GENETIC DISSECTION OF CLONALLY INHERITED GENOMES OF POECILIOPSIS: II. INVESTIGATION OF A SILENT CARBOXYLESTERASE ALLELE

Abstract

ABSTRACT According to the ratchet mechanism hypothesis, deleterious mutations should accumulate in clonal genomes of unisexual fish of the genus Poeciliopsis. This study defines one such mutant, a silent carboxylesterase allele (Es-5o) which is found in the heterozygous condition in a particular population of P. monacha-occidentalis. An antiserum to purified Poeciliopsis carboxylesterase cross-reacts with the gene product of the Es-5o allele upon immunoelectrophoresis. This finding of cross-reacting material associated with the Es-5o allele provides a useful marker for the breeding of a carboxylesterase deficient strain.