Summary
We have studied the developmental effects of two dominant suppressor mutations of position-effect variegation mutations on female germ-line cells. Su-var (2) 101, which has been shown to affect chromatin structure though altering histone deacetylation, and Su-var (3) 303are recessive female steriles and zygotic lethals in the presence of butyrate or an additional Y chromosome. We have analysed mosaic females with mutant germ-line and normal soma and concluded that intact functions of the Su-var (2) 1 and the Su-var (3) 3 genes are required for development of both the soma and the germ-line and that as indirect evidence suggest, their maternally provided products are needed for normal embryonic development. It is suggested that there is possibly a common control of chromatin structure and gene expression in the soma, female germ-line and embryonic cells of Drosophila.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Becker HJ (1974) Mitotic recombination maps in Drosophila melanogaster. Naturwissenschaften 61:441–448
Busson D, Gans M, Komitopoulou K, Masson M (1983) Genetic analysis of three dominant female sterile mutations located on the X chromosome of Drosophila melanogaster. Genetics 105:309–325
Candido EPM, Reeves R, Davie JR (1978) Sodium butyrate inhibits histone deacetylation in cultured cells. Cell 14:105–113
Clancey CW, Beadle GW (1937) Ovary transplants in Drosophila melanogaster. Biol Bull 72:47–56
Craymer L (1974) C (1) M4: Compound (1) Multiple 4. Drosophila Inf Serv 51:21
Dorn R, Heymann S, Lindigkeit R, Reuter G (1986) Suppressor mutation of position-effect variegation in Drosophila melanogaster affecting chromatin properties. Chromosoma 93:398–403
Garcia-Bellido A, Moscoso del Prado J (1979) Genetic analysis of maternal information in Drosophila. Nature 278:346–348
Garcia-Bellido A, Robbins LG (1983) Viability of female germ-line cells homozygous for zygotic lethals in Drosophila melanogaster. Genetics 103:235–247
Janning W (1976) Entwicklungsgenetische Untersuchungen von Drosophila melanogaster. IV. Vergleich der morphogenetischen Anlageplane larvaler und imaginaler Strukturen. Wilhelm Roux Arch Dev Biol 179:349–372
Jürgens G, Wieschaus E, Nüsslcin-Volhard C, Kluding H (1984) Mutations affecting the larval cuticle in Drosophila melanogaster. II. Zygotic loci on the third chromosome. Wilhelm Roux Arch Dev Biol 193:283–295
Kastenbaum MA, Bowman KO (1970) Tables for determining the statistical significance of mutation frequencies. Mutat Res 9:527–549
King RC (1970) Ovarian development in Drosophila melanogaster. Academic Press, New York
Komitopoulou K, Gans M, Margaritis LH, Kafatos FC (1983) Isolation and characterization of sex-linked female sterile mutations in Drosophila melanogaster with special attention to eggshell mutants. Genetics 105:897–920
Konrad KD, Engstrom L, Perrimon N, Mahowald AP (1985) Genetic analysis of oogenesis and the role of maternal gene expression in early development. In: Browder LW (ed) Developmental biology Vol 1, Plenum, New York, pp 577–617
Lindsley DL, Grell EH (1968) Genetic variations of Drosophila melanogaster. Carnegie Institution of Washinton. Publication No. 627
Mahowald AP, Konrad K, Engstrom L, Perrimon N (1984) Genetic approaches to early development. In: Firtel R, Davidson E (eds) Molecular Biology of Development. Proceedings of the ICN-UCLA Conference, Steamboat Springs, Liss, New York, pp 185–197
Nüsslein-Volhard C, Wieschaus E, Kluding H (1984) Mutations affecting the pattern of the larval cuticle in Drosophila melanogaster. I. Zygotic loci on the second chromosome. Wilhelm Roux Arch Dev Biol 193:267–282
Perrimon N, Engstrom L, Mahowald AP (1984a) The effects of zygotic lethal mutations on female germ-line functions in Drosophila. Dev Biol 105:404–414
Perrimon N, Engstrom L, Mahowald AP (1984b) Developmental genetics of the 2E-F region of the Drosophila X chromosome: a region rich in a ‘developmentally important’ genes. Genetics 108:559–572
Perrimon N, Engstrom L, Mahowald AP (1985a) A pupal lethal mutation with a paternally influenced maternal effect on embryonic development in Drosophila melanogaster. Dev Biol 110:480–491
Perrimon N, Engstrom L, Mahowald AP (1985b) Developmental genetics of the 2C-D region of the Drosophila X chromosome. Genetics 111:23–41
Prokovjeva-Belgovskya AA (1947) Heterochromatization as a change of chromosome cycle. J Genet 48:80–98
Reuter G, Wolff I (1981) Isolation of dominant suppressor mutations for position-effect variegation in Drosophila melanogaster. Mol Gen Genet 182:516–519
Reuter G, Dorn R, Hoffmann HJ (1982a) Butyrate sensitive suppressor of position-effect variegation mutations in Drosophila melanogaster. Mol Gen Genet 188:480–485
Reuter G, Werner W, Hoffmann HJ (1982b) Mutants affecting position-effect heterochromatinization in Drosophila melanogaster. Chromosoma 85:539–551
Reuter G, Hoffmann HJ, Wolff I (1983) Genetic study of position-effect variegation in Drosophila melanogaster: In(1)wm4as a standard rearrangement for the isolation and characterization of suppressor and enhancer mutants. Biol Zentralbl 102:281–298
Reuter G, Wolff I, Friede B (1985) Functional properties of the heterochromatic sequences inducing w m4position-effect variegation in Drosophila melanogaster. Chromosoma 93:132–139
Reuter G, Dorn R, Wustmann G, Friede B, Rauh G (1986) Third chromosome suppressor of position-effect variegation loci in Drosophila melanogaster. Mol Gen Genet 202:481–487
Reuter G, Gausz J, Gyurkovics H, Friede B, Bang R, Spierer A, Hall LMC, Spierer P (1987) Modifiers of position-effect variegation in the region from 86 to 88 of the Drosophila melanogaster third chromosome. Mol Gen Genet in press
Riggs MG, Whittaker RG, Neumann JR, Ingram VM (1977) n-Butyrate causes histone modification in HeLa and Friend erythroleukemic cells. Nature 268:462–464
Ripoll P (1977) Behavior of somatic cells homozygous for hygotic lethals in Drosophila melanogaster. Genetics 86:357–376
Ripoll P, Garcia-Bellido A (1979) Viability of homozygous deficiencies in somatic cells of Drosophila melanogaster. Genetics 91:443–453
Sealy L, Chalkley R (1978) The effect of sodium butyrate on histone modification. Cell 14:115–121
Sinclair DAR, Mottus R, Grilgiatti TA (1983) Genes which suppress position-effect variegation in Drosophila melanogaster are clustered. Mol Gen Genet 191:326–333
Spurr AR (1969) A low-viscosity epoxy resin embedding medium for electron microscopy. J Ultrastruct Res 26:31–43
Szabad J, Erdélyi M, Szidonya J (1987) Characterization of Fs(2)1, a germ-line dependent dominant female sterile mutation of Drosophila. Acta Biol Hung, in press
Taubert H, Szabad J (1987) Genetic control of cell proliferation in female germ-line cells of Drosophila: mosaic analysis of five ‘discless’ mutations. Mol Gen Genet 209:545–551
Van Deusen EB (1976) Sex determination in germ line chimeras of Drosophila melanogaster. J Embryol Exp Morphol 37:173–185
Wieschaus E (1980) A combined genetic and mosaic approach to the study of oogenesis in Drosophila. In: Siddiqi O, Babu P, Hall LM, Hall JC (eds) Development and neurobiology of Drosophila. Plenum Press, New York, pp 85–94
Wieschaus E, Szabad J (1979) The development and function of the female germ line in Drosophila melanogaster: a cell lineage study. Dev Biol 68:29–46
Wieschaus E, Marsh JL, Gehring WJ (1978) fs(1) K10, a germ-line dependent female sterile mutation causing abnormal chorion morphology in Drosophila melanogaster. Wilhelm Roux Arch Dev Biol 184:75–82
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Communicated by J. Campos-Ortega
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Szabad, J., Reuter, G. & Schröder, MB. The effects of two mutations connected with chromatin functions on female germ-line cells of Drosophila . Mol Gen Genet 211, 56–62 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00338393
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00338393