European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Postfach 102209, D-6900 Heidelberg, FRG.
EMBO J. 1985 Aug;4(8):2045-52. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1985.tb03890.x.
The zeste gene of Drosophila regulates the expression of certain other genes like white, bithorax and decapentaplegic in a manner dependent on chromosome pairing. The genetic evidence suggests that its product interacts with the genes at the level of transcription. We have cloned the zeste region from fragments microdissected from the 3A1-4 region of the X chromosome and mapped the breakpoints of several rearrangements which localise the gene. We have isolated dysgenic zeste mutants which contain P element sequences inserted in the same region. DNA rearrangements were found in some zeste mutants but were not detected in the z, z or z mutants. The changes are localised to a Bam 4.0-kb fragment from which originates a 2.4-kb RNA species. This transcript is altered in some zeste mutants but is not visibly affected in Z or z mutants. The region bears no homology to the white gene or its vicinity but cross-hybridises to many other genomic sequences in Drosophila.
果蝇的 zeste 基因以依赖于染色体配对的方式调节某些其他基因（如 white、bithorax 和 decapentaplegic）的表达。遗传证据表明，其产物在转录水平上与基因相互作用。我们已经从 X 染色体的 3A1-4 区域的微切割片段中克隆了 zeste 区域，并定位了基因的几个重排断点。我们已经分离出含有 P 元素序列插入相同区域的杂种不育 zeste 突变体。在一些 zeste 突变体中发现了 DNA 重排，但在 z、z 或 z 突变体中未检测到。这些变化局限于 Bam 4.0-kb 片段，该片段产生一个 2.4-kb 的 RNA 种类。在一些 zeste 突变体中，这种转录本发生了改变，但在 Z 或 z 突变体中则没有明显影响。该区域与 white 基因或其附近区域没有同源性，但与果蝇中的许多其他基因组序列发生交叉杂交。
