Introduction to Genetic Analysis 201

Introduction to Genetic Analysis 201 - From this set of...


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Unformatted text preview: From this set of results, we can conclude that mutants $ and must be caused by alleles of one gene (say, w1 ) because they do not complement; but must be caused by a mutant allele of another gene ( w2 ) because com- plementation is seen. How does complementation work at the molecular level? The normal blue color of the harebell flower is caused by a blue pigment called anthocyanin. Pigments are chemicals that absorb certain parts of the visible spectrum; in the case of the harebell, the anthocyanin absorbs all wavelengths except blue, which is reflected into the eye of the observer. However, this anthocyanin is made from chemical precursors that are not pigments; that is, they do not absorb light of any specific wave- length and simply reflect back the white light of the sun to the observer, giving a white appearance. The blue pig- ment is the end product of a series of biochemical con- versions of nonpigments. Each step is catalyzed by a spe- 200 Chapter 6 From Gene to Phenotype...
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