Spontaneous Allozyme Mutations in DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER: Rate of Occurrence and Nature of the Mutants

Genetics. 1980 Apr;94(4):961-8. doi: 10.1093/genetics/94.4.961.

Abstract

After additional generations of accumulation of allozyme mutants, the 1,000 lines of Mukai and Cockerham (1977) were again screened for the same five loci (alpha-Gpdh, cMdh, Adh, Hex-C and alpha-Amy), as well as for two new loci (Got-2 and Dip-A). Based on 3,111,598 allele generations: (1) the average mutation rate to new mobility variants with normal function was estimated to be 1.28 x 10(-6), and (2) the average mutation rate to null alleles was estimated to be 3.86 x 10(-6). A qualitative analysis of the nulls provided evidence that most of the mutants recovered are due to base substitutions. No apparent correlation was observed between structural gene size and mutation rate.