Return to search

Developing an eggshell marker based on a dominant female sterile mutation for the identification of complete follicle cell clones in Drosophila melanogaster

Patterning of the body axes of the Drosophila embryo depends on maternally expressed genes, some of which function in the follicular epithelium of the developing egg chamber. Many such genes were identified in genetic screens for homozygous mutant females that produce abnormal embryos. However, mutations in zygotically required maternal effect genes are homozygous lethal, and therefore viable females cannot be recovered using this screening approach. This limitation can be overcome by generating homozygous mutant follicle cell clones in heterozygous females using a system that induces site-specific mitotic recombination events. However, to date, eggs produced from egg chambers with complete follicle cell clones cannot be directly identified. We have developed an eggshell marker for follicle cell clones using a dominant negative (DN) allele of the gene defective chorion (dec). Females with a single copy of this allele, decDN, lay collapsed eggs and are therefore sterile. Site-specific mitotic recombination events induced in females heterozygous for decDN and a mutation on the homologous chromosome arm result in homozygous mutant follicle cells that have lost decDN. Therefore, egg chambers with the entire follicular epithelium homozygous mutant generate intact eggs that can be unambiguously identified amongst otherwise collapsed eggs.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.101118
Date January 2006
CreatorsEleiche, Aliaa Abdel-Salam.
PublisherMcGill University
Source SetsLibrary and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeElectronic Thesis or Dissertation
Formatapplication/pdf
CoverageMaster of Science (Department of Biology.)
Rights© Aliaa Abdel-Salam Eleiche, 2006
Relationalephsysno: 002600213, proquestno: AAIMR32697, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest.

Page generated in 0.0016 seconds