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Synthesis of RNA by Escherichia coli RNA polymerase on the chromosomes of Drosophila melanogaster

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Abstract

Preparations of polytene chromosomes of D. melanogaster fixed with acetic acid have been used as templates for RNA synthesis by E. coli RNA polymerase complete or core enzymes in the presence of 3H-nucleoside triphosphates. Radioautographic experiments showed that on a single X-chromosome from male larvae twice as much RNA is synthesized as on each of the two female X-chromosomes. Thus, such a heterologous transcription system shows the dosage compensation effect which had been observed earlier for the X-chromosomes in the intact cells in vivo. It is suggested that the dosage compensation of sex-linked genes is due to a difference in the structure of the X-chromosomes of males and females. This difference is also demonstrated by the fact that a male X-chromosome binds twice as many molecules of 3H-labelled RNA polymerase as does each of the female X-chromosomes. The difference in the in vitro template activities of male and female X-chromosomes cannot be overcome by pretreating them with deoxyribonuclease S1 specific for single-stranded DNA which implies that single-stranded regions are not important for the phenomenon of dosage compensation.

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  1. Kurchatov Institute of Atomic Energy, Moscow

    R. B. Khesin & B. A. Leibovitch

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  1. R. B. Khesin
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  2. B. A. Leibovitch
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Khesin, R.B., Leibovitch, B.A. Synthesis of RNA by Escherichia coli RNA polymerase on the chromosomes of Drosophila melanogaster . Chromosoma 46, 161–172 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00332514

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00332514

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