The Sex-lethal gene of drosophila: DNA alterations associated with sex-specific lethal mutations

Eleanor M. Maine; Helen K. Salz; Thomas W. Cline; Paul Schedl

doi:10.1016/0092-8674(85)90181-3

The Sex-lethal gene of drosophila: DNA alterations associated with sex-specific lethal mutations

Eleanor M. Maine
, Helen K. Salz
, Thomas W. Cline
, Paul Schedl

Molecular Biology

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

43 Scopus citations

Abstract

Genomic DNA encoding Sex-lethal, a developmental switch gene in Drosophila melanogaster that regulates sex determination and dosage compensation has been isolated. Wild-type DNA sequence organization of the gene has been compared at the restriction level with those of 17 female-specific, loss-of-function and five male-specific, gain-of-function mutant alleles. DNA lesions associated with 12 of these mutations delimit an 11 kb DNA region that is necessary for proper Sex-lethal function in females. Males who are deleted for this region are both viable and fertile. Loss-of-function alleles are associated with gross DNA alterations as well as true point mutations; the former are located throughout the region. In contrast, all five gain-of-function alleles are associated with DNA insertions that are clustered within a 1 kb portion of the Sxl gene region.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	521-529
Number of pages	9
Journal	Cell
Volume	43
Issue number	2 PART 1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/0092-8674(85)90181-3
State	Published - Dec 1985

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Access to Document

10.1016/0092-8674(85)90181-3

Cite this

@article{b7025abe39164ede97bd7ef6e5f28c48,

title = "The Sex-lethal gene of drosophila: DNA alterations associated with sex-specific lethal mutations",

abstract = "Genomic DNA encoding Sex-lethal, a developmental switch gene in Drosophila melanogaster that regulates sex determination and dosage compensation has been isolated. Wild-type DNA sequence organization of the gene has been compared at the restriction level with those of 17 female-specific, loss-of-function and five male-specific, gain-of-function mutant alleles. DNA lesions associated with 12 of these mutations delimit an 11 kb DNA region that is necessary for proper Sex-lethal function in females. Males who are deleted for this region are both viable and fertile. Loss-of-function alleles are associated with gross DNA alterations as well as true point mutations; the former are located throughout the region. In contrast, all five gain-of-function alleles are associated with DNA insertions that are clustered within a 1 kb portion of the Sxl gene region.",

author = "Maine, \{Eleanor M.\} and Salz, \{Helen K.\} and Cline, \{Thomas W.\} and Paul Schedl",

note = "Funding Information: We thank J. Belote and T. Kaufman for providing some of the stocks used in this study. We thank E. Frei for providing us with his cosmid library. We also acknowledge N. Chapman for isolation of Sx/““l.fPa and N. Lyons and M. Engel for technical assistance in the genetic analyses. This work was supported by grants from NIH and March of Dimes to T. C., P S., and Princeton University Department of Biology. Copyright: Copyright 2018 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.",

year = "1985",

month = dec,

doi = "10.1016/0092-8674(85)90181-3",

language = "English (US)",

volume = "43",

pages = "521--529",

journal = "Cell",

issn = "0092-8674",

publisher = "Elsevier B.V.",

number = "2 PART 1",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - The Sex-lethal gene of drosophila

T2 - DNA alterations associated with sex-specific lethal mutations

AU - Maine, Eleanor M.

AU - Salz, Helen K.

AU - Cline, Thomas W.

AU - Schedl, Paul

N1 - Funding Information: We thank J. Belote and T. Kaufman for providing some of the stocks used in this study. We thank E. Frei for providing us with his cosmid library. We also acknowledge N. Chapman for isolation of Sx/““l.fPa and N. Lyons and M. Engel for technical assistance in the genetic analyses. This work was supported by grants from NIH and March of Dimes to T. C., P S., and Princeton University Department of Biology. Copyright: Copyright 2018 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.

PY - 1985/12

Y1 - 1985/12

N2 - Genomic DNA encoding Sex-lethal, a developmental switch gene in Drosophila melanogaster that regulates sex determination and dosage compensation has been isolated. Wild-type DNA sequence organization of the gene has been compared at the restriction level with those of 17 female-specific, loss-of-function and five male-specific, gain-of-function mutant alleles. DNA lesions associated with 12 of these mutations delimit an 11 kb DNA region that is necessary for proper Sex-lethal function in females. Males who are deleted for this region are both viable and fertile. Loss-of-function alleles are associated with gross DNA alterations as well as true point mutations; the former are located throughout the region. In contrast, all five gain-of-function alleles are associated with DNA insertions that are clustered within a 1 kb portion of the Sxl gene region.

AB - Genomic DNA encoding Sex-lethal, a developmental switch gene in Drosophila melanogaster that regulates sex determination and dosage compensation has been isolated. Wild-type DNA sequence organization of the gene has been compared at the restriction level with those of 17 female-specific, loss-of-function and five male-specific, gain-of-function mutant alleles. DNA lesions associated with 12 of these mutations delimit an 11 kb DNA region that is necessary for proper Sex-lethal function in females. Males who are deleted for this region are both viable and fertile. Loss-of-function alleles are associated with gross DNA alterations as well as true point mutations; the former are located throughout the region. In contrast, all five gain-of-function alleles are associated with DNA insertions that are clustered within a 1 kb portion of the Sxl gene region.

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/0022378518

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/0022378518#tab=citedBy

U2 - 10.1016/0092-8674(85)90181-3

DO - 10.1016/0092-8674(85)90181-3

M3 - Article

C2 - 3000609

AN - SCOPUS:0022378518

SN - 0092-8674

VL - 43

SP - 521

EP - 529

JO - Cell

JF - Cell

IS - 2 PART 1

ER -

The Sex-lethal gene of drosophila: DNA alterations associated with sex-specific lethal mutations

Abstract

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this