A DROSOPHILA-MELANOGASTER HOBO-WHITE(-FREQUENCY GENE-TRANSFER IN DROSOPHILA-VIRILIS WITH FULL INTERSPECIFIC WHITE(+) COMPLEMENTATION() VECTOR MEDIATES LOW)

Transformation of a Drosophila virilis white mutant host strain was at tempted using a hobo vector containing the D. melanogaster mini-white( +) cassette (H[w(+), hawN]) and an unmodified or heat shock regulated hobo transposase helper. Two transformant lines were recovered with th e unmodified helper (HFL1), one containing only the white(+) marked ve ctor, and a sibling line containing the vector as well as an HFL1 help er integration. An approximate total transformation frequency of 1% is deduced. A high frequency of wing and eye morphology mutants were als o observed, suggesting that hobo may have mobilized a related element in D. virilis. The data reaffirms a relatively low transformation vect or activity for the hobo transposon in D. virilis; however, nearly ful l interspecific expression of the white(+) marker supports its possibl e function in other species as well.