Transposition Pattern of the Maize Element Ac from the Bz-M2(ac) Allele

Abstract

The pattern of transposition of Ac from the mutable allele bz-m2(Ac) has been investigated. Stable (bz-s) and finely spotted (bz-m(F)) exceptions were selected from coarsely spotted bz-m2(Ac) ears. The presence or absence of a transposed Ac (trAc) in the genome was determined and, when present, the location of the trAc was mapped relative to the flanking markers sh and wx. The salient general features of Ac transposition to sites linked to bz are that the receptor sites tend to be clustered on either side of the bz donor site and that transposition is bidirectional and nonpolar. Thus, the symmetrical clustering in the distribution of receptor sites adjacent to bz differs from the asymmetrical clustering reported in 1984 for the P locus by I. M. GREENBLATT. Though Ac tends to transpose preferentially to closely linked sites, an appreciable fraction of Ac transpositions from bz-m2(Ac) is to unlinked sites: 41% among bz-s derivatives and 59% among bz-m(F) derivatives. Many transposition events among the bz-m(F) selections result in kernels carrying a genetically noncorresponding embryo. These can be interpreted as twin sectors arising at one of the megagametophytic mitoses. The bz locus data fit the earlier (1962) model of I. M. GREENBLATT and R. A. BRINK in which transposition takes place from a replicated donor site to either an unreplicated or replicated receptor site.