- THIS ARTICLE
- Full Text
- Full Text (PDF)
-
All Versions of this Article:
genetics.103.023341v1
169/4/2165 most recent - Alert me when this article is cited
- Alert me if a correction is posted
- SERVICES
- Email this article to a friend
- Similar articles in this journal
- Similar articles in PubMed
- Alert me to new issues of the journal
- Download to citation manager
- Reprints & Permissions
- CITING ARTICLES
- Citing Articles via HighWire
- Citing Articles via Google Scholar
- GOOGLE SCHOLAR
- Articles by Schulze, S. R.
- Articles by Honda, B. M.
- Search for Related Content
- PUBMED
- PubMed Citation
- Articles by Schulze, S. R.
- Articles by Honda, B. M.
Originally published as Genetics Published Articles Ahead of Print on January 31, 2005.
Genetics, Vol. 169, 2165-2177, April 2005, Copyright © 2005
doi:10.1534/genetics.103.023341
A Genetic and Molecular Characterization of Two Proximal Heterochromatic Genes on Chromosome 3 of Drosophila melanogaster
Sandra R. Schulze1, Donald A. R. Sinclair, Kathleen A. Fitzpatrick and Barry M. Honda2
Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada
2 Corresponding author: Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Dr., Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada.
E-mail: honda{at}sfu.ca
Heterochromatin comprises a transcriptionally repressive chromosome compartment in the eukaryotic nucleus; this is exemplified by the silencing effect it has on euchromatic genes that have been relocated nearby, a phenomenon known as position-effect variegation (PEV), first demonstrated in Drosophila melanogaster. However, the expression of essential heterochromatic genes within these apparently repressive regions of the genome presents a paradox, an understanding of which could provide key insights into the effects of chromatin structure on gene expression. To date, very few of these resident heterochromatic genes have been characterized to any extent, and their expression and regulation remain poorly understood. Here we report the cloning and characterization of two proximal heterochromatic genes in D. melanogaster, located deep within the centric heterochromatin of the left arm of chromosome 3. One of these genes, RpL15, is uncharacteristically small, is highly expressed, and encodes an essential ribosomal protein. Its expression appears to be compromised in a genetic background deficient for heterochromatin protein 1 (HP1), a protein associated with gene silencing in these regions. The second gene in this study, Dbp80, is very large and also appears to show a transcriptional dependence upon HP1; however, it does not correspond to any known lethal complementation group and is likely to be a nonessential gene.
This article has been cited by other articles:
 |
|
 |
|
  E. N. Andreyeva, T. D. Kolesnikova, O. V. Demakova, M. Mendez-Lago, G. V. Pokholkova, E. S. Belyaeva, F. Rossi, P. Dimitri, A. Villasante, and I. F. Zhimulev High-resolution analysis of Drosophila heterochromatin organization using SuUR Su(var)3-9 double mutants PNAS, July 31, 2007; 104(31): 12819 - 12824. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 F. Rossi, R. Moschetti, R. Caizzi, N. Corradini, and P. Dimitri Cytogenetic and Molecular Characterization of Heterochromatin Gene Models in Drosophila melanogaster Genetics, February 1, 2007; 175(2): 595 - 607. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
S. R. Schulze, B. F. McAllister, D. A. R. Sinclair, K. A. Fitzpatrick, M. Marchetti, S. Pimpinelli, and B. M. Honda Heterochromatic Genes in Drosophila: A Comparative Analysis of Two Genes Genetics, July 1, 2006; 173(3): 1433 - 1445. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 A. E. Hall, G. C. Kettler, and D. Preuss Dynamic evolution at pericentromeres Genome Res., March 1, 2006; 16(3): 355 - 364. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|