Maternal Repression of the P Element Promoter in the Germline of Drosophila Melanogaster: A Model for the P Cytotype |
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Authors: | B Lemaitre S Ronsseray and D Coen |
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Institution: | Present address: Universite Louis Pasteur, Laboratoire de Biologie Generale, 12, rue de l''Universite, F-67000 Strasbourg, France. |
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Abstract: | The transposition of P elements in Drosophila melanogaster is regulated by products encoded by the P elements themselves. The P cytotype, which represses transposition and associated phenomena, exhibits both a maternal effect and maternal inheritance. The genetic and molecular mechanisms of this regulation are complex and not yet fully understood. In a previous study, using P-lacZ fusion genes, we have shown that P element regulatory products were able to inhibit the activity of the P promoter in somatic tissues. However, the repression observed did not exhibit the maternal effect characteristic of the P cytotype. With a similar approach, we have assayed in vivo the effect of P element regulatory products in the germline. We show that the P cytotype is able to repress the P promoter in the germline as well as in the soma. Furthermore, this repression exhibits a maternal effect restricted to the germline. On the basis of these new observations, we propose a model for the mechanism of P cytotype repression and its maternal inheritance. |
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