Cloning of the Bz2 locus of Zea mays using the transposable element Ds as a gene tag

The Bz2 locus of Zea mays has been cloned, utilizing the presence of the transposable element Dissociation (Ds) at the locus as a gene flag. The Ds element inserted in the bz2-m allele was identified among many members of the Ac/Ds family in a Southern blot analysis of a population segregating for bz2-m and Bz2. After cloning a DNA fragment from the bz2-m allele, sequences flanking the Ds insertion were shown to be Bz2-specific and were used to isolate a homologous fragment from a wild-type Bz2 line. The Ds insertion in the bz2-m allele was found to be a Ds2 element identical to the Ds insertion in adh1-2F11.