- THIS ARTICLE
-
Abstract
- Full Text (PDF)
- 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 Rong, Y. S.
- Articles by Golic, K. G.
- Search for Related Content
- PUBMED
- PubMed Citation
- Articles by Rong, Y. S.
- Articles by Golic, K. G.
A Targeted Gene Knockout in Drosophila
Yikang S. Ronga and Kent G. Golicaa Department of Biology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112
Corresponding author: Kent G. Golic, Department of Biology, University of Utah, 257 S. 1400 East, 201 Biology Bldg., Salt Lake City, UT 84112., golic{at}bioscience.utah.edu (E-mail)
Communicating editor: R. S. HAWLEY
| ABSTRACT |
|---|
We previously described a method for targeted homologous recombination at the yellow gene of Drosophila melanogaster. Because only a single gene was targeted, further work was required to show whether the method could be extended to become generally useful for gene modification in Drosophila. We have now used this method to produce a knockout of the autosomal pugilist gene by homologous recombination between the endogenous locus and a 2.5-kb DNA fragment. This was accomplished solely by tracking the altered genetic linkage of an arbitrary marker gene as the targeting DNA moved from chromosome X or 2 to chromosome 3. The results indicate that this method of homologous recombination is likely to be generally useful for Drosophila gene targeting.
TO carry out gene targeting in Drosophila (![]()
|
One issue of concern is whether genes that are not located near telomeres (as is yellow) can be targeted. ![]()
![]()
110 kb from the X chromosome telomere, it is not unreasonable to imagine that a chromosome break at this location could be repaired by replication to the end of the chromosome. Additionally, yellow targeting was much more efficient in the female germline (with two X chromosomes) than the male germline (with one X), and Engels' BIR model, wherein repair of a one-ended recombination event relies on replication templated from a homolog, provides an explanation for this difference. As a practical matter, the most significant implication of Engels' model is that if targeting must involve BIR, then it is likely that only genes situated near telomeres can be successfully targeted because of the requirement for continuous replication to the end of the chromosome.
|
A second question is whether methods can be developed to produce targeted mutation and whether this can be done without relying on knowledge of the phenotype produced by mutation in the target locus (![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
| MATERIALS AND METHODS |
|---|
DNA constructs:
A 2.5-kb NruI-PstI fragment of the pugilist (pug) genomic region was cloned into pBS(Not), which is a derivative of pBluescript II KS (+) from Stratagene. In pBS(Not), the ApaI site in the multiple cloning site was changed to a NotI site by site-directed mutagenesis. An I-SceI recognition site was synthesized as two oligos: Apa-I-plus, 5'-gctagggataacagggtaatggcc; and Apa-I-minus, 5'-attaccctgttatccctagcggcc. They were allowed to anneal and were cloned into the unique ApaI site in the 2.5-kb pug fragment. The same pug fragment, now flanked by NotI sites, was cloned into the NotI site in the P-element vector pP[>whs·N>], which is a modified form of pP[>whs>] (![]()
>] for pug targeting. This construct was transformed into flies by standard P-element transformation.
Molecular analyses of targeting events:
Southern blot analyses were performed as described (![]()
![]()
Fly stocks and crosses:
Description of stocks not provided here can be found at http://flybase.bio.indiana.edu. The deficiency that deletes the pug+ region is in the stock Df(3R)cu/TM6B, Tb, provided by the Bloomington Stock Center. The stock v; pugDrv18 (![]()
>] donor on either chromosome X or 2. We used either a chromosome 2 or 3 that carries both the 70FLP and 70I-SceI transgenes. Crosses generated flies with a single copy donor element and 70FLP and 70I-SceI. All flies carried either the w1 or the w1118 null alleles on their X chromosomes. For most screening crosses, the heat-shocked flies were mated to y1 w1; Sb/TM6, Ubx flies, and the whs gene was mapped with respect to chromosome 3 in all progeny with pigmented eyes. In a small number of cases the heat-shocked flies were mated to y1 w1 70FLP3F; Sb/TM6, Ubx and the offspring were screened for a white+ nonmosaic phenotype, which could indicate that the whs gene was no longer flanked by FLP recombination targets (FRTs), as expected for a targeting event. Positives were retested for FLP-mediated white mosaicism and mapped with respect to chromosome 3. The reported numbers are corrected for the fact that in some crosses only half the tested flies had the appropriate genotype.
| RESULTS |
|---|
Insertional, or ends-in, targeting of an internal gene fragment could conceivably generate a targeted gene knockout. The expected product would be a tandem partial duplication of the target gene, with both copies defective because they each lack a portion of the gene (as shown in Fig 1). We tested this targeting scheme by using it to generate a null mutation in the pug gene, which encodes a homolog of the trifunctional form of the enzyme methylenetetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase. Null mutations in this gene produce a recessive eye color defect (![]()
20 Mbp from the nearest telomere. A 2.5-kb internal fragment of pug was engineered to carry a recognition site for the I-SceI endonuclease. This pug fragment was then placed into a modified form of the P-element vector P[>whs>] (![]()
The whs gene of this vector is a hypomorphic allele of the white eye color gene and serves as a w+ marker for transformation and for the recovery of targeting events. The pug gene fragment and whs are flanked by direct repeats of the FRT. When FLP mediates recombination between these FRTs, both the whs gene and the partial pug gene are excised from the chromosome on a circular DNA molecule. Subsequent I-SceI cutting generates the recombinogenic pug targeting molecule. Homologous recombination between this molecule and the resident pug locus is expected to carry the whs gene into pug (Fig 1). If the donor is located on a chromosome other than chromosome 3, a targeting event can be recognized by the altered genetic linkage of whs that will result. The modified pug allele produced by targeted insertion of this donor molecule is expected to be mutant.
To carry out targeting we produced flies that had the transgenic pug donor construct, on either the X chromosome or chromosome 2, and the heat-inducible 70FLP and 70I-SceI transgenes. These flies were heat shocked as described (![]()
![]()
A total of 455 vials (generating 100150 progeny per vial) were set up to screen for mobilization of whs in the female germline: we recovered three independent cases of whs mobilization to chromosome 3. Chromosome in situ hybridization was used to locate the whs gene on chromosome 3. In two cases, whs was located at 86C, the normal location of pug (Fig 3). In the third case whs was located in cytological region 97 and was not characterized further.
|
We also tested for targeting in the male germline. We recovered no pug targeting events from 308 vials, although we did recover one example of nontargeted mobilization (to chromosome 2).
Southern blot analysis was performed on one of the targeted alleles to confirm its molecular structure. DNA from homozygous flies was digested with restriction enzymes EcoRI and BamHI and hybridized with a probe made from the 2.5-kb pug fragment (Fig 1). As expected, the wild-type 9-kb band was converted into two bands of 7 and 10 kb (Fig 4). Hybridization with a white probe detected only the 10-kb band and the endogenous white bands (not shown).
|
To assess the phenotype of the two pug alleles produced by targeting we generated the following three genotypes: (1) flies homozygous for the targeted alleles; (2) flies that carried the targeted alleles over a pug deficiency; and (3) flies that carried the targeted alleles heterozygous with a previously isolated pug null allele (![]()
Further analysis suggested that the pug targeting events arose by precise homologous recombination. The I-SceI cut site in the donor was inserted at a unique ApaI site in the 2.5-kb pug fragment, destroying the ApaI site in the process. The DSB repair model for recombination (![]()
| DISCUSSION |
|---|
The general application of targeted mutagenesis:
The most important aspect of our results is the demonstration that a gene far removed from the nearest telomere can be successfully targeted. Since the pug gene is very much closer to centric heterochromatin than it is to a telomere it seems likely that most euchromatic genes will be susceptible to targeted modification by this technique.
These experiments also show that nontargeted insertions, although they do occur, are not so frequent as to be a significant nuisance. Here, the ratio of targeted to nontargeted recombinants was 2:1 in females (or 1:1 overall). In the previous yellow targeting experiments, targeted recombinants also outnumbered nontargeted events (![]()
Our results address the concerns of whether this method can be used for targeted mutagenesis. We generated a directed mutation without relying on prior knowledge of the mutant phenotype. Instead, we recovered targeting events by following the segregation of an easily visible genetic marker. In addition, our results demonstrate the production of a functional null allele, even though the gene is partially duplicated. The right-hand copy is almost certainly a null owing to the absence of upstream regulatory elements and the first exon of the pug gene. The phenotypic studies suggest that the left-hand copy is also a functional null, although it is possible that the phenotypic assay may not be sensitive to a small amount of pug activity. Even so, it is not unreasonable to imagine that, by strategically placing point mutations in the donor, the two copies would assuredly be nulls. Therefore, we believe that this targeting method provides a general tool for directed mutagenesis of the Drosophila genome.
The mechanism of targeted homologous recombination:
The recovery of targeted alleles at pug does not rule out the possibility that some of the targeting events we previously recovered at yellow did arise by homologous recombination and BIR. The BIR model for yellow targeting provided an explanation for the observed female:male difference in targeting efficiency. It predicts that there should be no difference between the sexes in the efficiency of targeting an autosomal gene. In the experiments reported here, the pug targeting events recovered from females do outnumber those recovered from males, but the number of events is too few to reasonably conclude that this difference is significant, and thus cannot be used to address the BIR model.
Targeting of yellow was substantially more efficient (1 in 4 vials for the female germline; ![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
Targeting methodology:
Altered genetic linkage was used to detect pug targeting events in most of the work reported here. The essence of this screen is the detection of marker gene movement from one chromosome to another. This works well but is time consuming since it requires mapping of the donor P element and construction of special strains so that the donor chromosome or its homolog is dominantly marked.
To speed the process of gene targeting we have begun to use an alternative method to detect targeted homologous recombination events (Fig 5). The whs marker has an easily scored cell-autonomous phenotype. The infrequent progeny of targeting crosses that exhibit the w+ phenotype arise as a result of the donor element escaping FLP-mediated excision or by mobilization of the donor to the target site (or a nontargeted site). The original donor is distinguished from cases of mobilization by the fact that, in the former case, the whs marker gene is flanked by FRTs, but in the latter it is not (see Fig 1). FLP will cause eye-color mosaicism when whs is flanked by FRTs but not when there is only a single FRT adjacent to whs. This difference can be employed to aid in the detection of gene targeting events. Flies that carry the donor insertion, 70FLP, and 70I-SceI are heat shocked and crossed to flies that carry 70FLP. The progeny of this targeting cross are heat shocked during the first few days of development to induce FLP synthesis. The mosaic or nonmosaic phenotype of the infrequent w+ flies tells whether they carry the original donor element or a targeted insertion. Molecular characterization by Southern blotting can then be used to confirm that the recovered events resulted from homologous recombination at the target locus. One of the two pug targeting events was recovered using this method.
|
This alternative procedure significantly simplifies and speeds the process of gene targeting by allowing targeting to be carried out without knowing the location of the donor element. The process can be made even easier by using a 70FLP line that has strong constitutive expression of FLP. We have generated such a line (unpublished results). This eliminates the need for heat-shocking the progeny of the targeting cross for the mosaic/nonmosaic test.
The crosses to obtain targeting can be carried out contemporaneously with crosses to map the donor element. The purpose of mapping is to provide the information needed to remove, by crossing, the remnant donor P element after targeting has been achieved.
| ACKNOWLEDGMENTS |
|---|
We thank Julie Feder for the plasmid pP[>whs·N>]. This work was supported by National Science Foundation grant MCB-9728070.
Manuscript received October 18, 2000; Accepted for publication December 4, 2000.
| LITERATURE CITED |
|---|
ANONYMOUS,, 2000 In search of a function. Nat. Cell Biol. 2:E137-E138[Medline].
DENG, C. and M. R. CAPECCHI, 1992 Reexamination of gene targeting frequency as a function of the extent of homology between the targeting vector and the target locus. Mol. Cell. Biol. 12:3365-3371
DRAY, T. and G. B. GLOOR, 1997 Homology requirements for targeting heterologous sequences during P-induced gap repair in Drosophila melanogaster. Genetics 147:689-699[Abstract].
ENGELS, W. R., 2000 Reversal of fortune for Drosophila geneticists? Science 288:1973-1975
GOLIC, K. G. and S. L. LINDQUIST, 1989 The FLP recombinase of yeast catalyzes site-specific recombination in the Drosophila genome. Cell 59:499-509[Medline].
MALKOVA, A., E. L. IVANOV, and J. E. HABER, 1996 Double-strand break repair in the absence of RAD51 in yeast: a possible role for break-induced DNA replication. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 93:7131-7136
RONG, Y. S. and K. G. GOLIC, 1998 Dominant defects in Drosophila eye pigmentation resulting from a euchromatin-heterochromatin fusion gene. Genetics 150:1551-1566
RONG, Y. S. and K. G. GOLIC, 2000 Gene targeting by homologous recombination in Drosophila. Science 288:2013-2018
SHEN, P. and H. V. HUANG, 1986 Homologous recombination in Escherichia coli: dependence on substrate length and homology. Genetics 112:441-457
SHORTLE, D., J. E. HABER, and D. BOTSTEIN, 1982 Lethal disruption of the yeast actin gene by integrative transformation. Science 217:371-373
SZOSTAK, J. W., T. L. ORR-WEAVER, R. J. ROTHSTEIN, and F. W. STAHL, 1983 The double-strand-break repair model for recombination. Cell 33:25-35[Medline].
THOMAS, K. R. and M. R. CAPECCHI, 1987 Site-directed mutagenesis by gene targeting in mouse embryo-derived stem cells. Cell 51:503-512[Medline].
This article has been cited by other articles:
![]() |
H. Dai, Y. Chen, S. Chen, Q. Mao, D. Kennedy, P. Landback, A. Eyre-Walker, W. Du, and M. Long The evolution of courtship behaviors through the origination of a new gene in Drosophila PNAS, May 27, 2008; 105(21): 7478 - 7483. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
J. L. Mueller, J. R. Linklater, K. Ravi Ram, T. Chapman, and M. F. Wolfner Targeted Gene Deletion and Phenotypic Analysis of the Drosophila melanogaster Seminal Fluid Protease Inhibitor Acp62F Genetics, March 1, 2008; 178(3): 1605 - 1614. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
H. Tran, F. Hamada, T. Schwarz-Romond, and M. Bienz Trabid, a new positive regulator of Wnt-induced transcription with preference for binding and cleaving K63-linked ubiquitin chains Genes & Dev., February 15, 2008; 22(4): 528 - 542. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
N. Windbichler, P. A. Papathanos, F. Catteruccia, H. Ranson, A. Burt, and A. Crisanti Homing endonuclease mediated gene targeting in Anopheles gambiae cells and embryos Nucleic Acids Res., September 27, 2007; 35(17): 5922 - 5933. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
K. Trowbridge, K. McKim, S. J. Brill, and J. Sekelsky Synthetic Lethality of Drosophila in the Absence of the MUS81 Endonuclease and the DmBlm Helicase Is Associated With Elevated Apoptosis Genetics, August 1, 2007; 176(4): 1993 - 2001. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
S. Roy, M. K. Gilbert, and C. M. Hart Characterization of BEAF Mutations Isolated by Homologous Recombination in Drosophila Genetics, June 1, 2007; 176(2): 801 - 813. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
K. Beumer, G. Bhattacharyya, M. Bibikova, J. K. Trautman, and D. Carroll Efficient Gene Targeting in Drosophila With Zinc-Finger Nucleases Genetics, April 1, 2006; 172(4): 2391 - 2403. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
C. T. Hittinger, D. L. Stern, and S. B. Carroll Pleiotropic functions of a conserved insect-specific Hox peptide motif Development, December 1, 2005; 132(23): 5261 - 5270. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
A. Spierer, C. Seum, M. Delattre, and P. Spierer Loss of the modifiers of variegation Su(var)3-7 or HP1 impacts male X polytene chromosome morphology and dosage compensation J. Cell Sci., November 1, 2005; 118(21): 5047 - 5057. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
S. J. Radford, E. Goley, K. Baxter, S. McMahan, and J. Sekelsky Drosophila ERCC1 Is Required for a Subset of MEI-9-Dependent Meiotic Crossovers Genetics, August 1, 2005; 170(4): 1737 - 1745. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
N. Haines and K. D. Irvine Functional analysis of Drosophila {beta}1,4-N-acetlygalactosaminyltransferases Glycobiology, April 1, 2005; 15(4): 335 - 346. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
W. J. Gong and K. G. Golic Genomic Deletions of the Drosophila melanogaster Hsp70 Genes Genetics, November 1, 2004; 168(3): 1467 - 1476. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
H. B. Xie and K. G. Golic Gene Deletions by Ends-In Targeting in Drosophila melanogaster Genetics, November 1, 2004; 168(3): 1477 - 1489. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
E. L. Beall, M. Bell, D. Georlette, and M. R. Botchan Dm-myb mutant lethality in Drosophila is dependent upon mip130: positive and negative regulation of DNA replication Genes & Dev., July 15, 2004; 18(14): 1667 - 1680. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
D. Egli, E. Hafen, and W. Schaffner An Efficient Method to Generate Chromosomal Rearrangements by Targeted DNA Double-Strand Breaks in Drosophila melanogaster Genome Res., July 1, 2004; 14(7): 1382 - 1393. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
B. Geldziler, P. Kadandale, and A. Singson Molecular genetic approaches to studying fertilization in model systems Reproduction, April 1, 2004; 127(4): 409 - 416. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
A. C. Groth, M. Fish, R. Nusse, and M. P. Calos Construction of Transgenic Drosophila by Using the Site-Specific Integrase From Phage {phi}C31 Genetics, April 1, 2004; 166(4): 1775 - 1782. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
A. J. Greenberg, J. R. Moran, J. A. Coyne, and C.-I Wu Ecological Adaptation During Incipient Speciation Revealed by Precise Gene Replacement Science, December 5, 2003; 302(5651): 1754 - 1757. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
T. Elmore, R. Ignell, J. R. Carlson, and D. P. Smith Targeted Mutation of a Drosophila Odor Receptor Defines Receptor Requirement in a Novel Class of Sensillum J. Neurosci., October 29, 2003; 23(30): 9906 - 9912. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
T. Dolezal, M. Gazi, M. Zurovec, and P. J. Bryant Genetic Analysis of the ADGF Multigene Family by Homologous Recombination and Gene Conversion in Drosophila Genetics, October 1, 2003; 165(2): 653 - 666. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
H. Liu and E. Kubli From the Cover: Sex-peptide is the molecular basis of the sperm effect in Drosophila melanogaster PNAS, August 19, 2003; 100(17): 9929 - 9933. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
H. C. Sears, C. J. Kennedy, and P. A. Garrity Macrophage-mediated corpse engulfment is required for normal Drosophila CNS morphogenesis Development, August 1, 2003; 130(15): 3557 - 3565. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
J.-C. Epinat, S. Arnould, P. Chames, P. Rochaix, D. Desfontaines, C. Puzin, A. Patin, A. Zanghellini, F. Paques, and E. Lacroix A novel engineered meganuclease induces homologous recombination in yeast and mammalian cells Nucleic Acids Res., June 1, 2003; 31(11): 2952 - 2962. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
N. Sogame, M. Kim, and J. M. Abrams Drosophila p53 preserves genomic stability by regulating cell death PNAS, April 15, 2003; 100(8): 4696 - 4701. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
W. J. Gong and K. G. Golic Ends-out, or replacement, gene targeting in Drosophila PNAS, March 4, 2003; 100(5): 2556 - 2561. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
S. Lankenau, T. Barnickel, J. Marhold, F. Lyko, B. M. Mechler, and D.-H. Lankenau Knockout Targeting of the Drosophila Nap1 Gene and Examination of DNA Repair Tracts in the Recombination Products Genetics, February 1, 2003; 163(2): 611 - 623. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
S. E. Mohr and W. M. Gelbart Using the P{wHy} Hybrid Transposable Element to Disrupt Genes in Region 54D-55B in Drosophila melanogaster Genetics, September 1, 2002; 162(1): 165 - 176. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
C. Seum, D. Pauli, M. Delattre, Y. Jaquet, A. Spierer, and P. Spierer Isolation of Su(var)3-7 Mutations by Homologous Recombination in Drosophila melanogaster Genetics, July 1, 2002; 161(3): 1125 - 1136. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
M. Bibikova, M. Golic, K. G. Golic, and D. Carroll Targeted Chromosomal Cleavage and Mutagenesis in Drosophila Using Zinc-Finger Nucleases Genetics, July 1, 2002; 161(3): 1169 - 1175. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
Y. S. Rong, S. W. Titen, H. B. Xie, M. M. Golic, M. Bastiani, P. Bandyopadhyay, B. M. Olivera, M. Brodsky, G. M. Rubin, and K. G. Golic Targeted mutagenesis by homologous recombination in D. melanogaster Genes & Dev., June 15, 2002; 16(12): 1568 - 1581. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
C. R. Preston, W. Engels, and C. Flores Efficient Repair of DNA Breaks in Drosophila: Evidence for Single-Strand Annealing and Competition With Other Repair Pathways Genetics, June 1, 2002; 161(2): 711 - 720. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
B. Timakov, X. Liu, I. Turgut, and P. Zhang Timing and Targeting of P-Element Local Transposition in the Male Germline Cells of Drosophila melanogaster Genetics, March 1, 2002; 160(3): 1011 - 1022. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
- THIS ARTICLE
-
Abstract
- Full Text (PDF)
- 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 Rong, Y. S.
- Articles by Golic, K. G.
- Search for Related Content
- PUBMED
- PubMed Citation
- Articles by Rong, Y. S.
- Articles by Golic, K. G.















