The effect of isogenization on the phenotypic manifestation of quantitative traits in Drosophila melanogaster

A comparative analysis of the phenotypic values of the proximal and distal fragments of the radial wing vein was carried out in heterogeneous lines of Drosophila melanogaster and in isogenic lines derived from them with the help of a balancer line. The mean values of the traits in the isogenic lines were shown to significantly differ from the corresponding values in the "parental" heterogeneous lines. Apparently, the change in the trait values was caused by a double recombination exchange between the inverted and the "normal" chromosomes, which suggests partial crossing over suppression in the balancer lines.     

Estimation of microsatellite mutation rates in Drosophila melanogaster

Microsatellite mutations were studied in a set of 175 mutation accumulation lines, all of them independently derived from a completely homozygous population of Drosophila melanogaster and maintained under strong inbreeding during 80 generations. We assayed 28 microsatellites and detected two mutations. One mutation consisted of a single addition of a dinucleotide repeat and the other was a deletion of five trinucleotide repeats. The average mutation rate was 5.1 x 10(-6), in full agreement with previous estimates from two different sets of mutation accumulation lines.     

Control of phenotypic variability in selected populations of Drosophila melanogaster

Summary In order to collect information on the mechanism determining the observed increase of wing length phenotypic variability in selected Drosophila lines, reciprocal crosses were made between +/vg and vg/vg flies within each selected population.The results obtained suggest that in our lines the increased phenotypic variability may be produced by maternally inherited agents whose activity seems to be changed according to which of the two alleles, vg or vg ⁺, is present at the vestigial locus.     

Expression of the quantitative trait radius incompletus in Drosophila and localization of mobile elements MDG1 and copia

A series of subpopulations earlier obtained were studied for hybridization of mobile genetic elements (MGE). The subpopulations examined were two "selected" (ris- and ris+), two "temperature" (ri(c113) and ri(c149)) and the control (ric). The method of in situ hybridization with polytene chromosomes of larval salivary glands was used to determine the patterns of MGE localization for all subpopulations. The patterns obtained appeared to be quite different from that of mdg-2. The trees of similarity for subpopulations according to the patterns of every MGE localization were built by conventional clustering methods. These trees were topologically similar to each other and to mdg-2. Distinction spectra of patterns of four daughter subpopulations, in comparison with the control one, were shown for each of these MGE to be independent and individual. However, there are some common regularities among copia-like MGE-mdg-1, copia, mdg-2 and, probably, mdg-3, namely: non-random property of the majority of changes, the similarity of patterns for subpopulations with similar phenotypes etc. So, Drosophila genome can be conceived as a complex system of patterns of different MGE localization, capable of common or independent mass transpositions after external stress action.     

Effects of extreme temperatures on phenotypic variation and developmental stability in Drosophila melanogaster and Drosophila buzzatii

The effect of stressful and nonstressful rearing temperatures on phenotypic variation of four quantitative characters (thorax length, wing length, number of sternopleural chaetae, number of arista branches) and on developmental stability (fluctuating asymmetry) of the three latter characters was estimated in two Drosophila species: Drosophila melanogaster and Drosophila buzzatii . In both species, a general trend for increasing of phenotypic variation and fluctuating asymmetry at stress temperatures was observed; in fluctuating asymmetry, this effect was more pronounced. An increase of phenotypic variation under stress was shown for all characters examined except sternopleural chaeta number in D. buzzatii . Comparison of species responses suggests that the increase of variation in D. melanogaster was somewhat higher than in D. buzzatii .     

The effects of spontaneous mutation on competitive fitness in Drosophila melanogaster

Abstract We have analysed the effect of 288 generations of mutation accumulation (MA) on chromosome II competitive fitness in 21 full‐sib lines of Drosophila melanogaster and in a large control population, all derived from the same isogenic base. The rate of mean log‐fitness decline and that of increase of the between‐line variance were consistent with a low rate (λ ≈ 0.03 per gamete and generation), and moderate average fitness effect [E(s) ≈ 0.1] of deleterious mutation. Subsequently, crosses were made between pairs of MA lines, and these were maintained with effective size on the order of a few tens. In these crosses, MA recombinant chromosomes quickly recovered to about the average fitness level of control chromosomes. Thus, deleterious mutations responsible for the fitness decline were efficiently selected against in relatively small populations, confirming that their effects were larger than a few percent.     

torpid a new sex-linked paralytic mutation in Drosophila melanogaster

Summary A new temperature-sensitive paralytic locus on the X chromosome of Drosophila melanogaster called torpid is described. Mosaic analysis shows that the focus of defect in torp lies in the presumptive neural region of the blastoderm. Electrophosiological tests indicate that the excitability of the cervical axons is lowered at elevated temperatures.     

Analysis of the expression system of gene radius incompletes in Drosophila melanogaster

The genetic expression system of gene radius incompletes was studied by substituting regions of chromosome 3 from line th st sr ca, which has drastically reduced ri expression, to regions of chromosome 3 from a "selection" line ri s having very high expression of this gene. Virtually all chromosome 3 was shown to carry polygenes controlling phenotypic expression of oligogenic mutation ri. Chromosome regions making large (as well as small and even negative) contributions to sizes of the distal and proximal fragments of the latitudinal wing vein were found. These results suggest that the genetic system of expression does not correspond to the generally accepted postulates of K. Mather on equal, small, and additive contributions of polygenes.     

A mutation affecting larval muscle development in Drosophila melanogaster

The phenotypic analysis of a new spontaneous recessive lethal mutation of Drosophila melanogaster is described. The lethal(2)thin mutation maps at 85.6 on chromosome 2 and produces a characteristic long, thin puparium due to an inability to shorten the larval form prior to pupariation. Histological examination of larval muscles and behavioural studies support the hypothesis that the mutation affects the striated structure of the larval muscles in late larval stages. Lethality largely occurs due to an inability to perform the movements necessary for pupation, although there is evidence for larval and possibly embryonic lethal phases.     

Effect of caffeine on crossing-over in Drosophila melanogaster

The effect of caffeine on crossing-over in Drosophila melanogaster females of b cn vg/+++ genotype was studied. The increase in crossing-over was marked in treated oogonia (the first and second broods from treated larvae) in the regions b-cn and cn-vg. The main effect of caffeine was the reduction of crossing-over on broods corresponding to the treated oocytes and stem cells. The decreased occurred in both regions with the minimal value (40% of the control) in the centromeric region. A possible influence of caffeine on DNA synthesis is discussed. Reduction in crossing-over is thought to be caused by the inhibition of chromosomal synapsis.     

Analysis of the Expression System of Gene radius incompletusin Drosophila melanogaster

The genetic expression system of generadius incompletus was studied by substituting regions of chromosome 3 from line th st ri sr ca, which has drastically reduced riexpression, to regions of chromosome 3 from a selection line ri s ^– having very high expression of this gene. Virtually all chromosome 3 was shown to carry polygenes controlling phenotypic expression of oligogenic mutationri. Chromosome regions making large (as well as small and even negative) contributions to sizes of the distal and proximal fragments of the latitudinal wing vein were found. These results suggest that the genetic system of expression does not correspond to the generally accepted postulates of K. Mather on equal, small, and additive contributions of polygenes.