Genetic studies on the loss of mu mutator activity in maize

Mutator activity of the Mu mutator system of maize can be lost by either outcrossing or inbreeding Mu stocks. The nature of these two kinds of Mu-loss phenomena was analyzed by testing the results of crossing Mu-loss stocks by active Mu lines. Outcross- Mu-loss stocks are capable of supporting Mu activity if crossed by an active mutator line. Inbred-Mu-loss stocks, however, inactivate the active Mu system contributed by a Mu line. Also, inbred- Mu-loss lines do not regain Mu activity after at least three generations of outcrossing to non-Mu stocks. These results suggest that, once the Mu system is inactivated by inbreeding, it remains inactivated for at least three generations of outcrossing. Further, once the system responsible for inactivation is established, it will, in turn, inactivate an active Mu system contributed by crossing with Mu plants. The outcross-Mu-loss does not seem to involve such an inactivation system. These results are interpreted in the light of recent evidence that Mu inactivation results from the modification of Mu 1 transposable elements involved in the Mu phenotype.