Induced and natural break sites in the chromosomes of Hawaiian Drosophila

Journal Article · Tue Mar 01 04:00:00 EST 1988 · Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.85.5.1717· OSTI ID:6616378

Tonzetich, J; Lyttle, T W; Carson, H L

Gamma-irradiation of a laboratory strain of the Hawaiian species of Drosophila heteroneura yielded 310 breaks in the five major acrocentric polytene chromosomes. Their map positions conform to the Poisson distribution, unlike most of the 436 natural breaks mapped in 105 closely related species endemic to Hawaii. Genome element E is longer and has more induced breaks than the others. Both in Hawaiian and related species groups, this element shows increased polymorphism and fixation of naturally occurring inversions. The X chromosome (element A) also accumulates many natural breaks; the majority of the resulting aberrations become fixed rather than remain as polymorphisms. Although size may play a small role in initial break distribution, the major effects relative to the establishment of a rearrangement in natural populations are ascribed to the interaction of selection and drift. Nonconformance of the natural breaks to the Poisson distribution appears to be due to the tendency for breaks to accumulate both in the proximal euchromatic portion of each arm and in heterochromatic regions that are not replicated in the polytene chromosomes.

• Research Organization: Bucknell Univ., Lewisburg, PA (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6616378
• Journal Information: Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.; (United States), Journal Name: Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.; (United States) Vol. 85:5; ISSN PNASA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

560130* -- Radiation Effects on Microorganisms
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ANIMALS
ARTHROPODS
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
BIOLOGICAL RADIATION EFFECTS
BIOLOGICAL VARIABILITY
CHROMOSOMES
COBALT 60
COBALT ISOTOPES
DIPTERA
DROSOPHILA
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
FLIES
FRUIT FLIES
GAMMA RADIATION
GENETIC EFFECTS
GENETIC RADIATION EFFECTS
GENETIC VARIABILITY
HETEROCHROMOSOMES
INSECTS
INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI
INTERNAL CONVERSION RADIOISOTOPES
INVERTEBRATES
IONIZING RADIATIONS
ISOMERIC TRANSITION ISOTOPES
ISOTOPES
MINUTES LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
NUCLEI
ODD-ODD NUCLEI
RADIATION EFFECTS
RADIATIONS
RADIOINDUCTION
RADIOISOTOPES
STRAND BREAKS
X CHROMOSOME
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES