Skip to main content
Log in

The selective digestion of polytene and mitotic chromosomes of Drosophila melanogaster by the Alu I and Hae III restriction endonucleases

  • Published:
Chromosoma Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Polytene and mitotic chromosomes of Drosophila melanogaster were treated with either Alu I or Hae III restriction endonucleases. Subsequent staining with the DNA-specific fluorochrome ethidium bromide showed that these enzymes are capable of selectively digesting chromosomal DNA in fixed cytological preparations, as previously shown in mammalian metaphase chromosomes. Alu I or Hae III digestion made possible the localization in situ of some highly repetitive DNAs in both polytene and mitotic chromosomes, while only Alu I permitted the localization of the 5S RNA genes on the polytene chromosomes of D. melanogaster.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Appels R, Peacock WJ (1978) The arrangement and evolution of highly repeated (satellite) DNA sequences with special reference to Drosophila. Int Rev Cytol [Suppl] 8:69–126

    Google Scholar 

  • Artavanis-Tsakonas S, Schedl P, Tschudi C, Pirrotta V, Steward R, Gehring WJ (1977) The 5S genes of Drosophila melanogaster. Cell 12:1057–1067

    Google Scholar 

  • Bianchi NO, Bianchi MS, Cleaver JE (1984) The action of ultraviolet light on the patterns of banding induced by restriction endonucleases in human chromosomes. Chromosoma 90:133–136

    Google Scholar 

  • Bianchi MS, Bianchi NO, Pantelias GE, Wolff S (1985) The mechanism and pattern of banding induced by restriction endonucleases in human chromosomes. Chromosoma 91:131–136

    Google Scholar 

  • Brutlag D, Carlson M, Fry K, Hsieh TS (1977) DNA sequence organization in Drosophila heterochromatin. Cold Spring Harbor Symp Quant Biol 42:1137–1146

    Google Scholar 

  • Cartwright IL, Abmayr SM, Fleischmann G, Lowenhaupt K, Elgin S, Keene MA, Howard GC (1982) Chromatin structure and gene activity: the role of non-histone chromosomal proteins. Crit Rev Biochem 13:1–86

    Google Scholar 

  • Eastmann EM, Goodmann RM, Erlanger BF, Miller OJ (1980) 5-Methylcytosine in the DNA of the polytene chromosomes of the Diptera Sciara coprophila, Drosophila melanogaster and D. persimilis. Chromosoma 79:225–239

    Google Scholar 

  • Ellison JR, Barr HJ (1972) Quinacrine fluorescence of specific chromosome regions. Chromosoma 36:375–390

    Google Scholar 

  • Gatti M, Pimpinelli S, Santini G (1976) Characterization of Drosophila heterochromatin. I. Staining and decondensation with Hoechst 33258 and quinacrine. Chromosoma 57:351–375

    Google Scholar 

  • Kaelbling M, Miller DA, Miller OJ (1984) Restriction enzyme banding of mouse metaphase chromosomes. Chromosoma 90:128–132

    Google Scholar 

  • Kato H, Moriwaki K (1972) Factors involved in the production of banded structures in mammalian chromosomes. Chromosoma 38:105–120

    Google Scholar 

  • Lefevre G Jr (1976) A photographic representation and interpretation of the polytene chromosomes of Drosophila melanogaster salivary glands. In: Ashburner M, Novitski E (eds) The genetics and biology of Drosophila, vol 1a. Academic Press, New York, pp 32–64

    Google Scholar 

  • Lewin B (1980) Eukaryotic chromosomes. In: Gene expression 2. John Wiley & Sons, New York, pp 464–547

    Google Scholar 

  • Maniatis T, Fritsch EF, Sambrook J (1982) Restriction enzymes. In: Molecular cloning. Cold Spring Harbor, NY pp 98–106

  • Mezzanotte R (1978) Differential banding induced in polytene chromosomes of Drosophila melanogaster stained with acridine orange. Experientia 34:322–323

    Google Scholar 

  • Mezzanotte R, Ferrucci L, Marchi A, Bianchi U (1982) The longitudinal differentiation produced by photo-oxidation and acridine orange staining in eukaryote chromosomes: role and involvement of DNA base composition. Cytogenet Cell Genet 33:277–284

    Google Scholar 

  • Mezzanotte R, Ferrucci L, Vanni R, Bianchi U (1983a) Selective digestion of human metaphase chromosomes by Alu I restriction endonuclease. J Histochem Cytochem 31:553–556

    Google Scholar 

  • Mezzanotte R, Bianchi U, Vanni R, Ferrucci L (1983b) Chromatin organization and restriction endonuclease activity on human metaphase chromosomes. Cytogenet Cell Genet 36:562–566

    Google Scholar 

  • Mezzanotte R, Ferrucci L (1984) Alterations induced in mouse chromosomes by restriction endonucleases. Genetica 64:123–128

    Google Scholar 

  • Mezzanotte R, Manconi PE, Rozzo C, Ennas MG, Ferrucci L (1985) The banding pattern produced by restriction endonucleases in mouse chromosomes. Basic Appl Histochem, in press

  • Miller DA, Choi JC, Miller OJ (1983) Chromosome localization of highly repetitive human DNAs and amplified ribosomal DNA with restriction enzymes. Science 219:395–397

    Google Scholar 

  • Miller DA, Gosden JR, Hastie ND, Evans HJ (1984) Mechanism of endonuclease banding of chromosomes. Exp Cell Res 155:294–298

    Google Scholar 

  • Pauluhn J, Naujok KA, Zimmerman HW (1980) Über die quantitative fluorometrische Bestimmung von DNA mit Ethidiumbromid in der Zelle und die Konstanz der Quantenausbeute des Ethidium-DNA-Komplexes im biologischen Milieu. Z Naturforsch 35:585–598

    Google Scholar 

  • Peacock WJ, Lohe AR, Gerlach WL, Densmuir P, Dennis ES, Appels R (1977) Fine structure and evolution of DNA in heterochromatin. Cold Spring Harbor Symp Quant Biol 42:1121–1135

    Google Scholar 

  • Rodriguez Alfageme C, Rudkin GT, Cohen L (1980) Isolation, properties and cellular distribution of D1, a chromosomal protein of Drosophila. Chromosoma 78:1–31

    Google Scholar 

  • Rubin GM (1977) Isolation of a telomeric DNA sequence from Drosophila melanogaster. Cold Spring Harbor Symp Quant Biol 42:1041–1046

    Google Scholar 

  • Shen CJ, Wiesehahn G, Hearst JE (1976) Cleavage patterns of Drosophila melanogaster satellite DNA by restriction enzymes. Nucleic Acids Res 3:931–950

    Google Scholar 

  • Steffensen DM, Appels R, Peacock WJ (1981) The distribution of two highly repeated DNA sequences within Drosophila melanogaster chromosomes. Chromosoma 82:525–541

    Google Scholar 

  • Tschudi C, Pirrotta V (1980) Sequence and heterogeneity in the 5S RNA gene cluster of Drosophila melanogaster. Nucleic Acids Res 8:441–451

    Google Scholar 

  • Wimber DE, Steffensen DM (1970) Localization of 5S RNA genes on Drosophila chromosomes by RNA-DNA hybridization. Science 170:639–641

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Mezzanotte, R. The selective digestion of polytene and mitotic chromosomes of Drosophila melanogaster by the Alu I and Hae III restriction endonucleases. Chromosoma 93, 249–255 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00292745

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00292745

Keywords

Navigation