| Abstract: | We studied molecular characteristics of yellow (y; 1-0.0) locus, which determines the body coloration of phenotypically wild-type and mutant alleles isolated from geographically distant populations of Drosophila melanogaster in different years. According to Southern data, restrictions map of yellow locus of all studied strains differ from each other as well as from that of Oregon stock. FISH analysis shows that in the neighborhood of yellow locus in X chromosome neither P nor hobo elements are found in y1-775 stock, while only hobo is found there in y1-859 and y1-866 stocks, only P element in y+sn849 stock, and both elements in y1-719 stock. Thus, all studied mutant variants of yellow are of independent origin. Yellow locus residing at the very end of X chromosome (region 1A5-8 of cytologic map) carries significantly more transposon than retrotransposon-induced mutations, as compared to white locus (regions 3C2). It is possible that transposons are more active than retrotransposons at the chromosomal ends of D. melanogaster. |
