Dominant suppressors of a muscle mutant define an essential gene of Caenorhabditis elegans
Greenwald, I.S.; Horvitz, H.R.
Genetics 101(2): 211-225
1982
ISSN/ISBN: 0016-6731 PMID: 7173602 Document Number: 185035
The sup-11 I locus of C. elegans was defined by rare dominant suppressors of unc-93(e1500) III, a mutation that affects muscle structure. All 10 of these dominant suppressors have a recessive "scrawny" phenotype. 2 additional classes of sup-11 alleles were identified. One class, null alleles, was obtained by reversion of the dominant suppressor activity. These null alleles are recessive embryonic lethals, indicating that sup-11 is an essential gene. Members of the second class, rare semidominant revertants of the "scrawny" phenotype, are partial suppressors of unc-93(e1500). The genetic properties of the dominant suppressor mutations suggest that they are rare missense mutations that confer a novel activity to the sup-11 protein. Some of the ways that sup-11 alleles might suppress unc-93(e1500), including the possibilities that the altered sup-11 proteins restore function to a protein complex or are modified products of a gene that is a member of an unc-93 gene family, are considered. [AS].