Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 12, 2026

A Behavioral Assay for Mechanosensation of MARCM-based Clones in Drosophila melanogaster
Published on: December 30, 2015
[Interaction of homoeotic mutations Antennapedia and Polycomb in Drosophila melanogaster]
Abstract:
Pairwise interaction of three alleles of Antennapedia (Antp49, Antp 50 and APX) with two alleles of Polycomb (Pc1 and Pc2) considerably increased homoeotic transformation of antennae caused by Antennapedia gene (up to the formation of completely developed homoeotic legs). On the contrary, Antennapedia alleles decreased the transformation of meso- and metatoracic legs into protoracic legs, as caused by Pc alleles. The degree of changes in the expression of Antp and Pc due to intergenic interaction were, as a rule, Antennapedia specific, i.e. the differences were greater when Antp alleles were substituted in genotypes. A possible mechanism of the interaction observed is discussed.
Related Concept Videos
Epistasis
Position-effect Variegation
Polytene Chromosomes
Background and Environment Affect Phenotype
An example of how genetic background affects phenotype can be seen in horses. The Extension gene in horses is responsible for their coat color. A wild-type gene (EE) produces black pigment in the coat, while a mutant gene (ee) produces red pigment. A...
The Ratio of X Chromosome to Autosomes
Normal male Drosophila has a ratio of one X chromosome to two sets of autosomes. In contrast, normal female Drosophila...
Complementation Tests
Organisms heterozygous for different mutations are crossed pairwise in all combinations. If present on different genes, the mutations can complement each other by providing the missing...

