Unequal crossing-over associated with asymmetrical synapsis between nomadic elements in the Drosophila melanogaster genome.

The molecular structure of reciprocal duplications and deficiencies produced by unequal crossing-over at the white (w) locus of Drosophila melanogaster females heterozygous for the alleles w(a) and w(a4) has been examined. A transposable, copia-like element is found at the rearrangement breakpoints. Further characterization indicates that asymmetrical pairing between two copies of this element, which are at least 60 kilobases apart in the parental chromosomes, followed by a crossover within the paired elements, is responsible for the duplication and deficiencies observed. The frequency of these events is high compared with normal homologous exchange, implying that synaptic pairing during meiosis must be sufficiently flexible as to allow efficient recognition of sequences located in nonidentical positions on homologous chromosomes. These results suggest a possible mechanism for the generation of tandem duplications in eukaryotic organisms.