Skip to main content
Log in

Genetic regulation of somatic mutability of two Mu-induced a1 mutants of maize

  • Published:
Theoretical and Applied Genetics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Summary

Previous studies of stocks of two Mutator-induced mutable a1 alleles (a1-Mum2 and al-Mum3) gave results consistent with the presence of one or more autonomous elements regulating the expression of mutability. This article reports on the results of studies designed to map these autonomous elements by using a series of waxy marked translocations. Linkage of waxy with autonomous elements was found for a1-Mum2 by using the translocations wx T2-9d, wx T4-9e and wx T4-9b. Several different linkage values were found in crosses involving wx T2-9d, suggesting that autonomous elements have transposed to different locations on chromosome 2. Linkage of autonomous elements with waxy was found for a1-Mum3 using translocation wx T2-9d. Again, several different linkage values were found. Some of these values were the same as those observed for a1-Mum2, but some were unique. In some crosses, the number of autonomous elements increased by one or two unlinked elements in addition to the linked element in one generation (i. e. the generation of the cross to the translocation series). Such an increase in number is probably the result of transposition of the original autonomous element to an independent locus while retaining the autonomous element at the original locus. Reduction in the number of autonomous elements is probably the result of the independent assortment in crosses of plants with two or more autonomous elements.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Alleman M, Freeling M (1986) The Mu transposable elements of maize: Evidence for transposition and copy number regulation during development. Genetics 112:107–119.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barker RF, Thompson DV, Talbot DR, Swanson J (1984) Nucleotide sequence of the maize transposable element Mu1. Nucleic Acids Res 12:5955–5967

    Google Scholar 

  • Bennetzen JL (1984) Transposable element Mu1 is found in multiple copies only in Robertson's Mutator maize lines. J Mol Appl Genet 2:519–524

    Google Scholar 

  • Bennetzen JL (1985) The regulation of Mutator function and Mu1 transposition. UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) Symp Mol Cell Biol New Ser 35:343–353

    Google Scholar 

  • Bennetzen JL (1987) Covalent DNA modification and the regulation of Mutator element transposition in maize. Mol Gen Genet 208:45–51

    Google Scholar 

  • Bennetzen JL, Brown WE, Springer PS (1988) The state of DNA modification within and flanking maize transposable elements. In: Nelson O (ed) Plant transposable elements. Plenum Publ, New York London, pp 237–250

    Google Scholar 

  • Chandler VL, Walbot V (1986) DNA modification of a maize transposable element correlates with loss of activity. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 83:1767–1771

    Google Scholar 

  • Chandler VL, Rivin C, Walbout V (1986) Stable non-Mutator stocks of maize have sequences homologous to the Mu1 transposable element. Genetics 114:1007–1021

    Google Scholar 

  • Chandler VL, Talbert LE, Mann L, Faber C (1988) Structure and DNA modification of endogenous Mu elements. In: Nelson O (ed) Plant transposable elements. Plenum Publ, New York London, pp 339–350

    Google Scholar 

  • Chomet P, Lisch D, Hardeman KJ, Chandler VL, Freeling M (1991) Identification of a regulatory transposon that controls the Mutator transposable element system in maize. Genetics 129:261–270

    Google Scholar 

  • Fleenor D, Spell M, Robertson D, Wessler S (1990) Nucleotide sequence of the maize Mutator element, Mu8. Nucleic Acids Res 18:6725

    Google Scholar 

  • Kempthorne O (1969) An introduction to genetic statistics. Iowa State University Press, Ames, Iowa pp 153 -154

    Google Scholar 

  • Longely AE (1961) Breakage points for four corn translocation series ad other chromosome aberrations. Agric Res Ser 34 16:1–29

    Google Scholar 

  • Oishi K, Freeling M (1987) A new Mu element from Robertson's Mutator line. In: Nelson O (ed) Plant transposable elements. Plenum Publ, New York London, pp 289–291

    Google Scholar 

  • Phillips RL (1969) Recombination in Zea mays L. I. Location of genes and interchanges in chromosomes 5, 6 and 7. Genetics 61:107–116

    Google Scholar 

  • Qin M, Ellingboe AH (1990) A transcript identified by MuA of maize is associated with Mutator activity. Mol Gen Genet 224:357–363

    Google Scholar 

  • Qin M, Robertson DS, Ellingboe AH (1991) Cloning of the Mutator transposable element MuA2; a putative regulator of somatic mutability of the a1-Mum2 allele in maize. Genetics 129:845–854

    Google Scholar 

  • Robertson DS (1978) Characterization of a Mutator system in maize. Mutat Res 51:21–28

    Google Scholar 

  • Robertson DS, Stinard PS (1989) Genetic analyses of putative two-element systems regulating somatic mutability in Mutator-induced aleurone mutants of maize. Dev Genet 10:482–506

    Google Scholar 

  • Robertson DS, Morris DW, Stinard PS, Roth BA (1988) Germ line and somatic Mutator activity; Are they functionally related? In: Nelson O (ed) Plant transposable elements. Plenum Publ, New York London, pp 17–42

    Google Scholar 

  • Scheffler BE, Peterson PA (1990) Somatic Mutator activity expression is dependent of the strength of Cy transactive signals in maize. Theor Appl Genet 79:449–456

    Google Scholar 

  • Schnable PS, Peterson PA (1989) Genetic evidence of a relationship between two maize transposable element systems: Cy and Mutator. Mol Gen Genet 215:317–321

    Google Scholar 

  • Schnable PS, Peterson PA, Saedler H (1989) The bz-rcy allele of the Cy transposable element system of Zea mays contains a Mu-like element insertion. Mol Gen Genet 217:459–463

    Google Scholar 

  • Talbert LE, Chandler VL (1988) Characterization of a highly conserved sequence related to Mutator transposable elements in maize. Mol Biol Evol 5:519–529

    Google Scholar 

  • Talbert LE, Patterson GI, Chandler VL (1989) Mu transposable elements are structurally diverse and distributed throughout the genus Zea. J Mol Evol 29:28–39

    Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, LP, Walbot V (1987) Isolation and characterization of a 1.7-kb transposable element from a mutator line of maize. Genetics 117:297–307

    Google Scholar 

  • Varagona M, Fleenor D, Wessler SR (1987) Unique DS and Mu elements inserted in exons of the Waxy gene. In: Nelson O (ed) Plant transposable elements. Plenum Publ, New York London, p 381

    Google Scholar 

  • Walbot V, Chandler V, Taylor L (1985) Alterations in the Mutator transposable element family of Zea mays. UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) Symp Mol Cell Biol New Ser 35:333–347

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Additional information

Communicated by P. L. Pfahler

Journal Paper No. J-14569 of The Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station, Ames, Iowa Project No 2870

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Robertson, D.S., Stinard, P.S. Genetic regulation of somatic mutability of two Mu-induced a1 mutants of maize. Theoret. Appl. Genetics 84, 225–236 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00224004

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00224004

Key words

Navigation