A revision of the cytology and ontogeny of several deficiencies in the 3A1-3C6 region of the X chromosome of Drosophila melanogaster

Abstract

The cytology and developmental attributes of 18 deficiency mutations in the 3A1-3C6 region of the salivary gland X chromosome of Drosophila melanogaster have been investigated. The cytological limits of several older deficiencies have been revised and clarified and several new deficiencies are characterized. The deficiency mutants, withone possible exception, show a lethal phase in the late embryonic period or the early first larval instar. In contrast, the earliest acting point mutation lethals exposed by these deficiencies generally exhibit a somewhat later, post-embryonic lethality, perhaps indicating that the deficiencies are having some cumulative or synergistic impact on development. However, even with this difference in time of lethality, it is still possibleto conclude that it is not the absolute size of the deficiency but rather the character of the loci delected that determines the impact on development. Observations on the morphology of lethal embryos shows that while this analysis is internally consistent, it does not agree with earlier work. None of the 3A1-3C6 deficiencies causes any major teratologies during embryogenesis. Furthermore, the "earliest acting" gene in this region does not lie in band 3C1 but is most likely associated with bands3A8-10.