Isolation, characterization, and localization of β-tubulin genomic clones of three Drosophila montium subgroup species

Abstract

Genomic libraries were constructed from three Drosophila species, namely Drosophila auraria, Drosophila serrata, and Drosophila kikkawai, belonging to the Drosophila montium subgroup of the Drosophila melanogaster species group. Clones containing β-tubulin specific sequences were isolated, characterized by restriction endonuclease digestions and Southern hybridizations, and mapped by in situ hybridization on the polytene chromosomes of the species studied. The distribution of the β-tubulin loci was found to be similar in D. montium species and D. melanogaster.Key words: genomic clones, β-tubulin, gene family, evolution, Drosophila montium subgroup.