Site-specific recombination between homologous chromosomes in Drosophila

The ability to mark a cell and its descendants genetically so that the resulting cell clone can be distinguished from neighboring cells facilitates studies in animal biology and development. A method of generating clones by inducing homologous mitotic recombination in Drosophila with a site-specific yeast recombinase is described. This method allows for frequent mosaicism after mitotic exchange is induced at predefined sites in the genome.