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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America logoLink to Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
. 1969 Jul;63(3):782–789. doi: 10.1073/pnas.63.3.782

DYSFUNCTIONAL SPERM PRODUCTION IN Drosophila melanogaster MALES HOMOZYGOUS FOR THE SEGREGATION DISTORTER ELEMENTS*

Daniel L Hartl 1,†
PMCID: PMC223520  PMID: 4899875

Abstract

Drosophila males heterozygous for the segregation distorter chromosome show a reduction in fecundity which is correlated with the degree of distortion of their segregation ratio. When males are made homozygous for the segregation distorter elements, their fecundity is lowered to just that extent expected if each SD were independently causing the sperms carrying the other to dysfunction. In three cases tested, Sd Ac/Ac, Sd Ac/Sd Ac, and Sd Ac St/Sd Ac St, the fecundity of the males is consistent with the dysfunction model, whereas the females are normal.

The Sd Ac St/Sd Ac St males are almost completely sterile. They do produce sperms, however, which are motile and which look morphologically normal in the phase contrast microscope. They are transferred to the female during copulation and are stored in apparently normal numbers in the seminal receptacle and spermathecae.

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Selected References

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

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