Summary, Synthesis and Critique

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Concluding paper in a Symposium on "Pseudo-alleles and Gene Theory" (Gainesville, Fla., 1954.). It is pointed out that the various interpretations of pseudo-allelism in corn and Drosophila, presented by other contributors to the Symposium, differ only in detail. On the other hand the formal similarities between pseudo-allelic systems and complex antigen series may not be indicative of a common basic structure at the genic level. The similarities do, however, suggest that a better understanding of antigen organization may provide valuable clues in interpreting pseudo-allelic organization at the genic (and possibly different) level. Formal analogies between pseudo-allelism and cis-trans position effects on the one hand and stereoisomerism and geometric isomerism on the other are briefly indicated. It seems possible that the former, like the latter phenomena may eventually be referable to the spatial organization of significant groups in a chemical chain. Such a concept would imply that the specific properties of a gene might be determined as much by its spatial orientation as by its inherent chemical constitution[long dash]a point of view not radically different from that postulated by Goldschmidt. If pseudo-alleles originate as repeats or other forms of duplication they may represent a first step in the origin of new genes. It is pointed out that this attractive possibility may be subjected to more critical experimentation by comparative studies of "duplicate" loci in diploid and amphidiploid species such as are available in Gossypium.

This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: