Non-random loss of uninterrupted ribosomal DNA repeating units upon induction of a bobbed mutation

To investigate the physical organization of ribosomal RNA genes of two bobbed (bb) loci carried by the Dp(1;f)122 free duplication, a wild type and a deleted one derived from it, genomic DNAs from XXNO-/Dp122bb+ and XXNO-/Dp122bb adult females were analyzed by restriction enzyme digestions. We found that in the bb mutant there was a loss of uninterrupted genes, while genes interrupted by type I and type II insertions remained apparently unchanged. This is an indication that at least in this wild type bb+ locus, carried by the 122 free duplication, the different repeating units are not distributed randomly. In fact, after digestion of the rDNA carried by the bb+ duplication with the enzyme BamHI that cuts only in type I insertions, we have obtained long uncleaved fragments of DNA containing uninterrupted genes.