Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
Most detectable aneuploidy in Drosophila, as well human aneuploidy as well, since there is reason to
as in humans, occurs as a consequence of non- suspect the existence of a similar mechanism in the
disjunction at the first meiotic division. In analyzing human oocyte (24). The common denominator,
the origin of nondisjunctional gametes, one aspect then, for many cases of meiotic nondisjunction, par-
frequently overlooked is the close dependence of ticularly those which do not involve spindle defects
nondisjunction on reduced chiasma frequency. Re- or alterations, appears to be reduced exchange. Re-
ductions arise either from decreased exchange or ductions may be induced by genotypic alterations,
less often from premature chiasma resolution. namely, chromosomal rearrangements and point
Homologs that become univalents from either cause mutations, or they may be induced by external
are expected to assort independently of one another agents such as radiation, chemicals, and heat.
and lead to the production of gametes carrying both Among chromosome rearrangements, the hetero-
or neither homolog one-half of the time. When uni- zygous inversion is recognized as the most effective
valents occur, some organisms, such as Drosophila, method of reducing exchange between homologs.
possess a mechanism to avert nondisjunction and its First, we can examine the effect an exchange and
unfortunate consequences by providing a second disjunction of a fairly small inversion strategically
opportunity for homologs to pair and disjoin regu- placed in a chromosome. The example I have chosen
larly. This mechanism is called distributive pairing is Inversion (1) AB which lies medially in the X
(1). chromosome and occupies about 1/6 of its euchro-
In the present paper I want to discuss principally matic length. When In (1) AB is present in het-
the relationship between crossing over and disjunc- erozygous condition (Fig. la), crossover analyses
tion as we have found it to exist in Drosophila. The show that it reduces exchange from its normal level
discussion will necessarily entail a description of the of 62% between the tip and carnation to - 18%, i.e.,
properties of the distributive mechanism since it is an -a 70%o reduction (R. F. Grell, unpublished data).
integral component of the segregation behavior of Strand analysis by Weinstein's procedure (5) reveals
chromosomes in the Drosophila oocyte; it may have that noncrossover X tetrads are increased from 5 to
relevance for an understanding of the origin of some 65%. If X univalents are present 65% of the time,
random assortment should lead to X nondisjunction
over 30%o of the time. Instead it is found to occur less
*Biology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, than one-half of 1%; 0.45% to be exact (R. F. Grell,
Tennessee 37830.
August 1979 33
unpublished data). The reason X nondisjunction re- translocation with chromosome 3 and as such is al-
mains very low is that X univalents undergo a post- most always part of a crossover complex. Again
exchange pairing with one another which permits crossover data are compiled and converted into tet-
them to segregate almost as regularly as if they were rad frequencies. The rearrangements in chromo-
bound by a chiasma. some 2 have, through the interchromosomal effect,
This situation prevails as long as the X chromo- increased X exchange so that the frequency of X
somes, or any pair of homologs, are the only univa- univalents is reduced to 26% and chromosome 2 is
lents present in the distributive pool. (Here we ig- estimated to be a univalent 57% (R. F. Grell, unpub-
nore the small fourth chromosomes which will be lished data). Since the X's and the 2 univalents must
discussed later.) Figure lb illustrates what happens be present in the same oocyte for nonhomologous
when a univalent heterolog is also present part of the pairing to occur, the opportunity for such pairing
time. The heterolog utilized in this study is a second exists in 14.8% of the oocytes (26%957%). The fre-
chromosome carrying the multiple inversions quency of X nondisjunction is found to be 4.8%,
Glazed. Its homolog is involved in a reciprocal which is one order of magnitude greater than that
a b c
PARTIALLY RESTRICTED PARTIALLY RESTRICTED "COMPLETELY" RESTRICTED
EXCHANGE IN X EXCHANGE IN X AND 2 EXCHANGE IN X AND 2
*
(XEO)(2EO) O-0
*
x
x X ' DISTRIBUTIVE POOL
* * *X (x- I
x9 X N.D. = 0.5 %
X rX
4.8
XN.D.
FIGURE 1. Effect of inversion heterozygosity on X nondisjunction. Female genotypes are (a) In (1)AB/+, (b) In(l)AB/+;In(2LR)Glal
T(2;3)101, (c) Ins(l)dl-49, BM1/+;SMI/T(2;3)101. Eo denotes noncrossover tetrad; N.D. indicates nondisjunction.
Crossingover, Eo tetrads,
% % Y,T Y,T
association, segregation,
T3 T4 Total T3 T4 Totala %b %
86 D
0 55 41 9 5 20 24
Y 52 41 93 5 22 26 32 66
89 E
O 53 15 68 7 70 72
Y 52 18 70 11 64 68 68 84
94 A
O 53 0.9 54 12 98 98
Y 55 1.8 57 10 96 84 92
aT33o + T4Eo (T3E0o- T4E0).
-
Z.u .0 -
C 40
C
0 z
C,E 30
0
2.5-
0
0
E z ,
2 20 0
U~~~~~~ .1
a5-! 0o j
(
.O _-
-0.5 '
0 0.3 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.1 1.6 2.0 3.3 5./6.0 2 3 4 7 8 ib I*i I~
0.9 " 1.4 3.0 T4 DAILY BROODS
Treatment
post egg laying, Treatment, Total E. X tetrads, X nondisjunction,
hr hr map units t %
Control 0 68.5 7.1 0.1
114-138 24 37.9a 45.0 2.4
114-126 12 55.8a 22.6 0.7
120-132 12 51.8a 30.8 0.7
126-138 12 65.2 20.9 0.7
132-144 12 82.4a 8.9 0
138-150 12 80.3a 2.5 0
aSignificant increase or decrease from control value, p ' 0.05.
38 3Environmental Health Perspectives
exchange to 16%o and 19%, respectively, whereas a 3. Passarge, E. Advances in human cytogenetics. I. Basic con-
treatment which includes both days 6 and 7 causes a siderations. In: Human Genetics, D. Bergsma, Ed., The Na-
tional Foundation -March of Dimes, New York, 1968, p. 26.
reduction to -7%. Further dissection locates sen- 4. Grell, R. F. Distributive pairing in man? Ann. Genet. (Paris)
sitivity between 126 and 162 hr, virtually coincident 14 (3): 165 (1971).
with the limits of premeiotic DNA replication. 5. Weinstein, A. The theory of multiple-strand crossing-over.
Examination of the nondisjunction curve shows Genetics 21: 155 (1936).
that it is reciprocally related to the crossover curve. 6. Grell, R. F. Meiotic behavior of translocation heterozygotes
in Drosophila melanogaster females. Genetics 74: slOl
When crossingover is high on days 2 to 5 and days 8 (1973).
and 9, X nondisjunction is low; when crossingover is 7. Grell, R. F. Distributive pairing: the size-dependent mecha-
reduced on days 6 or 7, nondisjunction increases; nism for regular segregation of the fourth chromosomes in
and when treatment includes both days and cross- Drosophila melanogaster. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. (U.S.) 52:
226 (1964).
ingover is at its minimum, nondisjunction reaches its 8. Grell, R. F. Meiotic and somatic chromosome pairing. In:
peak value. Science and Technology, McGraw-Hill Yearbook, New
The high incidence of X nondisjunction implies York, 1972, p. 136 (Fig. 3b).
both the presence of noncrossover major autosomes 9. Baker, B. S., Carpenter, A. T. C., Esposito, M. S., Esposito,
in the distributive pool and the occurrence of auto- R. E., and Sandler, L. The genetic control of meiosis. Ann.
Rev. Genet. 10: 53 (1976).
somal nondisjunction leading to additional aneuploid 10. Grell, R. F. A temperature-sensitive recombination mutant in
products. The degree of aneuploidy is indicated by Drosophila melanogaster. XIV International Congress of
the great reduction in the number of progeny per Genetics, Moscow, Abstracts Part I; 1978, p. 228.
female from 16 in the control to -4 when the treat-
- 11. Mavor, J. W. The production of nondisjunction by x rays.
Science 55:295 (1922).
ment covers the sensitive period. 12. Grell, R. F., Munoz, E. R., and Kirschbaum, W. F.
In summary, meiotic nondisjunction in Drosophila Radiation-induced nondisjunction and loss of chromosomes
originates in a variety of ways. Of those reviewed in Drosophila melanogaster females. I. The effect of chromo-
here, all but one, namely, radiation-induced non- some size. Mutat. Res. 3: 494 (1966).
disjunction, depend on the abnormal presence of 13. Day, J. W., and Grell, R. F. Radiation-induced nondisjunc-
tion and loss of chromosomes in Drosophila melanogaster
univalent chromosomes in the distributive pool. The females. II. Effects of exchange and structural heterozygos-
univalents are generally a consequence of reductions ity. Mutat. Res. 3: 503 (1966).
in crossing over arising from genetic or environ- 14. Traut, H. Nondisjunction induced by x rays in oocytes of
mental changes or from interactions between the Drosophila melanogaster. Mutat. Res. 10: 125 (1970).
15. Parker, D., and Williamson, J. Aberration induction and
two. segregation in oocytes. In: Genetics and Biology of
Drosophila, M. Ashburner and E. Novitski, Eds.,.VQl. ic,
This research was sponsored by the Division of Biomedical and Academic Press, New York-London, 1976.
Environmental Research, U.S. Department of Energy, under 16. Grell, R. F. Induction of sex chromosome nondisjunction by
contract W-7405-eng-26 with the Union Carbide Corporation. elevated temperature. Mutat. Res. 11: 347 (1971).
17. Grell, R. F., and Day, J. W. Intergenic recombination, DNA
replication, and synaptonemal complex formation in the
REFERENCES Drosophila oocytes. In: Mechanisms in Recombination, R. F.
1. Grell, R. F. A new hypothesis on the nature and sequence of Grell, Ed., Plenum Press, New York, 1974.
meiotic events in the female of Drosophila melanogaster. 18. Grell, R. F. Time of recombination in the Drosophila
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. (U.S.) 48: 165 (1962). melanogaster oocyte: evidence from a temperature-sensitive
2. Grell, R. F., and Valencia, J. I. Distributive pairing and recombination-deficient mutant. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci.
aneuploidy in man. Science 145: 66 (1964). (U.S.) 75: 3351 (1978).
August 1979 39