Heritable somatic excision of a Drosophila transposon

A mutation in the white gene of Drosophila mauritiana that results from insertion of the transposable element mariner is genetically unstable in both germ cells and somatic cells. Somatic instability is indicated by the occurrence of animals having mosaic eyes with patches of pigmented cells on a pe...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 1987-03, Vol.235 (4796), p.1636-1638
Main Authors: Bryan, G.J, Jacobson, J.W, Hartl, D.L
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alleles
Analysis
Animals
Biological and medical sciences
Classical genetics, quantitative genetics, hybrids
CONTROL GENETICO
DNA
DNA - analysis
DNA Restriction Enzymes - metabolism
DNA Transposable Elements
DROSOPHILA
Drosophila - genetics
Drosophila mauritiana
Drosophilidae
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
GENE
GENES
Genetic aspects
GENETIC CONTROL
Genetic engineering
Genetic mutation
Genetics
Genetics of eukaryotes. Biological and molecular evolution
GENOMAS
GENOME
GENOMES
Germ cells
Homozygote
Insects
Invertebrata
LUTTE GENETIQUE
Mariners
Mosaic
Mosaicism
Phenotype
Somatic cells
Translocation (Genetics)
Translocations (Genetics)
Transposons
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:A mutation in the white gene of Drosophila mauritiana that results from insertion of the transposable element mariner is genetically unstable in both germ cells and somatic cells. Somatic instability is indicated by the occurrence of animals having mosaic eyes with patches of pigmented cells on a peach-colored background. Normally uncommon, the frequency of mosaicism is so greatly enhanced in a particular mutant strain that virtually every animal in the strain is an eye-color mosaic. The molecular basis of the mosaicism is the excision of the mariner element from its location in the DNA of the white gene in somatic cells. The phenomenon results from a single dominant genetic factor located in chromosome 3. Genetic control over the excision of transposable elements may play a role in determining the persistence of transposable elements in the genome.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.3029874