II immunoreactivity.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

High efficiency of a double-screening method on single P-element insertion lines to identify quantitative trait mutants in Drosophila melanogaster.

Enhancer trap P-element insertion has become a common method for generating new mutations in Drosophila melanogaster. When this method is used to isolate mutants for quantitative traits, an appropriate control must be established to define normal and mutant phenotypes. Considering that enhancer-trap lines are generated by crossing several strains, usually with no homogeneous genetic background, no clear control strain can be selected. Previous reports tried to overcome this problem by homogenizing the genetic background of the original lines. However, this is not the most common scenario, especially when functional phenotypes are studied in previously generated lines. Without such caution, is it possible to identify functional mutants among P-element insertion lines? We tested this for olfactory preference, a quantitative trait. Using as control measurement the average phenotype of 30 simultaneously generated P-element insertion lines with preferential reporter-gene expression in olfactory reception organs, we found that 25 of the lines exhibited mutant phenotypes in response to one or several of 5 tested odorants. Additional tests showed that the efficiency of the method for detecting olfactory mutations exceeded 60% even for such a small number of tested odorants. According to these results this approach greatly facilitates the identification of putative abnormal phenotypes, which must be extensively confirmed afterwards.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Patterns of genetic diversity and differentiation in the tsetse fly Glossina morsitans morsitans Westwood populations in East and southern Africa.

Genetic diversity and differentiation within and among nine G. morsitans morsitans populations from East and southern Africa was assessed by examining variation at seven microsatellite loci and a mitochondrial locus, cytochrome oxidase (COI). Mean COI diversity within populations was 0.63+/-0.33 and 0.81 taken over all populations. Diversities averaged over microsatellite loci were high (mean number of alleles/locus>or=7.4; mean HE>or=65%) in all populations. Diversities averaged across populations were greater in East Africa (mean number of alleles=22+/-2.6; mean he=0.773+/-0.033) than in southern Africa (mean number of alleles=18.7+/-4.0; mean he=0.713+/-0.072). Differentiation among all populations was highly significant (RST=0.25, FST=0.132). Nei's Gij statistics were 0.09 and 0.19 within regions for microsatellites and mitochondria, respectively; between regions, Gij was 0.14 for microsatellites and 0.23 for mitochondria. GST among populations was 0.23 for microsatellite loci and 0.40 for mitochondria. The F, G and R statistics indicate highly restricted gene flow among G. m. morsitans populations separated over geographic scales of 12-917 km.

Africa, Eastern↗
PubMed1996

Response of Drosophila metallothionein promoters to metallic, heat shock and oxidative stresses.

The metallothionein system in Drosophila melanogaster is composed of two genes, Mtn and Mto. In order to compare the induction properties of these genes, we transformed D. melanogaster with P-element vectors containing Adh and lacZ reporter genes under the control of Mtn and Mto promoters, respectively. Mtn and Mto transgenes are mainly expressed in digestive tract. However, Mtn expression has been detected also in the fat body. Mtn and Mto transgenes respond differently to metallic, heat-shock and oxidative stresses. These data confirm that both genes are in part functionally different.

Alcohol Dehydrogenase↗
PubMed1996

Mutational spectra induced under distinct excision repair conditions by the 3 methylating agents N-methyl-N-nitrosourea, N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine and N-nitrosodimethylamine in postmeiotic male germ cells of Drosophila.

This paper describes the analysis of mutations induced at the vermilion locus in postmeiotic male germ cell stages of Drosophila exposed to 3 different N-methyl-N-nitroso compounds: N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU); N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG); and N-nitrosodimethylamine (DMN). With MNU and DMN, the impact of DNA nucleotide excision repair (NER) on the spectra of mutations was studied. Mutants were isolated from F1 (mutations fixed before the first mitotic replication after fertilization) and F2 (mutations fixed following one or more mitotic replications; mosaics in F1) generations. The vermilion system enables the analysis of both intra- and inter-locus DNA changes for which several techniques have been adapted: (1) amplification of the vermilion gene by PCR, cloning of the fragment and sequence analysis of ssDNA; (2) Southern blot hybridization; and (3) cytological analysis of polytene chromosomes. In total, 49 MNU (26 from the exr+ genotype and 23 from the exr- genotype), 47 DMN (28 from the exr+ genotype and 19 from the exr- genotype) and 16 MNNG-induced mutations were characterized. The F1 spectra of all 3 agents contained base-pair changes and deletions (intra- and multi-locus) in a ratio of roughly 1 to 1, indicating a significant contribution of nitrogen DNA adducts to the spectra. In all F2 spectra the levels of base-pair changes were significantly higher compared to those in the F1 spectra, a finding also made for methyl methanesulfonate-induced mutations in earlier studies. There is an increase of mutations of, especially, the transversion types of mutations under exr- conditions in comparison to the exr+ situation. The induced transversions, clearly present in all spectra (exr+ and exr-), are presumably caused by N-methyl DNA adducts, which upon release from the DNA backbone lead to apurinic sites in a time-related process. Regarding the occurrence of transitions, it turned out for all 3 mutagens that the AT-->GC type strongly dominated the GC-->AT transitions. This suggest that O6-methylguanine is efficiently repaired, in contrast to O4-methylthymine. Based on the data obtained in the vermilion system with ENU, we propose, in addition, that the Drosophila alkyltransferase system repairs O6-methylguanine more efficiently than O6-ethylguanine.

Alkylating Agents↗
PubMed1994

The Drosophila easily shocked gene: a mutation in a phospholipid synthetic pathway causes seizure, neuronal failure, and paralysis.

We have characterized easily shocked (eas), a Drosophila "band-sensitive" paralytic mutant. Electrophysiological recordings from flight muscles in the giant fiber pathway of adult eas flies reveal that induction of paralysis with electrical stimulation results in a brief seizure, followed by a failure of the muscles to respond to giant fiber stimulation. Molecular cloning, germline transformation, and biochemical experiments show that eas mutants are defective in the gene for ethanolamine kinase, which is required for a pathway of phosphatidylethanolamine synthesis. Assays of phospholipid composition reveal that total phosphatidylethanolamine is decreased in eas mutants. The data suggest that eas bang sensitivity is due to an excitability defect caused by altered membrane phospholipid composition.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1994

The activities of two Ets-related transcription factors required for Drosophila eye development are modulated by the Ras/MAPK pathway.

We show that the activities of two Ets-related transcription factors required for normal eye development in Drosophila, pointed and yan, are regulated by the Ras1/MAPK pathway. The pointed gene codes for two related proteins, and we show that one form is a constitutive activator of transcription, while the activity of the other form is stimulated by the Ras1/MAPK pathway. Mutation of the single consensus MAPK phosphorylation site in the second form abrogates this responsiveness. yan is a negative regulator of photoreceptor determination, and genetic data suggest that it acts as an antagonist of Ras1. We demonstrate that yan can repress transcription and that this repression activity is negatively regulated by the Ras1/MAPK signal, most likely through direct phosphorylation of yan by MAPK.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Expression of msl-2 causes assembly of dosage compensation regulators on the X chromosomes and female lethality in Drosophila.

Male-specific lethal-2 (msl-2) is a RING finger protein that is required for X chromosome dosage compensation in Drosophila males. Consistent with the formation of a dosage compensation protein complex, msl-2 colocalizes with the other MSL proteins on the male X chromosome and coimmunoprecipitates with msl-1 from male larval extracts. Ectopic expression of msl-2 in females results in the appearance of the other MSL dosage compensation regulators on the female X chromosomes and decreased female viability. We suggest that msl-2 RNA is the primary target of SxI regulation in the dosage compensation pathway and present a speculative model for the regulation of two distinct modes of dosage compensation by SxI.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1995

A Drosophila protein that imparts directionality on a chromatin insulator is an enhancer of position-effect variegation.

The suppressor of Hairy wing (su(Hw)) protein inhibits the function of transcriptional enhancers located distally from the promoter with respect to the location of su(Hw)-binding sites. This polarity is due to the ability of the su(Hw)-binding region to form a chromatin insulator. Mutations in modifier of mdg4 (mod(mdg4)) enhance the effect of su(Hw) by inhibiting the function of enhancers located on both sides of the su(Hw)-binding region. This inhibition results in a variegated expression pattern, and mutations in mod(mdg4) act as classical enhancers of position-effect variegation. The mod(mdg4) and su(Hw) proteins interact with each other. The mod(mdg4) protein controls the nature of the repressive effect of su(Hw): in the absence of mod(mdg4) protein, su(Hw) exerts a bidirectional silencing effect, whereas in the presence of mod(mdg4), the silencing effect is transformed into unidirectional repression.

Alleles↗
PubMed1995

Mei-S332, a Drosophila protein required for sister-chromatid cohesion, can localize to meiotic centromere regions.

Mutations in the Drosophila mei-S332 gene cause premature separation of the sister chromatids in late anaphase of meiosis I. Therefore, the mei-S332 protein was postulated to hold the centromere regions of sister chromatids together until anaphase II. The mei-S332 gene encodes a novel 44 kDa protein. Mutations in mei-S332 that differentially affect function in males or females map to distinct domains of the protein. A fusion of mei-S332 to the green fluorescent protein (GFP) is fully functional and localizes specifically to the centromere region of meiotic chromosomes. When sister chromatids separate at anaphase II, mei-S332-GFP disappears from the chromosomes, suggesting that the destruction or release of this protein is required for sister-chromatid separation.

Alleles↗
PubMed1995

KSR, a novel protein kinase required for RAS signal transduction.

We have identified and characterized two genes in Drosophila whose products are required for activated RAS to signal with normal efficiency, but do not appear to effect signaling by activated RAF. One encodes the beta subunit of type I geranylgeranyl transferase, a prenylation enzyme essential for targeting RAS to the plasma membrane. The other encodes a protein kinase that we have named kinase suppressor of ras (ksr). By genetic criteria, we show that KSR functions in multiple receptor tyrosine kinase pathways. We have isolated mammalian homologs of KSR that, together with the Drosophila gene, define a novel class of kinases. Our results suggest that KSR is a general and evolutionarily conserved component of the RAS signaling pathway that acts between RAS and RAF.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1995

Mutations in aurora prevent centrosome separation leading to the formation of monopolar spindles.

We show that female sterile mutations of aurora (aur) are allelic to mutations in the lethal complementation group ck10. This lies in a cytogenetic interval, 87A7-A9, that contains eight transcription units. A 250 bp region upstream of both aur and a divergent transcription unit corresponds to the site of a specific chromatin structure (scs') previously proposed to be a barrier to insulate enhancers of the major hsp70 gene at 87A7. Syncytial embryos derived from aur mothers display closely paired centrosomes at inappropriate mitotic stages and develop interconnected spindles in which the poles are shared. Amorphic alleles result in pupal lethality and in mitotic arrest in which condensed chromosomes are arranged on circular monopolar spindles. The size of the single centrosomal body in these circular figures suggests that loss of function of the serine-threonine protein kinase encoded by aur leads to a failure of the centrosomes to separate and form a bipolar spindle.

Alleles↗
PubMed1995

Genetic and molecular analysis of terminal deletions of chromosome 3R of Drosophila melanogaster.

Terminal deletions of chromosome 3R are induced at a high frequency (3.2 x 10(-3)) by irradiating 45-4 Drosophila melanogaster females with a low dose of X-rays. The 45-4 line carries a white transgene inserted at 16 kb from the terminus and is homozygous for the mu-2 mutation, a gene involved in the repair of double-strand DNA breaks. Four of the 51 recovered deleted strains have lost modulo, the distalmost essential gene on chromosome 3R. Breakpoints of 22 deletions have been localised in a single hybridisation step, using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis to separate genomic DNA fragments obtained from digestion with a rare-cutter restriction enzyme. Breaks do not occur at random, but are rather clustered in three susceptible chromosomal domains. Backcross experiments resulting in transheterozygous (deleted chromosome/45-4) animals indicate that the activity of the white transgene is enhanced when the DNA break has occurred proximal to a critical position. This suggests that homologous chromosomal pairing distal to the critical position results in the definition of a more compact chromatin structure and, due to position effect, in the silencing of white.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Photinus pyralis luciferase: vectors that contain a modified luc coding sequence allowing convenient transfer into other systems.

The coding sequence of the Photinus pyralis luciferase (Luc), as contained in the previously described expression vector, pUHC13-1, was modified such that several commonly used restriction sites in the luc gene were removed without changing the primary sequence of the protein. In addition, a Kozak sequence upstream from the ATG start codon was introduced. The resulting plasmid, pUHC131-1, produced increased amounts of Luc activity in HeLa and NIH3T3 cells. The modified luc gene was inserted in both orientations into the multiple cloning site of a commonly used cloning vector. This facilitates transfer of luc into other expression units.

Animals↗