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Molecular analyses of genetically stable mutants of the maize Adh1 gene

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Summary

10 genetically stable mutants of the alcohol dehydrogenase-1 gene in maize were examined for ADH1-mRNA size and abundance, large changes in genomic restriction fragments, and intragenic recombination levels. Eight of the mutants were induced with ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS), four of which are CRM−; the other two mutants followed treatment with ionizing radiation. In general, EMS and ionizing radiation induce “point” lesions in Adh1 that, with few exceptions, do not alter the abundance or size of ADH1-RNA, or alter the gross genomic restriction map. One EMS mutant produced both normalsized and larger than normal ADH1-mRNA. The larger ADH1-mRNA appears to result from improper termination. Another mutant behaved as expected of an intragenic deletion in recombination tests but we found no abnormalities by restriction site mapping.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Genetics, University of California, 94720, Berkeley, California, USA

    Sarah Hake, William C. Taylor & Michael Freeling

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  1. Sarah Hake
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  2. William C. Taylor
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  3. Michael Freeling
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Communicated by H. Saedler

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Hake, S., Taylor, W.C. & Freeling, M. Molecular analyses of genetically stable mutants of the maize Adh1 gene. Molec. Gen. Genet. 194, 42–48 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00383494

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00383494

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