Leading drosophilists describe in step-by-step detail all the essential techniques for studying Drosophila chromosomes and suggest new avenues for scientific exploration. The chapters emphasize specimen preparation (from dissection to mounting) and cover both polytene and mitotic/meiotic chromosomes in depth. Each fully tested and readily reproducible protocol offers a background introduction, equipment and reagent lists, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding pitfalls. A cutting-edge FISH and immunolocalization technique will be important for discovering how DNA sequence influences higher-order chromosome architecture and ultimately gene expression.

The Chromosomes of Drosophila melanogaster
Daryl S. Henderson

Spermatogenesis: Analysis of Meiosis and Morphogenesis
Helen White-Cooper

Time-Lapse Imaging of Male Meiosis by Phase-Contrast and Fluorescence Microscopy
Elena Rebollo and Cayetano González

Immunocytological Analysis of Oogenesis
Endre Máthé

Cytological Analysis of Oogenesis
Seppo Nokkala and Christina Nokkala

Polytene Chromosomes From Ovarian Nurse Cells of Drosophila melanogaster otu Mutants
Dmitry E. Koryakov, Natalia I. Mal'ceva, Robert C. King, and Igor F. Zhimulev

Feulgen-DNA Cytophotometry for Estimating C Values
Ellen M. Rasch

Fluorescent BrdU Labeling and Nuclear Flow Sorting of the Drosophila Ovary
Brian R. Calvi and Mary A. Lilly

Studying Nuclear Organization in Embryos Using Antibody Tools
Kristen M. Johansen and Jørgen Johansen

Whole-Mount Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization to Chromosomes of Embryos
Daryl S. Henderson

Orcein Staining and the Identification of Polytene Chromosomes
John Tonzetich

Salivary Chromosome Analysis of Aberrations
Adelaide T. C. Carpenter

In Situ Hybridization to Polytene Chromosomes
Robert D. C. Saunders

Combined Immunostaining and FISH Analysis of Polytene Chromosomes
Sergey Lavrov, Jérôme Déjardin, and Giacomo Cavalli

Electron Microscopy of Polytene Chromosomes
Valery F. Semeshin, Elena S. Belyaeva, Victor V. Shloma, and Igor F. Zhimulev

Analysis of Mitosis in Squash Preparations of Larval Brains: Orcein, Giemsa, Hoechst 33258, DAPI, Quinacrine, and N-Banding
Laura Fanti and Sergio Pimpinelli

Analyzing Chromosome Function by High Frequency Formation of Dicentric Chromosomes In Vivo
Kami Ahmad and Kent G. Golic

Analysis of Chromosomes of the Larval CNS by FISH and BrdU Labeling
Amy K.Csink

Immunostaining of Squash Preparations of Chromosomes of Larval Brains
Laura Fanti and Sergio Pimpinelli

Visualizing Mitosis in Whole-Mount Larval Brains
Daryl S. Henderson

Immunostaining of Whole-Mount Imaginal Discs
Brigitte de Saint Phalle

Wing Somatic Mutation and Recombination Test
Heloísa Helena Rodrigues de Andrade, Maria Luíza Reguly, and Mauricio Lehmann

Analysis of Histoblasts
Mekkara Mandaravally Madhavan and Kornath Madhavan

Visualizing Apoptosis
Kimberly McCall, Jason S. Baum, Kristen Cullen, and Jeanne S. Peterson

RNAi in Cultured Drosophila Cells
Ling-Rong Kao and Timothy L. Megraw

Index