Worm Breeder's Gazette 8(1): 14

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.

A Strain TN1 that Produces Both Dumpy and Wild-Type Progeny

R. Hosono

A mutation in the dpy-20 gene produces alterations in both head and 
body morphology.  Through the reversion tests with one allele cn142 of 
the gene, we have isolated a TN1 strain that is morphologically wild 
type but have dumpy progeny in addition to wild-type progeny.  The 
dumpy individual produces no wild-type progeny by self-fertilization 
and is genetically identical with the cn142 allele.  By genetic 
analysis, it is concluded that the TN1 strain still retains the 
parental mutation in the dpy-20 gene whose expression is probably 
suppressed by another mutation.  The potential suppressor gene is 
linked to the same LGN as the dpy-20 gene and is probably located 
close to the gene.  The unusual phenotype of TN1 that makes wild-type 
in addition to dumpy progeny, can be explained by the loss of the 
suppressive activity.  Further genetic analysis have been hindered, 
because double mutants constructed between TN1 and various Unc 
mutations on LGN are also tending to be lost by progressing 
generations.  In addition to the aboves, another phenotype is that the 
brood size of the strain is only one-sixth of wild type.  The poor 
brood size recovers to 200 after back-cross with wild type but 
gradually decreases to about 50 with advancing in generations.  
Partial properties of the strain appear in J.  Exp.  Zool.  224 434 (
82).