Production of Transgenic Drosophila

The generation of transgenic Drosophila has become a standard technique for the investigation of a wide variety of biological questions and phenomena. Virtually any cloned gene can be inserted into the genome using the P transposable element system. The gene of interest is first subcloned between P-element ends. The transgene-containing DNA is then injected into the posterior cytoplasm of young embryos in the presence of P-element transposase activity. The DNA enters pole cell nuclei, which give rise to the future germline, where it is integrated into the genome through the action of the P-transposase. The transgene is thereafter stably maintained and inherited. A selectable marker gene (e.g., an eye color marker) is included between the P-element ends to allow identification of transgenic flies and genetic mapping of the transgene’s chromosomal location.