Worm Breeder's Gazette 10(2): 80
These abstracts should not be cited in bibliographies. Material contained herein should be treated as personal communication and should be cited as such only with the consent of the author.
In the course of our analysis of LGI lethals balanced by sDp2 ( Howell et al, 1987, Genetical Research 49:207), we found three EMS- induced lethal alleles, h42, h199 and 254, that fail to complement bli- 4(e937)(I). All three appear to block at an early larval stage, probably L1, and result in blisters as heterozygotes with e937. Furthermore, all three lethal alleles fail to complement s90, a lethal allele previously assigned to let-77. However, s90 and e937 fully complement one another. This complex complementation pattern is graphically illustrated below: [See Figure 1] To facilitate the isolation of additional bli-4 alleles, we have isolated a reciprocal translocation, hT2(I;III), that carries the visible allele e937 on the translocated portion of LGI. This translocation was used in a precomplementation screen to isolate a fourth lethal allele, h670, that fails to complement s90. Further screens are in progress. These results indicate that bli-4 is a complex locus that has an essential function during larval development, and a non-essential adult cuticle function represented by e937.