Synthesis of compound chromosomes from a pericentric inversion in the onion fly Hylemya antiqua

Abstract

STRUCTURAL chromosome mutations such as reciprocal translocations^1,2, pericentric inversions³ and compound chromosomes^4,5 have been considered for the control of insect pests. Their exploitation is based on the capacity to reduce the fertility of a population, and they might be used to introduce a gene into a natural population to render the pest less harmful. This possibility arises from the fact that some structural chromosome mutations confer higher sterility in crosses to wild type, or in the hybrids from such crosses, than in matings within the mutant strain. This property is particularly evident with compound chromosomes which have homologous arms attached to common centromeres rather than to different centromeres. This causes intersterility with wild-type individuals, because all the hybrids carry chromosome duplications and deficiencies. In contrast to studies^5–7 in which compound chromosomes were isolated starting from two almost whole arm reciprocal translocations. I have used a pericentric inversion in the onion fly, Hylemya antiqua.