Functional Redundancy Within roX1, a Noncoding RNA Involved in Dosage Compensation in Drosophila melanogaster

Functional Redundancy Within roX1, a Noncoding RNA Involved in Dosage Compensation in Drosophila melanogaster

Carsten Stuckenholz^a, Victoria H. Meller^b, and Mitzi I. Kuroda^a
^a Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030
^b Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts 02155

Corresponding author: Mitzi I. Kuroda, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX 77030., mkuroda{at}bcm.tmc.edu (E-mail)

Communicating editor: B. J. MEYER

Drosophila melanogaster males dosage compensate by twofold upregulationof the expression of genes on their single X chromosome. Thisprocess requires at least five proteins and two noncoding RNAs,roX1 and roX2, which paint the male X chromosome. We used adeletion analysis to search for functional RNA domains withinroX1, assaying RNA stability, targeting of the MSL proteinsto the X, and rescue of male viability in a roX1^- roX2^- mutantbackground. We found that deletion of 10% segments of the RNAdid not dramatically reduce function in most cases, suggestingextensive internal redundancy. The 3' 600 nt of roX1 were mostsensitive to mutations, affecting proper localization and 3'processing of the RNA. Disruption of an inverted repeat predictedto form a stem-loop structure was found partially responsiblefor the defects observed.

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