Abstract
Females of Chironomus thummi thummi (stock H1) were backcrossed with hybrid males of the cross Ch. thummi thummi (H1) ♀♀ x Ch. thummi piger (E) ♂♂ in order to test which of the four piger chromosomes determine the temperature sensitive non-reciprocal gonadal dysgenesis originally observed in the thummi ♀♀ x piger ♂♂ hybrids. In the backcross rudimentary gonads as well as normal gonads were found irrespective of the chromosome constitution of the individuals. The highest frequency of abnormal gonads (63%) occurred in backcross larvae which received piger chromosomes I and III. Statistical evaluation of the data showed that piger chromosome I is able to induce 44% dysgenic gonads. The gonadal-dysgenesis inducing ability of piger chromosome III is only recognizable if also piger chromosome I is present in the genome. The piger chromosomes II and IV do not have a statistically significant influence on the frequency of abnormal gonads.
Arguments are presented for the assumption that the factors determining rudimentary development of the gonads are located distally to those pericentric chromosome regions of the piger chromosomes I and III that in polytene chromosomes show differences in the size of bands in comparison with the homologous thummi regions. The question is discussed whether the rudimentary development of the gonads is caused by gene pairs with an epistatic form of interaction or by the activity of transposable elements.
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Hägele, K., Oschmann, B. Non-reciprocal gonadal dysgenesis in hybrids of the chironomid midge Chironomus thummi II. Gonadal-dysgenesis inducing chromosomes. Genetica 78, 185–193 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00055637
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00055637