ß-GLUCURONIDASE MUTANTS OF THE NEMATODE CAENORHABDITIS ELEGANS

Marisa Sebastiano ¹, Marina D'Alessio ¹, and Paolo Bazzicalupo ¹

¹ International Institute of Genetics and Biophysics, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, via G. Marconi 10, 80125 Napoli, Italy

Using a screening procedure that is based on a histochemical stain for the enzyme ß-glucuronidase, we have isolated several mutants of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans affected in ß-glucuronidase activity. All of the mutations fall into one complementation group and identify a new gene, gus-1, which has been mapped on the right arm of linkage group I (LG I), 1.1 map units to the left of unc-54. The mutants have no visible phenotype, and their viabilities and fertilities are unaffected. Linked revertants of two of the mutations have been isolated. They restore enzyme activity to almost wild-type levels; the ß-glucuronidase that one of the revertants produces differs from that of the wild type. We propose that gus-1 is the structural locus for ß-glucuronidase.

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