This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Kelley, M R Articles by Young, M W Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Kelley, M R Articles by Young, M W

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Mol Cell Biol. 1987 April; 7(4): 1545-1548

Restriction of P-element insertions at the Notch locus of Drosophila melanogaster.

ABSTRACT

P elements move about the Drosophila melanogaster genome in a nonrandom fashion, preferring some chromosomal targets for insertion over others (J. C. J. Eeken, F. H. Sobels, V. Hyland, and A. P. Schalet, Mutat. Res. 150:261-275, 1985; W. R. Engels, Annu. Rev. Genet. 17:315-344, 1983; M. D. Golubovsky, Y. N. Ivanov, and M. M. Green, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 74:2973-2975, 1977; M. J. Simmons and J. K. Lim, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 77:6042-6046, 1980). Some of this specificity may be due to recognition of a particular DNA sequence in the target DNA; derivatives of an 8-base-pair consensus sequence are occupied by these transposable elements at many different chromosomal locations (K. O'Hare and G. M. Rubin, Cell 34:25-36, 1983). An additional level of specificity of P-element insertions is described in this paper. Of 14 mutations induced in the complex locus Notch by hybrid dysgenesis, 13 involved P-element insertions at or near the transcription start site of the gene. This clustering was not seen in other transposable element-induced mutations of Notch. DNA sequences homologous to the previously described consensus target for P-element insertion are not preferentially located in this region of the locus. The choice of a chromosomal site for integration appears to be based on more subtle variations in chromosome structure that are probably associated with activation or expression of the target gene.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Lonie, A., D'Andrea, R., Paro, R., Saint, R. (1994). Molecular characterisation of the Polycomblike gene of Drosophila melanogaster, a trans-acting negative regulator of homeotic gene expression. Development 120: 2629-2636 [Abstract]  
• Cooley, L, Kelley, R, Spradling, A (1988). Insertional mutagenesis of the Drosophila genome with single P elements. Science 239: 1121-1128 [Abstract]