The D rosophila genome(s)

Abstract

Since its introduction as a research tool in the early twentieth century, Drosophila melanogaster has occupied center stage in genetics as an experimentally tractable model for understanding the structure of genomes. It was used to prove the chromosomal theory of heredity (Bridges, ) and to first localize particular genes to cytologically defined regions of the chromosome (Bridges, ). With the virtual completion of the genome sequence, the fly continues to hold sway. We briefly assess the status of the current sequence, describe how other Drosophila sequences are being used to provide an evolutionary perspective to the genome and highlight how the sequence is enabling large‐scale functional analysis of conserved aspects of eukaryotic biology. Finally, we consider how the polytene chromosomes may provide a system to move from the linear DNA sequence to the challenging area of chromatin organization and chromosome structure.