In the progeny of virus-affected plants showing aberrant ratio, Sprague found several mutant a alleles, some of which showed mutability. In addition to the a-ruq allele previously described (Friedemann and Peterson 1982, Mol. Gen. Genet. 187:19-29) two more, a-m13 and a-m16, displayed mutability. The new mutants, each with a distinctive pattern phenotype as well as a-ruq, arose as separate individual events.

Tests of the relationship of these two alleles (a-m13 and a-m16), both independently controlled, to the En, Ac, Dt, Fcu, and Bg systems-proved negative. Both mutable alleles, however, responded to the Uq regulator element of the standard Uq a-ruq system. In addition, the independent regulator elements of both a-m13 and a-m16 triggered the standard a-ruq allele. These tests demonstrate that both a-m13 and a-m16 belong to the Uq a-ruq controlling element system. It is interesting that each of the three independently isolated a unstables were Uq-responsive.

Andy Pereira and Peter A. Peterson

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