Open AccessInduction of mutations which shorten the adult life span in Drosophila melanogaster
Author(s) -
KOIVISTO KATARIINA,
PORTIN PETTER
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
hereditas
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.819
H-Index - 50
eISSN - 1601-5223
pISSN - 0018-0661
DOI - 10.1111/j.1601-5223.1987.tb00239.x
Subject(s) - drosophila melanogaster , biology , life span , genetics , gene , mutation , chromosome , ageing , melanogaster , evolutionary biology
K oivisto , K. and P ortin , P. 1987. Induction of mutations which shorten the adult life span in Drosophila melanogaster.‐ Hereditas 106: 83–87. Lund, Sweden. ISSN 0018–0661. Received April 10, 1986 Yellow (y, 1 ‐ 0.0) males of Drosophila melanogaster were treated with ethylmethane sulphonate (EMS). The males were crossed with Muller‐5 ( Basc ) females. Of the 252 chromosomes tested 127 (50.4%) contained a lethal mutation, but we were also able to extract 51 homozygous yellow stocks which contained a EMS‐treated X chromosome. 13 of the stocks (25.5 %) contained a mortality mutation ( mor (1 )), i.e., the duration of adult life in these stocks was considerably decreased as indicated by the mean length of life and survival curves. Furthermore, in one stock the adult life span was significantly increased. In each case of the mortality mutations the mean life span and the survival curve were different, indicating different action of the mutations. However, it was possible to group the mortality mutations into three major classes each characterized by similar typical survival curves. The different action of the mortality mutations, however, suggests that they are mutations of different genes. Therefore, and on the basis of the frequency of mortality mutations it is concluded that many genes can mutate to mortality mutations, tentatively suggesting that there are many genes which affect ageing in a non‐specific way.