title: The spontaneous mutation rate in Drosophila simulans.
abstract: The purpose of this investigation was to determine whether there exists a correlation in Drosophila between the spontaneous mutation rate and the amount of dispersed middle repetitive (mobile) DNA sequences. The amount of these sequences is 7 times less in Drosophila simulans as compared to Drosophila melanogaster. Therefore, if a correlation exists, the spontaneous mutation rate in Drosophila simulans should be 7 times lower than that in Drosophila melanogaster. We isolated an X-chromosome inversion after X-irradiation of wild-type Drosophila simulans males, that reduced crossing-over between white and forked, two X-linked visible markers, to less than 1%. This inversion was subsequently used to determine the sex-linked recessive lethal mutation rate in Drosophila simulans males of a laboratory strain marked with white. The frequency of these lethal mutations found is not different from that observed in Drosophila melanogaster males of laboratory strains.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Genetics and Chemical Mutagenesis, State University of Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Eeken
authors.forename: A W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: de Jong
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Green
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D007446:Chromosome Inversion; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D004330:Drosophila / Q000235:genetics*; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000235:genetics; D005804:Genes, Lethal; D008040:Genetic Linkage; D005819:Genetic Markers; D009154:Mutation; D012091:Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid; D013045:Species Specificity; D014960:X Chromosome
chemical_list: D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D005819:Genetic Markers