Transgenic tools for targeted chromosome rearrangements allow construction of balancer chromosomes in non-melanogaster Drosophila species

Perhaps the most valuable single set of resources for genetic studies of Drosophila melanogaster is the collection of multiply inverted chromosomes commonly known as balancer chromosomes. Balancers prevent the recovery of recombination exchange products within genomic regions included in inversions and allow perpetual maintenance of deleterious alleles in living stocks and the execution of complex genetic crosses. Balancer chromosomes have been generated traditionally by exposing animals to ionizing radiation and screening for altered chromosome structure or for unusual marker segregation patterns. These approaches are tedious and unpredictable, and have failed to produce the desired products in some species. Here, I describe transgenic tools that allow targeted chromosome rearrangements in Drosophila species. The key new resources are engineered reporter genes containing introns with yeast recombination sites and enhancers that drive fluorescent reporter genes in multiple body regions. These tools were used to generate a doubly inverted chromosome 3R in Drosophila simulans that serves as an effective balancer chromosome.