Welcome to the new version of CaltechAUTHORS. Login is currently restricted to library staff. If you notice any issues, please email coda@library.caltech.edu
Published November 1, 1952 | public
Journal Article Open

The pseudoallelism of white and apricot in Drosophila melanogaster

Lewis, E. B.

Abstract

The classical example of multiple allelism is the series of eye-color mutants at the white (w) locus in Drosophila melanogaster. The altemative interpretation of this series, namely, that it is made up of "pseudoalleles," or closely linked genes with similar effects, has usually been considered ruled out by two kinds of evidence. In the first place early attempts to resolve the series by crossing over failed in spite of numerous tests involving most of the mutants available at the time.(1-4) Secondly, a heterozygote for two different mutant genes of the series does not have the phenotype expected for non-allelic genes, namely, wild-type (or red) eye color, but instead has a mutant eye color which is usually intermediate between the colors of the two respective homozygotes. In recent years, however, several cases have been found in which non-allelic genes give a positive phenotypic test for allelism by virtue of a position effect.(5-7) In such cases, which have been termed "position pseudoalleles,"(7) mutant genes at the different loci (say, a and b) give a mutant phenotype in the a +/+ b heterozygote, but a wild-type, or more nearly wild-type, phenotype in the a b/+ + heterozygote.

Additional Information

Copyright © 1952 by the National Academy of Sciences. Communicated by A. H. Sturtevant, September 26, 1952. This study was aided by a contract with the Atomic Energy Commission operating through the Office of Naval Research, Department of the Navy, and the California Institute of Technology (NR 164010).

Files

LEWpnas52.pdf
Files (1.0 MB)
Name Size Download all
md5:e20976eac9a68065c46a0aaef9a1a237
1.0 MB Preview Download

Additional details

Created:
August 21, 2023
Modified:
October 13, 2023