Journal article
Isolation and characterization of mutants for the vesicular acetylcholine transporter gene in Drosophila melanogaster
Journal of neurobiology, Vol.42(2), pp.161-171
02/05/2000
DOI: 10.1002/(SICI)1097-4695(20000205)42:2<161::AID-NEU1>3.3.CO;2-G
PMID: 10640324
Abstract
The Drosophila vesicular acetylcholine transporter gene (Vacht) is nested within the first intron of the choline acetyltransferase gene (Cha). To isolate Vacht mutants, we performed an F2 genetic screen and identified mutations that failed to complement Df(3R)Cha5 , a deletion lacking Cha and the surrounding genes. Of these mutations, three mapped to a small genomic region where Cha resides. Complementation tests with a Cha mutant allele and rescue experiments using a transgenic Vacht minigene have revealed that two of these three mutations are nonconditional lethal alleles of Vacht (Vacht1 andVacht2 ). The other is a new temperature‐sensitive allele of Cha (Chats3 ). Newly isolated Vacht mutants were used to reexamine the existing Cha mutations. We found that all deficiencies uncovering Cha also lack Vacht function, reflecting the nested organization of the two genes. The effective lethal phase for Vacht1 is the embryonic stage, whereas that for Vacht2 is the larval stage. Viable first‐instar larvae homozygous for Vacht2 showed reduced motility. Adult flies heterozygous for Vacht mutations were found to have defective responses in the dorsal longitudinal muscles following high‐frequency brain stimulation. Since cholinergic synapses have been shown to be involved in the giant fiber pathway that mediates this response, the result suggested that reduction in the Vacht activity to 50% causes an abnormality in cholinergic transmission when stressed by a high‐frequency stimulus.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Isolation and characterization of mutants for the vesicular acetylcholine transporter gene in Drosophila melanogaster
- Creators
- Toshihiro KitamotoXianjin XieChun-Fang WuPaul M Salvaterra
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Journal of neurobiology, Vol.42(2), pp.161-171
- DOI
- 10.1002/(SICI)1097-4695(20000205)42:2<161::AID-NEU1>3.3.CO;2-G
- PMID
- 10640324
- NLM abbreviation
- J Neurobiol
- ISSN
- 0022-3034
- eISSN
- 1097-4695
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 02/05/2000
- Academic Unit
- Preventive and Community Dentistry; Iowa Neuroscience Institute; Biostatistics; Biology; Anesthesia; Neuroscience and Pharmacology; Dental Research
- Record Identifier
- 9984007187702771
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