GENETIC ANALYSIS OF THE DUMPY COMPLEX LOCUS IN DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER: COMPLEMENTATION, FINE STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION

Abstract

ABSTRACT An extensive genetic analysis of the dumpy locus is presented. This study includes complementation, fine structure mapping and allelic interaction. A number of complementing recessive lethals of the dp complex have been genetically mapped. Two alleles of the ol(v) type that complement l alleles map to the left portion of the locus. A number of olv alleles that complement both l and lv lethals map within the right portion of the locus.—Fine-structure analysis demonstrated that both olv and o alleles are distributed among various subloci. Evidence for spacer regions between subloci is presented.—An extensive discussion of the data considers whether the locus is unicistronic or multicistronic. The conclusion reached is that the locus is not a single functional cistron. The possibility of a single cistron encoding a multifunctional polypeptide is discussed.—The hypothesis is proposed that the left portion of the map and the l mutations function as regulatory sequences and that the right portion of the map encodes structural sequences.