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  • Genetic and molecular analyses of vgal: a spontaneous and unstable mutation at the vestigial locus in Drosophila melanogaster

Genetical Research

Table of Contents - 01 June 1991 - Volume 57, Issue 03  

Research Article

Genetic and molecular analyses of vgal: a spontaneous and unstable mutation at the vestigial locus in Drosophila melanogaster

Claude Bazina1 c1, Françoise Lemeuniera2, Georges Periqueta3 and Joël Silbera1

a1 Laboratoire de Génétique Quantitative et Moléculaire, Université Paris 7, CNRS URA 693, France

a2 Laboratoire de Biologie et Génétique Evolutives, CNRS UPR 2411–Gif sur Yvette, France

a3 IBEA, Université F Rabelais, CNRS URA 1298–372000 Tours, France

Summary

We describe herein, a new unstable mutant of the vestigial locus, isolated from a French natural population. From this mutant vestigialalmost (vgal) wild-type flies (vgal+) and extreme vg phenotypes (vge) arose spontaneously without genomic shock. The occurrence of vgal+ or vge alleles depends mostly on the breeding temperature; vgal+ revertants arose principally at low temperature (21 °C) and vge at 28 °C. These events occur mainly in the male germ line and the phenomenon appears to be premeiotic. Our results with in situ hybridization experiments and Southern blots show that the vgal mutation is due to a 2 kb DNA insertion, which is a deleted hobo element. Genetic and molecular analyses show that two distinct events may underly the wild-type revertants. One is the excision of the resident hobo element, the other a further deletion (about 300 bp in the example characterized herein). The vge mutation is probably due to a deletion of vestigial sequences flanking the hobo insertion.

(Received June 06 1988)

(Revised September 07 1990)

Correspondence:

c1 Corresponding author.

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