Abstract
The genetic basis of larval locomotor activity inDrosophila melanogaster was studied by comparing four strains that differ significantly in activity levels. The inbred wild-type strain Canton-S had the lowest activity level, while the relatively heterogeneous wild-type OK1 genotype had the highest. Activities could not be explained simply in terms of a difference in catecholamine levels. The analysis of heterozygous whole-chromosome effects suggested that chromosome 2 carried modifiers that increased activity, but an interchromosomal interaction balanced its effect in OK1. A sex-limited interaction countering an X-chromosome effect in Canton-S was also consistent with the conclusion that stabilizing interactions are an important part of the genetic control of this behavioral phenotype.
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This work was supported in part by NIH Grant GM-24809 and NSF Grant BSR-8300025.
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Thompson, J.N., Schnee, F.B. & Seale, T.W. Polygenic analysis of larval locomotor activity inDrosophila melanogaster . Behav Genet 13, 579–589 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01076403
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01076403