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Genetics, Vol. 155, 179-189, May 2000, Copyright © 2000

Genetic Analysis of a Y-Chromosome Region That Induces Triplosterile Phenotypes and Is Essential for Spermatid Individualization in Drosophila melanogaster

Benjamin Timakova and Ping Zhanga
a Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut 06269-2131

Corresponding author: Ping Zhang, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, U-2131, University of Connecticut, 354 Mansfield Rd., Storrs, CT 06269-2131., ping{at}uconnvm.uconn.edu (E-mail)

Communicating editor: S. HENIKOFF

The heterochromatic Y chromosome of Drosophila melanogaster contains ~40 Mb of DNA but has only six loci mutable to male sterility. Region h1-h9 on YL, which carries the kl-3 and kl-5 loci, induces male sterility when present in three copies. We show that three separate segments within the region are responsible for the triplosterility and have an additive effect on male fertility. The triplosterile males displayed pleiotropic defects, beginning at early postmeiotic stages. However, the triplosterility was unaffected by kl-3 or kl-5 alleles. These data suggest that region h1-h9 is complex and may contain novel functions in addition to those of the previously identified kl-3 and kl-5 loci. The kl-3 and kl-5 mutations as well as deficiencies within region h1-h9 result in loss of the spermatid axonemal outer dynein arms. Examination using fluorescent probes showed that males deficient for h1-h3 or h4-h9 displayed a postmeiotic lesion with disrupted individualization complexes scattered along the spermatid bundle. In contrast, the kl-3 and kl-5 mutations had no effect on spermatid individualization despite the defect in the axonemes. These results demonstrate that region h1-h9 carries genetically separable functions: one required for spermatid individualization and the other essential for assembling the axonemal dynein arms.




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 Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USAHome page
A. B. Carvalho, B. P. Lazzaro, and A. G. Clark
Y chromosomal fertility factors kl-2 and kl-3 of Drosophila melanogaster encode dynein heavy chain polypeptides
PNAS, November 2, 2000; (2000) 230438397.
[Abstract] [Full Text]

Home page
 Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USAHome page
A. B. Carvalho, B. P. Lazzaro, and A. G. Clark
Y chromosomal fertility factors kl-2 and kl-3 of Drosophila melanogaster encode dynein heavy chain polypeptides
PNAS, November 21, 2000; 97(24): 13239 - 13244.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


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