Gene amplification in Rhynchosciara salivary gland chromosomes

Late in the fourth larval instar, several regions of the Rhynchosciara americana salivary gland chromosomes undergo ``DNA puffing.'' We have constructed a library of cloned cDNAs synthesized from poly(A)+RNA isolated from salivary glands during the period of development when the DNA puffs are active. From this library we have studied clones representative of three genes active during this period but not active at earlier developmental periods of the gland. One of these genes is not amplified during the developmental process and encodes a 0.6-kilobase RNA molecule. The other two genes are located within the DNA-puff sites C3 and C8 and encode 1.25-kilobase and 1.95-kilobase RNA molecules, respectively. We estimate from the quantitation of transfer hybridization experiments that each of these genes undergoes 16-fold amplification during DNA puffing.