Local transposition of P elements in Drosophila melanogaster and recombination between duplicated elements using a site-specific recombinase.

The transposase source delta 2-3(99B) was used to mobilize a P element located at sites on chromosomes X, 2 and 3. The transposition event most frequently recovered was a chromosome with two copies of the P element at or near the original site of insertion. These were easily recognized because the P element carried a hypomorphic white gene with a dosage dependent phenotype; flies with two copies of the gene have darker eyes than flies with one copy. The P element also carried direct repeats of the recombination target (FRT) for the FLP site-specific recombinase. The synthesis of FLP in these flies caused excision of the FRT-flanked white gene. Because the two white copies excised independently, patches of eye tissue with different levels of pigmentation were produced. Thus, the presence of two copies of the FRT-flanked white gene could be verified. When the P elements lay in the same orientation, FLP-mediated recombination between the FRTs on separated elements produced deficiencies and duplications of the flanked region. When P elements were inverted, the predominant consequence of FLP-catalyzed recombination between the inverted elements was the formation of dicentric chromosomes and acentric fragments as a result of unequal sister chromatid exchange.