DNA rearrangements of the actin gene cluster in Caenorhabditis elegans accompany reversion of three muscle mutants

Abstract

We present evidence that associates dominant mutations in Caenorhabditis elegans that disrupt muscle structure and motility with a cluster of three actin genes mapped in the same region of linkage group V. We examined spontaneous and mutagen-induced wild-type revertants of these dominant alleles for alterations in the DNA of the actin gene cluster. Four of 73 revertants contain detectable DNA rearrangements within the cluster of actin genes including an insertion, a deletion and gene fusions. We postulate that these rearrangements inactivate or delete at least one gene in the cluster and consequently the original mutations are within the actin gene cluster.