Genetic stability of sexing strains based on the locus sw of Ceratitis capitata

This report deals with the process of improving the stability of medfly, Ceratitis capitata, genetic sexing strains (GSS) based on the sw mutation on chromosome 2. This gene affects the rate of development as well as the eye colour and iridescence. The improved sexing strains were produced by mapping sw with deletions and then inducing and screening for new translocations with breakpoints close to the marker. The stability was assessed in large populations over many generations. Twenty-two new Y-2 translocations were identified and polytene chromosome analysis was performed to locate breakpoints. The translocation strains were ranked according to the distance of their breakpoints from sw. The map position of sw is region 20D on 2R. As data on the stability of the 22 strains accumulated, Cast 191 was shown to be the most promising as no recombination between sw and the male sex was found. After rearing the strain for 22 generations under semi-mass rearing conditions, with a population size of 15,000 adults and scoring 1000 flies per generation, only one such event was detected (estimated frequency = 3.1 x 10(-6)). Further tests are being carried out with this strain to assess its suitability as a genetic sexing strain for medfly Sterile insect technique (SIT).

Genetic and cytological mapping of a "Y-2" translocation in the Mediterranean fruit fly Ceratitis capitata

In this paper we analyze genetically and cytologically a Y-chromosome 2 translocation with several markers, some of which are potentially useful for large scale sex separation. The breakpoint of this Y-2 translocation is located at region 6B on the trichogene polytene chromosome map. It is found that, in strains carrying this TY-2, only 40% of the fertilized eggs survived to the adult stage, 26% of them dying as embryos, 27% as larvae, and 7% as pupae. Early lethality is explained by the nonviability of adjacent-1 products of meiosis containing a deletion of section 1A-6B. The reciprocal segregation products, carrying this chromosome segment in triplicate, survive until late stages. By analyzing the phenotype of the individuals we conclude that all markers used in this study are located outside the triplicated region and that the male determining factor is not included in the piece of the Y chromosome translocated to chromosome 2. The male recombination frequencies of several genes located on chromosome 2 relative to the breakpoint of translocation T5038 have also been studied here.