Genetics of Mobile Elements in Maize

玉米中移动的元素的研究已经取得了相当大的进展 在过去几年里， 几个元素的克隆， 基因. 这一进展是以下各方共同努力的结果： 分子生物学家与遗传学家密切合作。 早期 结果阐明了一般结构的 元素，它们的组成部分，以及它们的遗传效应。 这项工作已经产生了模型的发展，以解释 这些元素的作用诱导基因组的变化， 以及个体基因。 该项目旨在 (a)在En系统中通过分离控制 En元素的几个特定功能，（B）追求 在C1，C2，A1，A2， Bz、P和Wx基因座，以便分离用于 （c）进一步开展分子研究， Cy和Uq系统，（d）分析玉米育种群体， 移动的元素的分布，以及（e）陷阱主控器 用于标记基因的克隆基因座上的元件。 现代遗传学最重要的发展之一是 是发现染色体没有固定的、静态的 结构，而是基因可以从一个地方移动到另一个地方， 放在染色体上。 基因的流动性首先是 芭芭拉·麦克林托克在20世纪50年代在玉米中证明了这一点， 不久之后，彼得森博士独立完成了这项研究。 开始 在20世纪70年代，大量的研究人员开始 发现移动的基因在自然界中非常普遍;我们 现在知道它们存在于几乎所有的生物物种中 有机体 从1970年代末开始， 研究人员开始在分子水平上研究 基因移动的机制。 彼得森医生有一个非常 与海因茨萨德勒博士（科隆， 它为许多重要的贡献， 我们对这些机制的理解。 该奖项将允许 彼得森博士继续这项合作。 的移动性 基因对人类的生活有着极其重要的影响， 个体生物，以及进化史 的人口。 超越其内在的科学性 重要的是，移动的遗传因素已经形成了骨干 许多对生物技术至关重要的方法。

Studies of mobile elements in maize have made considerable progress in the past few years with the isolation and cloning of several elements and subsequent cloning of a number of genes. This progress is a result of the combined efforts of molecular biologists working closely with geneticists. Early results have elucidated the general structure of the elements, their component parts, and their genetic effects. This work has generated the development of models to explain the role of these elements inducing changes in the genome as well as in individual genes. This project is designed to (a) analyze in En system by isolating mutants controlling the several specific functions of the En element, (b) pursue the genetic analysis of mutable alleles at the C1, C2, A1, A2, Bz, P, and Wx loci in order to isolate mutant derivatives for additional molecular studies, (c) further the studies of the Cy and Uq systems, (d) analyze corn breeding populations for the distribution of mobile elements, and (e) trap master elements at cloned loci for their use in tagging genes. One of the most important developments in modern genetics has been the discovery that chromosomes do not have fixed, static structures, but rather that genes can move from place to place on the chromosomes. The mobility of genes was first demonstrated in corn by Barbara McClintock in the 1950s, and independently by Dr. Peterson not long afterwards. Beginning in the 1970s a large number of investigators began to discover that mobile genes are very widespread in nature; we now know that they are found in almost all species of living organism. Beginning in the late 1970s a number of investigators began to study at the molecular level the mechanisms by which genes move. Dr. Peterson has had a very productive collaboration with Dr. Heinz Saedler (Cologne, FRG) which has resulted in many important contributions to our understanding of these mechanisms. This award will allow Dr. Peterson to continue this collaboration. The mobility of genes has immensely important consequences for the lives of individual organisms, as well as for the evolutionary history of populations. Beyond their intrinsic scientific importance, mobile genetic elements have formed the backbone of many methods of critical importance for biotechnology.