THE GENETIC CONTROL OF MUTABILITY IN MAIZE
This extract was created in the absence of an abstract.
Excerpt
Genes with a high spontaneous mutation rate are called “unstable” or mutable genes. Some investigators, notably Correns and Goldschmidt, hold that these highly mutable genes are sick or diseased—in other words their high mutability arises from some intrinsic and presumably fundamental difference not shared with more stable loci. Goldschmidt believes that any conclusions reached concerning the phenomenon of mutation from a study of unstable loci are not applicable to an understanding of the mutation process in general but apply only to the unstable loci. Inasmuch as mutable loci offer one of the most favorable objects for the study of mutation it is essential that this supposed difference between stable and unstable genes be subjected to careful scrutiny. The purpose of this paper is to present previously published data bearing on this question as well as some unpublished data recently obtained.
The spontaneous mutation rate of various genes in maize differs...
