Insertion mutations at the maizeOpaque2 locus induced by transposable element familiesAc, En/Spm andBg

Eight independently isolated unstable alleles of theOpaque2 (O2) locus were analysed genetically and at the DNA level. The whole series of mutations was isolated from a maize strain carrying a wild-typeO2 allele and the transposable elementActivator (Ac) at thewx-m7 allele. Previous work with another unstable allele of the same series has shown that it was indeed caused by the insertion of anAc element. Unexpectedly, the remaining eight mutations were not caused by the designatedAc element, but by other insertions that are structurally similar or identical to one of two different autonomous transposable elements. Six mutations were caused by the insertion of a transposable element of theEnhancer/Suppressor-Mutator (En/Spm) family. Two mutations were the result of the insertion of a transposable element of theBergamo (Bg) family. Genetic tests carried out with plants carrying the unstable mutations demonstrated that all were caused by the insertion of an autonomous transposable element.