Genetics, Vol 137, 201-209, Copyright © 1994

INVESTIGATIONS

Functional Identification of the Segregation distorter Locus of Drosophila melanogaster by Germline Transformation

J. R. McLean, C. J. Merrill, P. A. Powers and B. Ganetzky
Laboratory of Genetics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706

Segregation Distorter (SD) is a meiotic drive system in D. melanogaster that results in the failure of SD/SD(+) males to transmit SD(+) homologs owing to the induced dysfunction of spermatids carrying the normal chromosome. Segregation distorter (Sd), the gene primarily responsible for this distorted transmission, is associated with a novel 12-kb restriction fragment containing a tandem duplication of a 5-kb wild-type segment of genomic DNA. When introduced into appropriate genetic backgrounds by germline transformation, this 12-kb fragment causes full levels of distortion and directs the expression of an SD-specific 4-kb transcript. Transformants that have lost part of this segment are unable to cause distortion and do not express the 4-kb transcript. These results identify the tandem duplication as Sd.

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