Differential activity of the maize mutator Mu at different loci and in different cell lineages

Summary

Mutator activity of the maize mutator (Mu) system varies for different loci. Mutation frequencies as high as 7.54x10⁻⁵ and as low as 4.0x10⁻⁶ are observed for 5 loci (i.e., y ₁,yg2, bz1, sh2, and wx). For the waxy locus, a higher mutation frequency is observed in Mu plants crossed as males than when Mu plants function as females. The frequency of unselected mutations also is found to be higher in Mu plants crossed as males than in the first-generation Mu plants crossed as females. The mutation frequency of the y1 locus, however, does not differ in the male or female crosses. Mu-induced mutation frequencies vary with respect to loci and, for some loci, may depend on other factors such as the sex of the Mu parent or the previous crossing history of the Mu parent. More limited data have been obtained for 4 additional loci(su1, c1, c2 and o2).