GENETIC-ANALYSIS OF VARIEGATED MUTANTS IN ARABIDOPSIS

Three independently isolated variegated mutants of Arabidopsis thaliana-VAR1, VAR2, and VAR4-have been characterized. Segregation analyses of the variegated phenotypes in F2 progenies derived from reciprocal crosses between wild-type and mutant plants indicated that all the mutant phenotypes were produced by single recessive nuclear mutations. Mutant VAR1 was the result of mutation var1·1 at locus Var1, while mutants VAR2 and VAR4 were the result of allelic mutations var2·1 and var2·2 at locus Var2. Linkage analyses have located loci Var1 on chromosome 5 and Var2 on chromosome 2 of the Arabidopsis genetic map. Analysis of the mutant phenotypes under different environmental conditions suggests that variegation in VAR1 is temperature sensitive, while in VAR2 and VAR4 it is sensitive to light. © 1993 The American Genetic Association.