Summary
Germinal mutations in the unstable genemt-3a ofDrosophila virilis are found to be very suitable for the study of many factors influencing mutability; high mutability rate makes it possible to secure significant results in a sample hundreds of times smaller than would be necessary with any method known for stable genes.
The influence of age and sex on mutability rate was the object of this study. Altogether, 74,259 unstable genes were examined and 3649 mutants found. The germinal mutability of the genemt-3a was found to be independent of age of parents. The mutability in males was found to be significantly (1-62 times) higher than in females. The findings of Demerec and of Auerbach on the influence of sex on mutability are thus corroborated.
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Zamenhof, S. Studies on factors influencing mutability experiments with unstable genes. Journ. of Genetic 47, 64–68 (1945). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02989039
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02989039