scholarly journals A genetic analysis of hermaphrodite, a pleiotropic sex determination gene in Drosophila melanogaster.

Genetics ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 136 (1) ◽  
pp. 195-207
Author(s):  
M A Pultz ◽  
G S Carson ◽  
B S Baker
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Genetic Analysis ◽  
Sex Determination ◽  
Temperature Sensitivity ◽  
Sexual Differentiation ◽  
Regulatory Genes ◽  
Temperature Sensitive ◽  
Partial Loss ◽  
Female Progeny ◽  
Regulatory Cascade

Abstract Sex determination in Drosophila is controlled by a cascade of regulatory genes. Here we describe hermaphrodite (her), a new component of this regulatory cascade with pleiotropic zygotic and maternal functions. Zygotically, her+ function is required for female sexual differentiation: when zygotic her+ function is lacking, females are transformed to intersexes. Zygotic her+ function may also play a role in male sexual differentiation. Maternally, her+ function is needed to ensure the viability of female progeny: a partial loss of her+ function preferentially kills daughters. In addition, her has both zygotic and maternal functions required for viability in both sexes. Temperature sensitivity prevails for all known her alleles and for all of the her phenotypes described above, suggesting that her may participate in an intrinsically temperature-sensitive process. This analysis of four her alleles also indicates that the zygotic and maternal components of of her function are differentially mutable. We have localized her cytologically to 36A3-36A11.

Molecular genetic aspects of sex determination in Drosophila melanogaster

Genome ◽  
1989 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 638-645 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. S. Baker ◽  
K. Burtis ◽  
T. Goralski ◽  
W. Mattox ◽  
R. Nagoshi
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Sex Determination ◽  
Sexual Differentiation ◽  
Rna Processing ◽  
Molecular Basis ◽  
Rna Binding ◽  
Regulatory Genes ◽  
Regulatory State ◽  
Splice Acceptor ◽  
Regulatory Cascade

The molecular analyses of three of the regulatory genes (transformer (tra), doublesex (dsx), and transformer-2 (tra-2)) controlling sexual differentiation in Drosophila have demonstrated that the control of RNA processing has a major role in regulating somatic sexual differentiation. The activities of both the tra and dsx genes are controlled at the level of RNA processing. In the case of tra the use of different splice acceptor sites results in a functional transcript being produced only in females, whereas at dsx the use of different splice acceptor sites in the two sexes results in the production of transcripts that encode different proteins in males and females. The tra-2 gene has been shown to be necessary for the processing of the dsx pre-mRNA in females and the conceptual translation of a tra-2 cDNA shows that it encodes a protein with similarity to a family of RNA-binding proteins which includes known splicesome components. We previously suggested that the pattern of sexual differentiation and dosage compensation characteristic of a male was a default regulatory state. The findings reviewed here provide a molecular basis for this default expression in males as well as an insight into how females differ from males in control of the expression of these genes. For both the tra and dsx genes the molecular basis of their male (default) state of expression appears to be the processing of their transcripts by the housekeeping RNA splicing machinery. In females the specification of the alternative pattern of splicing at both tra and dsx is by the sex determination regulatory genes that function upstream of them in this regulatory cascade. It seems likely that the activities of these sex determination regulatory genes in females do not provide all of the information that is necessary for proper splicing of the transcripts of the genes downstream of them. Rather we imagine that the products of the Sxl, tra, and tra-2 genes are acting to impose a specificity on the basic cellular splicing machinery.Key words: Drosophila melanogaster, sex determination, sexual differentiation.

scholarly journals A genetic analysis of intersex, a gene regulating sexual differentiation in Drosophila melanogaster females.

Genetics ◽  
1995 ◽  
Vol 139 (4) ◽  
pp. 1649-1661 ◽  
Author(s):  
B A Chase ◽  
B S Baker
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Genetic Analysis ◽  
Sexual Differentiation ◽  
Point Mutations ◽  
Regulatory Genes ◽  
Sexually Dimorphic ◽  
Specific Product ◽  
Sex Type ◽  
A Cell ◽  
Female Specific

Abstract Sex-type in Drosophila melanogaster is controlled by a hierarchically acting set of regulatory genes. At the terminus of this hierarchy lie those regulatory genes responsible for implementing sexual differentiation: genes that control the activity of target loci whose products give rise to sexually dimorphic phenotypes. The genetic analysis of the intersex (ix) gene presented here demonstrates that ix is such a terminally positioned regulatory locus. The ix locus has been localized to the cytogenetic interval between 47E3-6 and 47F11-18. A comparison of the morphological and behavioral phenotypes of homozygotes and hemizygotes for three point mutations at ix indicates that the null phenotype of ix is to transform diplo-X animals into intersexes while leaving haplo-X animals unaffected. Analysis of X-ray induced, mitotic recombination clones lacking ix+ function in the abdomen of diplo-X individuals indicates that the ix+ product functions in a cell-autonomous manner and that it is required at least until the termination of cell division in this tissue. Taken together with previous analyses, our results indicate that the ix+ product is required to function with the female-specific product of doublesex to implement appropriate female sexual differentiation in diplo-X animals.

Genetic analysis of vitellogenesis in Drosophila melanogaster: the identification of a temperature-sensitive mutation affecting one of the yolk proteins

Development ◽  
1978 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 111-120
Author(s):  
M. Bownes ◽  
B. D. Hames
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Genetic Analysis ◽  
Gel Electrophoresis ◽  
Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis ◽  
Temperature Sensitive ◽  
Large Reduction ◽  
Yolk Proteins ◽  
Protein Uptake ◽  
Temperature Sensitive Mutation ◽  
Transplant Experiments

A number of female sterile mutations on the first and third chromosomes of Drosophila melanogaster have been screened for defects in the yolk proteins using polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Two new mutants were identified. 6m45 accumulates all three yolk proteins (YP1, YP2 and YP3) in the haemolymph but they are all absent from the ovaries suggesting it is a yolk-protein-uptake mutant. In contrast, 1163 is a temperature-sensitive mutation with a large reduction in the quantity of YP1 in the haemolymph and ovaries at 29 °C. Both mutants are autonomous in ovary transplant experiments.

scholarly journals Decreased Temperature Sensitivity of Vestigial Gene Expression in Temperate Populations of Drosophila melanogaster

Genes ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 498
Author(s):  
Voigt ◽  
Erpf ◽  
Stephan
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Temperature Sensitivity ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Limiting Factor ◽  
Temperature Sensitive ◽  
Thermal Environments ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
Temperate Climates

Drosophila melanogaster recently spread from its tropical origin in Africa and became a cosmopolitan species that has adapted to a wide range of different thermal environments, including temperate climates. An important limiting factor of temperate climates has probably been their low and varying temperatures. The transcriptional output of genes can vary across temperatures, which might have been detrimental while settling in temperate environments. The reduction of temperature-sensitive expression of functionally important genes to ensure consistent levels of gene expression might have been relevant while adapting to such environments. In this study, we focus on the gene vestigial (vg) whose product is a key factor in wing development. We provide evidence that temperature-sensitivity of vg has been buffered in populations from temperate climates. We investigated temperature-sensitivity of vg gene expression in six natural populations, including four temperate populations (three from Europe and one from high-altitude Africa), and two tropical populations from the ancestral species range. All temperate populations exhibited a lower degree of temperature-induced expression plasticity than the tropical populations.

scholarly journals Genetic study of the production of sexually dimorphic cuticular hydrocarbons in relation with the sex-determination gene transformer in Drosophila melanogaster

2002 ◽  
Vol 79 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
FABRICE SAVARIT ◽  
JEAN-FRANÇOIS FERVEUR
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Sex Determination ◽  
Cuticular Hydrocarbons ◽  
Fat Body ◽  
Sexually Dimorphic ◽  
Female Progeny ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Good Relationship ◽  
Gal4 Expression ◽  
Sex Determination Mechanisms

In Drosophila melanogaster, the main cuticular hydrocarbons (HCs) are some of the pheromones involved in mate discrimination. These are sexually dimorphic in both their occurrence and their effects. The production of predominant HCs has been measured in male and female progeny of 220 PGal4 lines mated with the feminising UAS-transformer transgenic strain. In 45 lines, XY flies were substantially or totally feminised for their HCs. Surprisingly, XX flies of 14 strains were partially masculinised. Several of the PGal4 enhancer-trap variants screened here seem to interact with sex determination mechanisms involved in the control of sexually dimorphic characters. We also found a good relationship between the degree of HC transformation and GAL4 expression in oenocytes. The fat body was also involved in the switch of sexually dimorphic cuticular hydrocarbons but its effect was different between the sexes.

scholarly journals Genetic analysis of an intersex allele (ix5) that regulates sexual phenotype of both female and male Drosophila melanogaster

2002 ◽  
Vol 80 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. ACHARYYA ◽  
R. N. CHATTERJEE
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Genetic Analysis ◽  
Sex Determination ◽  
Male Genitalia ◽  
Point Mutations ◽  
Normal Male ◽  
Sexual Phenotype ◽  
Sex Comb ◽  
Male Sex ◽  
Courtship Activity

An allele of intersex (ix5) of Drosophila melanogaster has been characterized. The genetic analysis of the allele demonstrated that like other point mutations of ix, the ix5 allele also transformed diplo-X individuals into intersexes. The ix5 mutation also affects the arrangement of sex comb bristles on the forelegs of males, although they had morphologically nearly normal male genitalia. They often fail to display a sustained pattern of courtship activity when tested. Orcein-stained squash preparations of testes from ix5 males revealed a defect in spermatogenesis. Our results, taken together with those of McRobert & Tompkins (1985), indicate that the ix+ gene also functions in male sex determination.

INVITATION PAPER: BEHAVIOR IN DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER A GENETICIST'S VIEW

1974 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 713-735 ◽  
Author(s):  
David T. Suzuki
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Sodium Channel ◽  
Temperature Sensitivity ◽  
Temperature Sensitive ◽  
Neuronal System ◽  
Neurological Development ◽  
Temperature Changes ◽  
Early Embryos ◽  
Induced Changes

In screening Drosophila melanogaster for mutations which cause paralysis at 29cC and recovery of mobility at 22cC, 11 temperature-sensitive (ts) mutants were detected among 1.35 × 106 flies screened. These mutations fell into 3 loci, paralytic (parats), shibire (shits) and stoned (stnts). All three loci affect neurological development. The best explanation for parats appears to be an effect on the inhibitory neuronal system. The shi alleles affect an array of developmental events from early embryos to adults. The pattern of heat-induced changes in shits1 electroretinograms (ERG) is consistent with a ts membranal defect. This is supported by a ts resistance of shits flies to tetrodotoxin which specifically blocks the sodium channel of nerves.The final locus, stn, causes sensitivity to the trauma of temperature changes. A jump response observed when a light is turned off is related to a large "offtransient" in ERGs which is correlated with a simultaneous muscle spike. The property of temperature-sensitivity allows greater analytic powers in the study of neurological mutants.

Sex determination and gynandromoph production in aberrant and normal strains of Ooencyrtus submetallicus (Hymenopter: Encyridae).

1962 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 349 ◽  
Author(s):  
F Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Sex Determination ◽  
Genetic Change ◽  
Temperature Sensitive ◽  
Normal Strain ◽  
Female Progeny

An aberrant strain of Ooencyrtus submetallicus, which produced male, female, and gynandromorphic progeny at constant temperatures, at which the normal strain produced almost entirely female progeny, was obtained, apparently by genetic change, from a culture of the normal strain. The normal strain possesses a temperature-sensitive mechanism that controls the cytological processes underlying sex determination, so that temperature determines whether progeny are male, female, or gynandromorphic. This mechanism has been disrupted in the aberrant strain. Sex determination and gynandromorph production in 0. submetallicus and the Hymenoptera generally are discussed.

Sex Determination Signals Control ovo-B Transcription in Drosophila melanogaster Germ Cells

Genetics ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 160 (2) ◽  
pp. 537-545
Author(s):  
Justen Andrews ◽  
Brian Oliver
Keyword(s):  
Transcription Factor ◽  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Genetic Analysis ◽  
Sex Determination ◽  
Sexual Identity ◽  
Germ Cells ◽  
Female Germline ◽  
Chromosome Karyotype ◽  
Inductive Signals

Abstract Nonautonomous inductive signals from the soma and autonomous signals due to a 2X karyotype determine the sex of Drosophila melanogaster germ cells. These two signals have partially overlapping influences on downstream sex determination genes. The upstream OVO-B transcription factor is required for the viability of 2X germ cells, regardless of sexual identity, and for female germline sexual identity. The influence of inductive and autonomous signals on ovo expression has been controversial. We show that ovo-B is strongly expressed in the 2X germ cells in either a male or a female soma. This indicates that a 2X karyotype controls ovo-B expression in the absence of inductive signals from the female soma. However, we also show that female inductive signals positively regulate ovo-B transcription in the 1X germ cells that do not require ovo-B function. Genetic analysis clearly indicates that inductive signals from the soma are not required for ovo-B function in 2X germ cells. Thus, while somatic inductive signals and chromosome karyotype have overlapping regulatory influences, a 2X karyotype is a critical germline autonomous determinant of ovo-B function in the germline.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document