Analysis of a non-functional allele of the maize regulatory genepl.

摘要

The structural genes of the maize anthocyanin pathway are regulated by two families of genes, pl/cl and r/b whose expression is tissue specific. A functional protein of both regulatory families must be present for the structural genes to be expressed and a plant to show purple or red anthocyanin pigmentation. Until now, no true null allele of the pl gene has been found; all pl alleles thus far studied show some gene-product activity.;We have characterized a null allele of pl which leads to an unpigmented phenotype. We are calling this 'pl-0'. Through restriction analysis, we have identified a novel restriction site in the pl-0 allele and have correlated this site with the green plant phenotype in 340 F2 progeny from an original cross of Pl/Pl, b/b x pl--0/pl-0 B/B. Genomic restriction mapping indicates that pl-0 is related to a sun-red pl allele and contains an insert near the 3