Insertion of an unstable element in an intervening sequence of maize Adh1 affects transcription but not processing.

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Abstract
Three independently isolated and unstable mutants of the maize alcohol dehydrogenase 1 gene (Adh1) were formed by insertion of the Mu transposing element into the 1st intervening sequence of the progenitor Adh1 allele. The mutants were selected for their decreased levels of alcohol dehydrogenase 1 activity. The original mutants were unstable, giving rise to both revertant alleles and altered mutant alleles. From one of the original mutants, 2 derivative mutants were recovered and described. The effect of Mu insertion in all 5 of these mutants was analyzed by measuring relative levels of run-off transcripts from the progenitor and mutant alleles and by comparing levels of run-off transcripts corresponding to regions lying 5'' and 3'' to the insertion sites. Early transcriptional events are affected, but in spite of the inclusion of a 1.4-kilobase transposing DNA element, processing of transcripts occurs normally.