Abstract
Polytene chromosomes in Drosophila serve as a classical model for cytogenetic studies. However, heterochromatic regions of chromosomes are typically under-replicated, hindering their analysis. Mutations in the Rif1 gene lead to additional replication of heterochromatic sequences, including satellite DNA, in salivary gland cells. Here, we investigated the impact of the Rif1 mutation on heterochromatin in polytene chromosomes formed in ovarian germ cells due to the otu gene mutation. By the analysis of otu11; Rif11 double mutants, we found that, in the presence of the Rif1 mutation, ovarian cells undergo additional polytenization of pericentromeric regions. This includes the formation of large chromatin blocks composed of satellite DNA. Thus, the effects of the Rif1 mutation are similar in salivary gland and germ cells. The otu11; Rif11 system opens new possibilities for studying factors associated with heterochromatin during oogenesis.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors are grateful to D.E. Koryakov for help in working with PNC polytene chromosomes.
Funding
Part of the work related to the morphological analysis of the chromosomes of nurse cells was funded by the Russian Science Foundation (grant no. 19-14-00051-P). Part of the work related to in situ hybridization was funded by the Russian Science Foundation (grant no. 19-14-00382).
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Kolesnikova, T.D., Nokhova, A.R., Shatskikh, A.S. et al. Otu and Rif1 Double Mutant Enables Analysis of Satellite DNA in Polytene Chromosomes of Ovarian Germ Cells in Drosophila melanogaster. Dokl Biochem Biophys 513 (Suppl 1), S87–S91 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1134/S160767292360046X
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S160767292360046X