Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Genetics logoLink to Genetics
. 1983 Oct;105(2):327–344. doi: 10.1093/genetics/105.2.327

Histone Gene Multiplicity and Position Effect Variegation in DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER

Gerald D Moore 1, Donald A Sinclair 1, Thomas A Grigliatti 1
PMCID: PMC1202160  PMID: 17246163

Abstract

The histone genes of wild-type Drosophila melanogaster are reiterated 100–150 times per haploid genome and are located in the segment of chromosome 2 that corresponds to polytene bands 39D2-3 to E1-2. The influence of altered histone gene multiplicity on chromatin structure has been assayed by measuring modification of the gene inactivation associated with position effect variegation in genotypes bearing deletions of the 39D-E segment. The proportion of cells in which a variegating gene is active is increased in genotypes that are heterozygous for a deficiency that removes the histone gene complex. Deletions that remove segments adjacent to the histone gene complex have no effect on the expression of variegating genes. Suppression of position effect variegation associated with reduction of histone gene multiplicity applies to both X-linked and autosomal variegating genes. Position effects exerted by both autosomal and sex-chromosome heterochromatin were suppressible by deletions of the histone gene complex. The suppression was independent of the presence of the Y chromosome. A deficiency that deletes only the distal portion of the histone gene complex also has the ability to suppress position effect variegation. Duplication of the histone gene complex did not enhance position effect variegation. Deletion or duplication of the histone gene complex in the maternal genome had no effect on the extent of variegation in progeny whose histone gene multiplicity was normal. These results are discussed with respect to current knowledge of the organization of the histone gene complex and control of its expression.

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (2.8 MB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Chernyshev A. I., Bashkirov V. N., Leibovitch B. A., Khesin R. B. Increase in the number of histone genes in case of their deficiency in Drosophila melanogaster. Mol Gen Genet. 1980;178(3):663–668. doi: 10.1007/BF00337876. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Grunstein M. Hatching in the sea urchin Lytechinus pictus is accompanied by a shift in histone H4 gene activity. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1978 Sep;75(9):4135–4139. doi: 10.1073/pnas.75.9.4135. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Hartmann-Goldstein I. J. On the relationship between heterochromatization and variegation in Drosophila, with special reference to temperature-sensitive periods. Genet Res. 1967 Oct;10(2):143–159. doi: 10.1017/s0016672300010880. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Henikoff S. Position Effects and Variegation Enhancers in an Autosomal Region of DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER. Genetics. 1979 Sep;93(1):105–115. doi: 10.1093/genetics/93.1.105. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Hentschel C. C., Birnstiel M. L. The organization and expression of histone gene families. Cell. 1981 Aug;25(2):301–313. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(81)90048-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Kedes L. H., Birnstiel M. L. Reiteration and clustering of DNA sequences complementary to histone messenger RNA. Nat New Biol. 1971 Apr 7;230(14):165–169. doi: 10.1038/newbio230165a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Kedes L. H. Histone genes and histone messengers. Annu Rev Biochem. 1979;48:837–870. doi: 10.1146/annurev.bi.48.070179.004201. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Khesin R. B., Leibovitch B. A. Influence of deficiency of the histone gene-containing 38B-40 region on X-chromosome template activity and the white gene position effect variegation in Drosophila melanogaster. Mol Gen Genet. 1978 Jul 4;162(3):323–328. doi: 10.1007/BF00268858. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Mahowald A. P. Polar granules of Drosophila. II. Ultrastructural changes during early embryogenesis. J Exp Zool. 1968 Feb;167(2):237–261. doi: 10.1002/jez.1401670211. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Moore G. D., Procunier J. D., Cross D. P., Grigliatti T. A. Histone gene deficiencies and position--effect variegation in Drosophila. Nature. 1979 Nov 15;282(5736):312–314. doi: 10.1038/282312a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Mottus R., Reeves R., Grigliatti T. A. Butyrate suppression of position-effect variegation in Drosophila melanogaster. Mol Gen Genet. 1980;178(2):465–469. doi: 10.1007/BF00270501. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Nelson T., Hsieh T. S., Brutlag D. Extracts of Drosophila embryos mediate chromatin assembly in vitro. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1979 Nov;76(11):5510–5514. doi: 10.1073/pnas.76.11.5510. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Shoup J. R. The development of pigment granules in the eyes of wild type and mutant Drosophila melanogaster. J Cell Biol. 1966 May;29(2):223–249. doi: 10.1083/jcb.29.2.223. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Siegel J. G. Genetic characterization of the region of the Drosophila genome known to include the histone structural gene sequences. Genetics. 1981 Jul;98(3):505–527. doi: 10.1093/genetics/98.3.505. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Wright T. R., Hodgetts R. B., Sherald A. F. The genetics of dopa decarboxylase in Drosophila melanogaster. I. Isolation and characterization of deficiencies that delete the dopa-decarboxylase-dosage-sensitive region and the alpha-methyl-dopa-hypersensitive locus. Genetics. 1976 Oct;84(2):267–285. doi: 10.1093/genetics/84.2.267. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Genetics are provided here courtesy of Oxford University Press

RESOURCES