Showing papers in "Genetics in 1977"

Hybrid dysgenesis in drosophila melanogaster: a syndrome of aberrant traits including mutation, sterility and male recombination

Abstract: A syndrome of associated aberrant traits is described in Drosophila melanogaster. Six of these traits, mutation, sterility, male recombination, transmission ratio distortion, chromosomal aberrations and local increases in female recombination, have previously been reported. A seventh trait, nondisjunction, is described for the first time. All of the traits we have examined are found nonreciprocally in F1 hybrids. We present evidence that at least four of the traits are not found in nonhybrids. Therefore we have proposed the name hybrid dysgenesis to describe this syndrome.—A partition of tested strains into two types, designated P and M, was made according to the paternal or maternal contribution required to produce hybrid dysgenesis. This classification seems to hold for crosses of strains from within the United States and Australia, as well as for crosses between strains from the two countries. Strains collected recently from natural populations are typically of the P type and those having a long laboratory history are generally of the M type. However, a group of six strains collected from the wild in the 1960's are unambiguously divided equally between the P and M types. The dichotomy of this latter group raises interesting questions concerning possible implications for speciation.—Temperature often has a critical effect on the manifestation of hybrid dysgenesis. High F1 developmental temperatures tend to increase the expression of sterility, sometimes to extreme levels. Conversely, low developmental temperatures tend to inhibit the expression of some dysgenic traits.—There are potentially important practical implications of hybrid dysgenesis for laboratory experimentation. The results suggest that care should be exercised in planning experiments involving strain crosses.

Proteinase mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Abstract: Fifty-nine mutants with reduced ability to cleave the chymotrypsin substrate N-acetyl-DL-phenylalanine beta-naphthyl ester have been isolated in S. cerevisiae. All have reduced levels of one or more of the three well-characterized proteinases in yeast. All have reduced levels of proteinase C (carboxy-peptidase Y). These mutations define 16 complementation groups.

The Population Biology of Bacterial Plasmids: A PRIORI Conditions for the Existence of Conjugationally Transmitted Factors.

Abstract: A mathematical model for the population dynamics of conjugationally transmitted plasmids in bacterial populations is presented and its properties analyzed. Consideration is given to nonbacteriocinogenic factors that are incapable of incorporation into the chromosome of their host cells, and to bacterial populations maintained in either continuous (chemostat) or discrete (serial transfer) culture. The conditions for the establishment and maintenance of these infectious extrachromosomal elements and equilibrium frequencies of cells carrying them are presented for different values of the biological parameters: population growth functions, conjugational transfer and segregation rate constants. With these parameters in a biologically realistic range, the theory predicts a broad set of physical conditions, resource concentrations and dilution rates, where conjugationally transmitted plasmids can become established and where cells carrying them will maintain high frequencies in bacterial populations. This can occur even when plasmid-bearing cells are much less fit (i.e., have substantially lower growth rates) than cells free of these factors. The implications of these results and the reality and limitations of the model are discussed and the values of its parameters in natural populations speculated upon.

Mutations causing transformation of sexual phenotype in the nematode caenorhabditis elegans

Abstract: Ten mutations are described that transform genotypic hermaphrodites of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans into phenotypic males. These fall into three autosomal complementation groups, termed tra-1, tra-2 , and tra-3. Two alleles of tra-1 produce almost complete transformation, to a fertile male phenotype; such transformed animals are useful for analyzing sex-linked genes. All alleles of tra-1 and tra-2 are recessive; the one known allele of tra-3 is both recessive and maternal in effect. Where tested, both XX and XXX hermaphrodites are transformed into males, but XO males (true males) are unaffected by these mutations. It is suggested that these genes are actually involved in hermaphrodite development and have no role in male development.

Estimation of the number of sex alleles and queen matings from diploid male frequencies in a population of apis mellifera

Abstract: The distribution of diploid males in a population of Apis mellifera was obtained by direct examination of the sexual phenotypes of the larvae. Using these data, estimates are derived for the number of sex alleles and the number of matings undergone by the queen. The number of sex alleles is estimated to be 18.9. The estimate is larger than previous ones, which have ranged between 10 and 12. However, the increase in the number of sex alleles can be explained by the large effective population number for our data. The best estimator of the number of matings by a queen is a maximum likelihood type that assumes a prior distribution on the number of matings. For the data presented here, this estimate is 17.3. This estimate is compared to others in the literature obtained by different approaches.

Adaptation at specific loci. i. natural selection on phosphoglucose isomerase of colias butterflies: biochemical and population aspects

Abstract: Electrophoretic variants of phosphoglucose isomerase (PGI) in Colias butterflies have been studied from field and laboratory viewpoints. The transmission pattern is that of a dimeric enzyme controlled by one structural gene locus. Populations usually harbor four to six allelic mobility classes. These mobility classes are shared among species complexes, though their frequencies differ widely. Preliminary Ferguson plot analysis of the variants has been carried out. Purified preparations of Colias PGI alleles are more effective in standardizing Ferguson plots than heterologous proteins, such as ferritin. Variation of Ferguson plot parameters is not an infallible guide to electrophoretically "cryptic alleles," as one putative case proved to be due to nonallele-specific effects. S, M, and F mobility classes in two Colias semispecies show the same retardation coefficients in Ferguson plots. Adults early in the flight periods of their nonoverlapping generations show genotype frequencies in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, but heterozygote excess develops as the insects age. Simple directional selection and large-scale population mixing are unlikely to be causes of this, although several other selection modes remain possible. Identical-by-descent lines of the four frequent-to-common alleles in C. eurytheme have been set up in culture, and enzyme has been purified from these for study of functional properties. Major differenecs in heat stability and in various kinetic parameters are found among the ten possible genotypes. In some cases, heterosis for kinetic parameters is seen; in other cases, opposing trends in kinetic function and heat stability create potential for net heterosis in function. Possible interpretations of these results in an adaptive metabolic context are discussed, and directions for further work are stated.

Genetic Mapping in SCHIZOSACCHAROMYCES POMBE by Mitotic and Meiotic Analysis and Induced Haploidization

Abstract: The genetic maps of the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe were extended through the use of haploidization (spontaneous or induced by m-fluorophenylalanine), as well as by tetrad, random spore and mitotic analysis. A new diploidization method utilizing a meiosis-deficient mutant and improved haploidization techniques was employed. As a result of these and previous studies, 118 genetic markers have been assigned to 3 linkage groups. Centromere markers for all 3 chromosomes were identified and genetic maps containing a total of 71 genes were constructed. Our experiments indicate that 3 is very likely to be the haploid chromosome number of S. pombe .

The Effect of a Selected Locus on Linked Neutral Loci

Abstract: The effects produced on linked neutral loci as a selected locus evolves towards its equilibrium value are considered. Significant effects on the neutral loci arise if the recombination fraction between the neutral and selected loci is smaller than the order of magnitude of the selective differences at the selected locus. The effect on gene frequencies at the neutral loci, that is, the hitchhiking effect, is determined, as well as the linkage disequilibrium generated by this hitchhiking effect. One of the more important findings is that significant disequilibrium can be generated between two neutral loci by the evolution of a linked selected locus. Consideration is given to the problem of determining how the effect of selection operating in natural populations can be detected, the question of the establishment of inversions in populations, and also to the nonequilibrium properties of populations.

Isolation and characterization of MMS-sensitive mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Abstract: We have isolated mutants sensitive to methyl methanesulfonate (MMS) in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Alleles of rad1, rad4, rad52, rad55 and rad57 were found amoung these mms mutants. Twenty-nine of the mms mutants which complement the existing radiation-sensitive (rad and rev) mutants belong to 22 new complementation groups. Mutants from five complementation groups are sensitive only to MMS. Mutants of 11 complementation groups are sensitive to UV or X rays in addition to MMS, mutants of six complementation groups are sensitive to all three agents. The cross-sensitivities of these mms mutants to UV and X rays are discussed in terms of their possible involvement in DNA repair. Sporulation is reduced or absent in homozygous diploids of mms mutants from nine complementation groups.

Heterosis or neutrality

Abstract: Various statistics have been proposed on an ad hoc basis to test whether alleles at a locus are selectively neutral. By considering population models in which selection operates, this paper shows that the population homozygosity is a powerful test statistic for testing departures from neutrality, in the direction of heterozygote advantage or disadvantage. The sample homozygosity plays a similar role when only sample data are available. Some numerical examples are included, showing the application of the test.—An analysis is made of the effect of heterosis on such quantities as the expected number of alleles in the population or sample, the effective number of alleles, the expected homozygosity, and on the population and sample allele frequency distributions generally.

Regions of stable equilibria for models of differential selection in the two sexes under random mating

Abstract: The equilibrium structure of models of differential selection in the sexes is investigated. It is shown that opposing additive selection leads to stable polymorphic equilibria for only a restricted set of selection intensities, and that for weak selection the selection intensities must be of approximately the same magnitude in the sexes. General models of opposing directional selection, with arbitrary dominance, are investigated by considering simultaneously the stability properties of the trivial equilibria and the curve along which multiple roots appear. Numerical calculations lead us to infer that the average degree of dominance determines the equilibrium characteristics of models of opposing selection. It appears that if the favored alleles are, on the average, recessive, there may be multiple polymorphic equilibria, whereas only a single polymorphic equilibrium can occur when the favored alleles are, on the average, dominant. The principle that the average degree of dominance controls equilibrium behavior is then extended to models allowing directional selection in one sex with overdominance in the other sex, by showing that polymorphism is maintained if and only if the average fitness in heterozygotes exceeds one.

Isolation of spontaneously derived mutants of Caulobacter crescentus.

Abstract: Caulobacter crescentus has a penicillinase which precludes the use of penicillin for mutant enrichment. However, two other antibiotics, fosfomycin and D-cycloserine, can be used to enrich for C. crescentus mutants. In enrichment procedures for C. crescentus auxotrophs, spontaneously derived mutants occur at a frequency of 5–10% among the survivors of an enrichment procedure. Consequently, large numbers of mutants are readily obtained without any need for mutagenesis. These mutants are heterogeneous both with regard to the type of mutation and to the nutritional requirement. A similar procedure has been used to isolate temperature-sensitive mutants.

Developmental genetics of the Drosophila egg. I. Identification of 59 sex-linked cistrons with maternal effects on embryonic development.

Abstract: Sex-linked mutations to recessive female sterility were induced, sorted for egg-laying, mapped within broad regions and grouped by complementation tests into cistrons. The mutations have also been partially characterized for their temperature sensitivity and pleiotropic effects. Altogether 59 cistrons have been identified, including five allelic with previously known loci: cin, fs(1)N, mk, sn, and r. All of the genes make maternal contributions to developing embryos. In some instances mutant defects are recognized in the egg envelopes; in the remainder the defects are presumably in the egg cytoplasm. For mutations in twenty-two genes, including cin, mk, and r alleles, the lethality of the maternal effect is reversed and the embryo is "rescued" by the action of a wild-type, paternal allele. The mutant strains are potentially important for the study of developing egg envelopes and for furthering the analysis of causation in embryogenesis and its origins in oogenesis.

Statistical studies on protein polymorphism in natural populations i. distribution of single locus heterozygosity

Abstract: Surveying the literature, the frequency distribution of single-locus heterozygosity among protein loci was examined in 95 vertebrate and 34 invertebrate species with the aim of testing the validity of the mutation-drift hypothesis. This distribution did not differ significantly from that expected under the mutation-drift hypothesis for any of the species examined when tested by the Kolmogorov-Smirnov goodness-of-fit statistic. The agreement between the observed interlocus variance of heterozygosity and its theoretical expectation was also satisfactory. There was an indication that variation in the mutation rate among loci inflates the interlocus variance of heterozygosity. The variance of heterozygosity for a homologous locus among different species was also studied. This variance generally agreed with the theoretical value very well, though in some groups of Drosophila species there was a significant discrepancy. The observed relationship between average heterozygosity and the proportion of polymorphic loci was in good agreement with the theoretical relationship. It was concluded that, with respect to the pattern of distribution of heterozygosity, the majority of data on protein polymorphisms are consistent with the mutation-drift hypothesis. After examining alternative possible explanations involving selection, it was concluded that the present data cannot be explained adequately without considering a large effect of random genetic drift, whether there is selection or not.

Distribution of nucleotide differences between two randomly chosen cistrons in a finite population

Abstract: Watterson's (1975) formula for the steady-state distribution of the number of nucleotide differences between two randomly chosen cistrons in a finite population has been extended to transient states. The rate for the mean of this distribution to approach its equilibrium value is 1/2N and independent of mutation rate, but that for the variance is dependent on mutation rate, where N denotes the effective population size. Numerical computations show that if the heterozygosity (i.e., the probability that two cistrons are different) is low, say of the order of 0.1 or less, the probability that two cistrons differ at two or more nucleotide sites is less than 10 percent of the heterozygosity, whereas this probability may be as high as 50 percent of the heterozygosity if the heterozygosity is 0.5. A simple estimate for the mean number (-d) of site differences between cistrons is d = h/(1 - h) where h is the heterozygosity. At equilibrium, the probability that two cistrons differ by more than one site is equal to h2, the square of heterozygosity.

Phylogenies constrained by the crossover process as illustrated by human hemoglobins and a thirteen-cycle, eleven-amino-acid repeat in human apolipoprotein a-i

Abstract: Examination of human apolipoprotein A-I revealed a segment of eleven amino acids that repeated itself 13 times in succession without any additional intervening amino acids between the beginning of the repeats (amino acid 93) and their end at the carboxyl terminus of the sequence. The segments are not identical, but the pattern of their physical and chemical properties is highly conserved. The pattern is shown to be suitable to the formation of alpha helices with an amphipathic character consistent with the formation of a micellar structure, a process entirely appropriate to the protein's known function in the blood stream as a lipid carrier. The simplest hypothesis to account for repeated segments is a series of unequal crossovers. But such a series implies that some segments are more closely related to each other than they are to others, that is, they have a "phylogenetic" relationship. It is shown that only a small fraction of all possible phylogenies are consistent with a set of segments arising by simple unequal crossing over. Nevertheless, it is shown that the apolipoprotein A-I segments are readily interpretable as the result of simple unequal crossing over. Moreover, the crossover constraint applies with as much force to segments larger than a gene as to segments within a gene, and this is shown to require that the human gamma ( Gly ) hemoglobin gene lie to the left, rather than to the right, of the other non-alpha human hemoglobin genes, a conclusion for which there is no direct genetic evidence currently available.

Spontaneous and ethyl methanesulfonate-induced mutations controlling viability in drosophila melanogaster. iii. heterozygous effect of polygenic mutations

Abstract: Spontaneous and EMS-induced mutations were accumulated for several generations on the second chromosome of Drosophila melanogaster by keeping this chromosome heterozygous under conditions of minimal natural selection. This article reports studies of heterozygous effects of these mutants.—Both lethal and mildly deleterious mutants have a deleterious heterozygous effect. There was no discernible difference between heterozygotes in which all the mutants were on one chromosome and those where the mutants were distributed over both homologs; thus the coupling-repulsion effect of Mukai and Yamazaki (1964, 1968) is not confirmed. The spontaneous polygenic mutants have a dominance of 0.4 to 0.5, and the same value is found at very low EMS doses. However, the value at higher EMS doses is only about half as high. Since the low doses have a large fraction of spontaneous mutants, the dominance of EMS mutants is less, in the range 0.1 to 0.3, but still larger than for lethals.

Inversion Clines in Populations of DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER

Abstract: Twenty different natural populations of Drosophila melanogaster were sampled to determine the frequencies of inversions. Based on their frequencies and geographical distributions, the inversions could be classified as follows: (1) Common cosmopolitan inversions that are present in many populations in frequencies exceeding five percent and that may exhibit frequency clines over large geographical regions; (2) Rare cosmopolitan inversions that occur throughout the species range but usually at frequencies below five percent and that may be absent in many populations; (3) Recurrent endemic inversions that are found in several adjacent populations in frequencies usually not exceeding one or two percent; and (4) Unique endemic inversions that are found only among the progeny of a single individual and that may represent one aspect of the syndrome termed "hybrid dysgenesis". Four common cosmopolitan inversions that exhibit highly significant clines in populations in the eastern United States are In(2L)t, In(2R)NS, In(3L)P and In(3R)P.

The influence of the mating system on the maintenance of genetic variability in polygenic characters

Abstract: The traditional models of the effect of assortative mating and inbreeding on the genetic variance of polygenic characters (Fisher 1918; Wright 1921) presume that there is no natural selection or mutation. In a large population, the genetic variance determined by additive genes may then increase by up to a factor of two with local inbreeding, and even more with assortative mating. The classical models are still used to interpret data from natural populations. But contrary to their assumptions, most metrical characters in natural populations are usually thought to be under a type of selection which depletes polygenic variation. Mutation is then necessary to maintain genetic variation. The present models show that with the additional features of mutation and selection, in a large population, the mating system has no influence on the amount of genetic variability maintained by additive genes.

Generalized Transduction in CAULOBACTER CRESCENTUS

Abstract: Two closely related bacteriophage, varphiCr30 and varphiCr35, are the first bacteriophage shown to mediate generalized transduction in Caulobacter crescentus. Unlike most other transducing phage, they are virulent and do not form any sort of lysogenic relationship with their host. However, they are rather inefficient at adsorption, so that transductants have a good chance of survival. The phage particles have a head 80 nm in diameter and a contractile tail 140 nm in length. Procedures for growth and transduction with varphiCr30 are relatively simple; thus, it will be of great value for the genetic analysis of C. crescentus.

The population genetics of sperm displacement.

Abstract: This article reports the results of some sperm displacement experiments, as well as the results of a theoretical study of selection arising from genetic differences in displacing ability. The experimental work involved the use of three genetic marker stocks in double and triple matings. The speed of displacement following the matings was determined by scoring the progeny of each female daily. There were clear differences between strains in their displacing ability. It is shown how new information concerning the displacement process results when three markers are used; however, no new light is shed by these experiments on the mechanism of displacement. The theoretical study of selection resulting from displacement uses a one-locus, two-allele model in which three diploid male genotypes confer different displacing abilities. The results indicate stable equilibria if (1) there is heterosis, and (2) there are certain nontransitive relationships in displacing ability among the different kinds of double matings. Some evolutionary consequences are discussed in which sperm displacement is regarded as a form of sexual selection.

On the components of segregation distortion in Drosophila melanogaster.

Abstract: The segregation distorter (SD) complex is a naturally occurring meiotic drive system with the property that males heterozygous for an SD-bearing chromosome 2 and an SD(+)-bearing homolog transmit the SD-bearing chromosome almost exclusively. This distorted segregation is the consequence of an induced dysfunction of those sperm that receive the SD(+) homolog. From previous studies, two loci have been implicated in this phenomenon: the Sd locus which is required to produce distortion, and the Responder (Rsp) locus that is the site at which Sd acts. There are two allelic alternatives of Rsp-sensitive (Rsp(sens)) and insensitive (Rsp(ins)); a chromosome carrying Rsp(ins) is not distorted by SD. In the present study, the function and location of each of these elements was examined by a genetic and cytological characterization of X-ray-induced mutations at each locus. The results indicate the following: (1) the Rsp locus is located in the proximal heterochromatin of 2R; (2) a deletion for the Rsp locus renders a chromosome insensitive to distortion; (3) the Sd locus is located to the left of pr (2-54.5), in the region from 37D2-D7 to 38A6-B2 of the salivary chromosome map; (4) an SD chromosome deleted for Sd loses its ability to distort; (5) there is another important component of the SD system, E(SD), in or near the proximal heterochromatin of 2L, that behaves as a strong enhancer of distortion. The results of these studies allow a reinterpretation of results from earlier analyses of the SD system and serve to limit the possible mechanisms to account for segregation distortion.

Nucleolus organizers in Mus musculus subspecies and in the RAG mouse cell line.

Abstract: Silver staining has been used to detect active nucleolus organizer regions (NOR's). By this criterion six mouse chromosomes, numbers 12, 15, 16, 17, 18 and 19, can have an NOR. The number and distribution of chromosomes with NOR's vary among inbred strains of Mus musculus musculus (C57BL/6J, BALB/cJ, C3H/HeJ and C3H/StCpr1BR) and in M. musculus molossinus. In a musculus X molassinus F1 hybrid, nucleolus organizers from each parent are silver stained.--Chromosomes which have NOR's in diploid cells also show them in tetraploid cells and in established cell lines. The BALB/cJ strain shows Ag-staining of NOR's on chromosomes 12, 15, 18 and occasionally 16. In the RAG cell line, which was derived from BALB/c, active NOR's are seen on 12, 15 and 18, even after these chromosomes have undergone structural rearrangements in the cell line. Some correlation exists between the amount of Ag-stain and the size of a secondary construction region, with a large amount of Ag-stain present on a chromosome which has a prominent secondary constriction. There is no correlation between the amount of Ag-stain and the presence or absence of C-band material.

Electrophoretic variation for x-chromosome-linked phosphoglycerate kinase (pgk-1) in the mouse

Abstract: Electrophoretic variation for X-chromosome-linked phosphoglycerate kinase (PGK-1) has been found as a polymorphism in feral mice in Denmark. Males from feral sampling or from a variety of genetic crosses have only a single-banded phenotype of the variant PGK-1A type or of the PGK-1B type commonly found among inbred mice. By contrast, three phenotypes were observed among females; two homozygous single-banded types and a heterozygous double-banded type. The X-chromosome linkage of the Pgk-1 locus was determined from the mode of inheritance in F1 and backcross generations and confirmed by the linkage of Pgk-1 and the X-linked markers Hq, Ta and Mo. Pgk-1 showed 29/122 recombinations with Hq, 5/185 with Ta and 0/108 recombinants with Mo. Based on these recombination data, a gene order of Hq—Ta—Pgk-1—Mo is suggested.

Analysis of the role of recombination and repair in mutagenesis of escherichia coli by uv irradiation

Abstract: Multiple mutant strains have been tested for their mimicry of the UV-mutagenesis deficiency of a recA single mutant. Revertants to histidine prototrophy and clear plaque mutants of lambda were scored to determine capacity for UV-mutagenesis. Nearly normal capacity was shown by a uvr+ recB- recF - strain, which shows almost no recA-dependent recombination, by uvr- recB+ recF - strains, which show almost no recA-dependent repair and by a uvrA- recB- recF- strain, which shows neither recA-dependent recombination nor repair. Since the uvr mutants can be assumed to show additionally no excision repair, these results may mean that UV-mutagenesis occurs during processes other than recombination and repair. Alternative hypotheses are discussed. The slight difference in mutagenic capacity was traced to the recF single mutation, which blocks the production of unmixed bursts of clear-plaque lambda mutants. Since this accounts for only about 10% of the mutations leading to clear-plaque mutants, it is suggested that there is more than one UV-mutagenic process.

Recombination pathway specificity of chi

Abstract: Chi in phage λ is a genetic element increasing the rate of recombination in its vicinity. Chi activity requires the wild-type functions of both the recA and the recB genes of E. coli. In terms of the pathway concept for recombination, Chi is active in the RecBC pathway and inactive in the Red, RecE, and RecF pathways.

Genetics of yeast hexokinase

Abstract: Two independent isolates of Saccharomyces cerevisiae lacking hexokinase activity (EC 2.7.1.1) are described. Both mutant strains grow on glucose but are unable to grow on fructose, and contain two mutant genes hxk1 and hxk2 each. The mutations are recessive and noncomplementing. Genetic analysis suggests that these two unlinked genes hxk1 and hxk2 determine, independently of each other, the synthesis of hexokinase isozymes P1 and P2, respectively. hxk1 is located on chromosome VIR distal to met10, and hxk2 is on chromosome IIIR distal to MAL2. Of four hexokinase-positive spontaneous reversions, one is very tightly linked to hxk1 and the other three to the hxk2 locus. The reverted enzymes are considerably more thermolabile than the respective wild-type enzymes, and in one case show altered immunological properties. Data are presented which suggest that the hxk1 and hxk2 mutations are missense mutations in the structural genes of hexokinase P1 and hexokinase P2, respectively. These are presumably the only enzymes that allow S. cerevisiae to grow on fructose.

Evidence for duplication and divergence of the structural gene for phosphoglucoisomerase in diploid species of clarkia.

Abstract: Formal genetic analysis of the mode of inheritance of the electrophoretic phenotypes for phosphoglucoisomerase (PGI) in the annual plants Clarkia rubicunda and C. xantiana showed that these diploid species have two and three genes, respectively, that specify PGI subunits. Electrophoretic examination of seven other diploid species of Clarkia revealed that species assigned to ancestral sections in the current taxonomy have two PGI genes, whereas more specialized species have three PGI genes. Together with evidence that diploid species in two closely related genera have two PGI genes, this suggests the third PGI gene arose within Clarkia. Intergenic heterodimers are formed between polypeptides specified by the third gene and one of the other PGI genes, indicating they have a high degree of structural similarity. The combined genetic, biochemical, and phylogenetic evidence suggests that the third PGI gene resulted from a process of gene duplication. The apparent Michaelis constants (F6P to G6P) of the most common electrophoretic variants of the ancestral gene in C. xantiana and in C. rubicunda are closely similar, but that of the duplicate enzyme is much higher. The intergenic heteromer has an intermediate value. Four alleles have been identified for the duplicate PGI gene in C. xantiana, including a null allele which eliminates the activity of its product. This allele is one of the few examples of a "silenced" duplicate gene. The ancestral and duplicate genes assort independently in C. xantiana. In conjunction with the substantial chromosomal rearrangements that characterize species of Clarkia, this may mean that the duplicate PGI marks a duplicated chromosomal segment that originated from a cross between partially overlapping reciprocal translocations rather than from unequal crossing over.

Interconversion of Yeast Mating Types III. Action of the Homothallism (HO) Gene in Cells Homozygous for the Mating Type Locus

Abstract: Mating type interconversion in homothallic Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been studied in diploids homozygous for the mating type locus produced by sporulation of a/a/a/alpha and a/a/alpha/alpha tetraploid strains. Mating type switches have been analyzed by techniques including direct observation of cells for changes in alpha-factor sensitivity. Another method of following mating type switching exploits the observation that a/alpha cells exhibit polar budding and a/a and alpha/alpha cells exhibit medial budding.-These studies indicate the following: (1) The allele conferring the homothallic life cycle (HO) is dominant to the allele conferring the heterothallic life cycle (ho). (2) The action of the HO gene is controlled by the mating type locus-active in a/a and alpha/alpha cells but not in a/alpha cells. (3) The HO (or HO-controlled) gene product can act independently on two mating type alleles located on separate chromosomes in the same nucleus. (4) A switch in mating type is observed in pairs of cells, each of which has the same change.

Chromosomal analysis of ddt-resistance in a long-term selected population of drosophila melanogaster

Abstract: The genetic basis of DDT-resistance was studied in a population of Drosophila melanogaster. This population was unique in that it had been continually selected for DDT-resistance since 1952 and had achieved a very high level of resistance. The genetic basis of resistance was studied by means of a chromosomal analysis. Fifteen combinations of resistant and control chromosomes were tested using a time-based DDT test. The analysis of the data showed that resistance was multifactorial with each of the three major chromosomes involved. Dominant and recessive second and third chromosome effects were found to be much more important than those of the first chromosome, which had no detectable recessive effects. Second and third chromosome resistance genes showed incomplete dominance. The average dominance of the second chromosome was much less than that of the third chromosome. These large-scale differences between chromosomes' effects and average dominance may indicate that a small number of resistance genes are involved. Two significant interactions between chromosomes were found. Scaling difficulties make the interactions difficult to interpret without further data. It seems possible that positive interactions between resistance have been developed by the long-term directional selection in this population.