Summary
In this study eggs and larvae of aDrosophila virilis stock, carrying the unstable genemt-3a, were subjected to chemical treatments, and their progeny examined for germinal mutants of this gene. The chemical treatments consisted in administering CuSO4, or in considerably increasing thepH by means of NaOH or NH4OH in food or injections. Since it is not believed that the chemicals themselves. Altogether, 48,898 unstable genes were tested and 2108 mutants found. The above disturbances resulted in a significantdecrease in mutation rate.
Temperature disturbances in unstable genes were also reported to decrease the mutation rate. On the other hand, in stable genes chemical disturbances were reported to increase the mutation rate.
Onthe basis of what has preceded we may conclude that:
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(1)
Many physical and chemicaldisturbances are able to change the mutation rate. This seems to apply also to genes whose mutability is influenced by other genes.
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(2)
Thedirection of this change depends on whether the gene (mostly as a result of natural or artificial selection) is closer to its maximum or to its minimum possible stability; in the first case (stable wild genes) the change is likely toincrease the mutation rate, in the second (unstable genes) todecrease this rate.
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Zamenhof, S. Studies on induction of mutations by chemicals. Journ. of Genetic 47, 69–75 (1945). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02989040
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02989040