Structure and transcription of the Drosophila mulleri alcohol dehydrogenase genes

The D. melanogaster Adh gene is transcribed from two different promoters; a proximal (larval) promoter is active during late embryonic and larval stages, and a distal (adult) promoter is active primarily in third instar larvae and in adult flies (1). Genetic analyses suggest that several species of the mulleri subgroup (distant relatives of D. melanogaster) have two closely-linked Adh genes, Adh-1 and Adh-2, each of which expresses a different ADH protein (2). The temporal pattern of expression of Adh-1 and Adh-2 is similar to the expression of D. melanogaster Adh from the proximal and distal promoters (2,3,4). We are interested in the molecular basis for the pattern of Adh expression in the mulleri subgroup species and in the mechanism of the switch in Adh promoter utilization. For these reasons, we have studied the structure and transcription of the Adh locus of D. mulleri, a species of the mulleri subgroup. We show that the ADH-1 and ADH-2 proteins are expressed from two distinct genes separated by 2 kilobase pairs, and that Adh-1 and Adh-2 are transcribed in the expected temporal pattern. In addition, we find a pseudogene 1.2 kb upstream from Adh-2, which is transcribed in a temporal pattern similar to Adh-2.