title: Chemical and gamma-ray mutagenesis of the white gene in Aedes aegypti.
abstract: A molecular understanding of an insect gene can be facilitated by analysing the phenotypes of mutants for that gene. Protocols were developed for both chemical and gamma-ray mutagenesis in Aedes aegypti using the white (w) gene as an assay. Wild-type adult males were subjected to varying doses of either ethyl methanesulphonate (0. 1%, 0.5% or 1%) or gamma rays (1500 R or 3000 R), mated to females homozygous for the recessive w mutation, and progeny screened for the w phenotype, indicating non-complementation. The expression of newly induced w alleles was either complete or mosaic. Gamma-ray mutagenesis resulted in high (1.65 or 6.39%, depending on dose) induction of mutant alleles for the w gene, but not for a different gene, red-eye (0.15%). Gamma-ray-induced w alleles did not revert at a reasonable frequency following additional irradiation, suggesting that the high rate of gamma-ray-induced w mutagenesis is not due to a transposon insertion event.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Microbiology and Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA.
authors.forename: M D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Wendell
authors.forename: T G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Higgs
authors.forename: W C
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Black
mesh_terms: D000330:Aedes / Q000235:genetics*; D000477:Alkylating Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D003433:Crosses, Genetic; D005020:Ethyl Methanesulfonate / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D005720:Gamma Rays; D017344:Genes, Insect; D008297:Male; D016296:Mutagenesis; D009153:Mutagens / Q000494:pharmacology; D010858:Pigmentation / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D000477:Alkylating Agents; D009153:Mutagens; D005020:Ethyl Methanesulfonate