DNA-induced transformation in Drosophila: locus-specificity and the establishment of transformed stocks

The genetic changes induced in Drosophila melanogaster by DNA obtained from flies differing at specified genetic loci exhibit the general features of transformation, namely locus specificity and heritability. These properties have provided the basis for the establishment of transformed stocks. The phenomenon also exhibits striking special features, prominent among which is the observation that transformed individuals are always mosaics and that whole-body transformants are absent even in established stocks. The exosome model (which proposes that DNA segments enter the cells of treated individuals and become firmly associated with their homologous chromosome segments, but are never integrated into the linear structure of the chromosome) is formulated to fit these observations.