Mosaic suppressor, a gene in Drosophila that modifies retrotransposon expression and interacts with zeste

A newly identified locus in Drosophila melanogaster, Mosaic suppressor (Msu), is described. This gene modifies the expression of white-apricot (wa), which is a copia retrotransposon-induced allele of the white gene. In addition to suppressing wa in a mosaic fashion, this mutation suppresses or enhances the expression of several other retrotransposon induced white alleles. Mutations in Msu alter copia transcript abundance and may regulate the expression of several other retrotransposons. While each of the two Msu isolates is homozygous lethal, heteroallelic escapers occur at a low frequency. These escapers act not only as strong suppressors of wa, but also as a recessive enhancer of synaptic-dependent gene expression at white. The mutation described here suggests a connection between the regulation of specific transcriptional units such as retrotransposons and more global synapsis dependent regulatory effects.