Phenotypic rescue by a bovine transgene in a Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase-null mutant of Drosophila melanogaster

Journal Article · Tue Feb 01 04:00:00 EST 1994 · Molecular and Cellular Biology

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1128/MCB.14.2.1302· OSTI ID:577140

Reveillaud, I; Kongpachith, A; Fleming, J E ^[1]

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1. Inst. of Molecular Medical Sciences, Palo Alto, CA (United States); and others

Null mutants for Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (CuZnSOD) in Drosophila melanogaster are male sterile, have a greatly reduced adult life span, and are hypersensitive to paraquat. We have introduced a synthetic bovine CuZnSOD transgene under the transcriptional control of the D. melanogaster 5C actin promoter into a CuZnSOD-null mutant of D. melanogaster. This was carried out by P-element-mediated transformation of the Drosophila-bovine CuZnSOD transgene into a CuZnSOD{sup +} recipient strain followed by genetic crossing of the transgene into a strain carrying the CuZnSOD-null mutation, cSOD{sup n108}. The resulting transformants express bovine CuZnSOD exclusively to about 30% of normal Drosophila CuZnSOD levels. Expression of the Drosophila-bovine CuZnSOD transgene in the CuZnSOD-null mutant rescues male fertility and resistance to paraquat to apparently normal levels. However, adult life span is restored to only 30% of normal, and resistance to hyperoxia is 90% of that found in control flies. This striking differential restoration of pleiotropic phenotypes could be the result of a threshold of CuZnSOD expression necessary for normal male fertility and resistance to the toxicity of paraquat or hyperoxia which is lower than the threshold required to sustain a normal adult life span. Alternatively, the differential rescue of fertility, resistance to active oxygen, and life span might indicate different cell-specific transcriptional requirements for these functions which are normally provided by the control elements of the native CuZnSOD gene but are only partly compensated for by the transcriptional control elements of the actin 5C promoter. 29 refs., 5 figs., 1 tab.

• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• OSTI ID: 577140
• Journal Information: Molecular and Cellular Biology, Journal Name: Molecular and Cellular Biology Journal Issue: 2 Vol. 14; ISSN 0270-7306; ISSN MCEBD4
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

55 BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE
BASIC STUDIES
56 BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE
APPLIED STUDIES
ACTIN
DROSOPHILA
FERTILITY
GENE MUTATIONS
GENE REGULATION
GENES
LIFE SPAN
METABOLISM
MUTANTS
OXYGEN
PHENOTYPE
STERILITY
STRUCTURE-ACTIVITY RELATIONSHIPS
SUPEROXIDE DISMUTASE
TOXIC MATERIALS
TOXICITY
TRANSCRIPTION
TRANSGENIC ANIMALS