Skip to main content
NCBI home page
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
. 1987 Apr;84(8):2382–2386. doi: 10.1073/pnas.84.8.2382

Incomplete Y chromosomes promote magnification in male and female Drosophila.

D J Komma, S A Endow
PMCID: PMC304655  PMID: 3104913

Abstract

We have recently shown that magnification, an increase in the number of ribosomal RNA genes (rDNA) in gametes produced by rDNA-deficient flies, can occur in female Drosophila if they have a Y chromosome. We now have tested several X-Y translocation and recombinant chromosomes to determine which parts of the Y chromosome are necessary for magnification to occur in females. Our data indicate that the required region is the distal part of the long arm of the Y chromosome, YL. We have also used X-Y translocation chromosomes to study magnification of rDNA-deficient X chromosomes in males. Our data show that the region of the Y chromosome from the distal end of the nucleolus organizer through the centromere is not required for magnification in males. The frequency of magnification in males with rDNA-deficient Y fragments is comparable to that produced by Ybb-, a chromosome that has often been used to produce magnification in males. These results demonstrate that the Ybb-chromosome is not uniquely effective in causing magnification to occur in males. The results of these studies imply that sequences present on YL are required for magnification to occur in females; these sequences are probably also required for magnification in males. Since unequal sister chromatid exchange has been implicated as the major mechanism of ribosomal gene increase during magnification, the YL sequences required for magnification may be involved in encoding or regulating products needed for sister chromatid recombination in germ-line cells.

Full text

PDF
2382

Selected References

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

  1. Atwood K. C. Some aspects of the bobbed problem in Drosophila. Genetics. 1969;61(1 Suppl):319–327. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. COOPER K. W. MEIOTIC CONJUNCTIVE ELEMENTS NOT INVOLVING CHIASMATA. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1964 Nov;52:1248–1255. doi: 10.1073/pnas.52.5.1248. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Endow S. A., Komma D. J., Atwood K. C. Ring chromosomes and rDNA magnification in Drosophila. Genetics. 1984 Dec;108(4):969–983. doi: 10.1093/genetics/108.4.969. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Endow S. A., Komma D. J. One-step and stepwise magnification of a bobbed lethal chromosome in Drosophila melanogaster. Genetics. 1986 Oct;114(2):511–523. doi: 10.1093/genetics/114.2.511. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Evans E. P., Burtenshaw M. D., Cattanach B. M. Meitoic crossing-over between the X and Y chromosomes of male mice carrying the sex-reversing (Sxr) factor. Nature. 1982 Dec 2;300(5891):443–445. doi: 10.1038/300443a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Gowen J. W., Gay E. H. Eversporting as a Function of the Y-Chromosome in Drosophila Melanogaster. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1933 Jan;19(1):122–126. doi: 10.1073/pnas.19.1.122. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Grell R F. The Dubinin Effect and the Y Chromosome. Genetics. 1959 Sep;44(5):911–922. doi: 10.1093/genetics/44.5.911. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Hardy R. W., Lindsley D. L., Livak K. J., Lewis B., Siversten A. L., Joslyn G. L., Edwards J., Bonaccorsi S. Cytogenetic analysis of a segment of the Y chromosome of Drosophila melanogaster. Genetics. 1984 Aug;107(4):591–610. doi: 10.1093/genetics/107.4.591. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Hardy R. W., Tokuyasu K. T., Lindsley D. L. Analysis of spermatogenesis in Drosophila melanogaster bearing deletions for Y-chromosome fertility genes. Chromosoma. 1981;83(5):593–617. doi: 10.1007/BF00328522. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Hawley R. S., Tartof K. D. A two-stage model for the control of rDNA magnification. Genetics. 1985 Apr;109(4):691–700. doi: 10.1093/genetics/109.4.691. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Kennison J. A. The Genetic and Cytological Organization of the Y Chromosome of DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER. Genetics. 1981 Jul;98(3):529–548. doi: 10.1093/genetics/98.3.529. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Komma D. J., Endow S. A. Magnification of the ribosomal genes in female Drosophila melanogaster. Genetics. 1986 Nov;114(3):859–874. doi: 10.1093/genetics/114.3.859. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Lindsley D L. Spermatogonial Exchange between the X and Y Chromosomes of Drosophila Melanogaster. Genetics. 1955 Jan;40(1):24–44. doi: 10.1093/genetics/40.1.24. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Locker D. Instability at the bobbed locus following magnification in Drosophila melanogaster. Mol Gen Genet. 1976 Feb 2;143(3):261–268. doi: 10.1007/BF00269402. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Ritossa F. M., Atwood K. C., Spiegelman S. A molecular explanation of the bobbed mutants of Drosophila as partial deficiencies of "ribosomal" DNA. Genetics. 1966 Sep;54(3):819–834. doi: 10.1093/genetics/54.3.819. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Ritossa F. M., Scala G. Equilibrium variations in the redundancy of rDNA in Drosophila melanogaster. Genetics. 1969;61(1 Suppl):305–317. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Ritossa F. M. Unstable redundancy of genes for ribosomal RNA. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1968 Jun;60(2):509–516. doi: 10.1073/pnas.60.2.509. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Ritossa F. Procedure for magnification of lethal deletions of genes for ribosomal RNA. Nat New Biol. 1972 Nov 22;240(99):109–111. doi: 10.1038/newbio240109a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Rouyer F., Simmler M. C., Johnsson C., Vergnaud G., Cooke H. J., Weissenbach J. A gradient of sex linkage in the pseudoautosomal region of the human sex chromosomes. Nature. 1986 Jan 23;319(6051):291–295. doi: 10.1038/319291a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Tartof K. D. Unequal mitotic sister chromatid exchange and disproportionate replication as mechanisms regulating ribosomal RNA gene redundancy. Cold Spring Harb Symp Quant Biol. 1974;38:491–500. doi: 10.1101/sqb.1974.038.01.053. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Tartof K. D. Unequal mitotic sister chromatin exchange as the mechanism of ribosomal RNA gene magnification. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1974 Apr;71(4):1272–1276. doi: 10.1073/pnas.71.4.1272. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America are provided here courtesy of National Academy of Sciences

RESOURCES