Matings between mice bearing the dominant deletion Thp and mice segregating for the tw73 haplotype failed to produce the expected viable tailless (Thp/tw73) progeny. Histological analysis of litters from Thp / + × + /tw73 matings revealed an abnormal class of embryos which failed to implant normally between days 6·5 and 7·5 of gestation, and were indistinguishable from tw73/tw73 homozygotes. Thp homozygotes displayed a different lethal phenotype, failing to successfully make the transition from morula to blastocyst at day 3·5. These studies indicate that the mutation responsible for the tw73 implantation defect maps within the Thp deletion. Since tw73 is viable with another deletion, Torl, the tw73 defect must occur in the region of non-overlap between Thp and TOrl. The possibility that the tw73-associated implantation defect is a parasitic lethal mutation (p), mapping to the proximal part of the tw73 chromosome, is discussed.

Crosses between various types of mutant giving specific patterns of aberrant segregation were performed in the b2 spore colour locus of Ascobolus immersus. The map of 41 mutations showing various patterns of aberrant segregation was established. The frequency of wild-type recombinants and the map additivity, map expansion and map contraction characteristics were shown to be strongly dependent upon the pattern of aberrant segregation of the mutations used. Mutations giving no postmeiotic segregation and an excess of conversion to wild type over conversion to mutant exhibit map expansion in small intervals and a strong map contraction in large intervals. Mutations giving postmeiotic segregations also exhibit map contraction in large intervals. Mutations giving no postmeiotic segregations and an excess of conversion to mutant over conversion to wild type show map additivity and thus provide a simple way for devising gene maps. The relationship between the mapping properties and the pattern of aberrant segregations is accounted for when considering parameters of gene conversion: frequency and distribution of hybrid DNA, frequency and direction of mismatch correction.

The hairs and follicles from mice carrying the naked (N) gene have been examined using both scanning and transmission electron microscopy in addition to light microscopy. Fibre cuticle cells and occasionally cortical cells were absent from the follicles of N / + mice when the base of the hair was growing. In N / N follicles there was a frequent lack of both cuticle and cortical cells throughout the growth phase of the follicles. Abnormalities were also observed in the manner in which the synthesized keratin was deposited in the fibres. The possible mode of action of the N gene is discussed in the light of these results.

The proximal breakpoints of the inversion chromosomes In(1)ωm4 and In(1)m51b were shown, by in situ hybridization, to define the boundaries of the ribosomal DNA region located within the X chromosome heterochromatin (Xh). We estimate that at least 95% of the rDNA is located between the In(1)ωm4 and In(1)ωm51b proximal breakpoints. In contrast only 60–70% of the Type I intervening sequences located in Xh are located between these breakpoints. The Type I intervening sequences in the rDNA region occur as inserts in the 28S rRNA sequences while the remainder of the sequences are distal to the In(1)ωm4 breakpoint and not associated with rRNA genes.

The regions of Xh which contain rDNA and Type I intervening sequences were related to regions shown by Cooper (1964) to contribute to meiotic pairing between the X and Y chromosomes in male Drosophila. We demonstrate that the rRNA coding region contributes to X / Y pairing. However, no single region of Xh is required for fidelity of male meiotic pairing of the sex chromosomes.

In this report we examine the meiotic segregation of compound second autosomes sharing varying extents of heterochromatic and euchromatic homology. The second chromosome heterochromatin does not appear to influence the random meiotic segregation of compound second autosomes during spermatogenesis; however, the proximal euchromatin is implicated in male meiotic pairing. We conclude that male autosomal meiotic pairing sites are specific euchromatic chromosomal regions.

Arginine-requiring mutants of Neurospora crassa were isolated using a strain partially impaired in an enzyme of the arginine pathway (bradytroph). Among these, five strains were found which carry mutations at a new locus, cpc-1+. The recessive cpc-1 alleles interfere with the cross-pathway control of amino acid biosynthetic enzymes. The enzymes studied, three of arginine and one each of histidine and lysine biosynthesis, fail to derepress under conditions which normally result in elevation of enzyme concentration, namely arginine, histidine or tryptophan limitation. Enzymes not involved in amino acid biosynthesis are still able to derepress in the presence of cpc-1. In wild-type backgound, i.e. with the bradytroph replaced, cpc-1 strains lose the original arginine-requirement. cpc-1 mutations confer sensitivity of growth to 3-amino-1,2,4-triazole.

Rice, Cloninger & Reich (1980) showed that correlational data on American I.Q. is consistent with a rather low genetic heritability. Here we confirm their general results with a more parsimonious model. From phenotypic data alone, the estimates of genetic and cultural heritability are 0·31 and 0·42, respectively. Using environmental indices, the parsimonious estimates become 0·34 and 0·26, respectively.

The gene conversion parameters which affect allele frequencies in populations are defined, and their ranges and typical values are given for several genera of fungi, where meiotic octads and tetrads provide the best information on conversion. Both gene conversion and disparity in direction of conversion are common. Data from Ascobolus immersus show that conversion properties are largely stable with time, but can be changed environmentally and by genetic conversion control factors. Equations are given for the interactions of selection, mutation and gene conversion in determining equilibrium frequencies. Numerical examples, using typical values of conversion parameters from the fungal data, show that for alleles which are selectively neutral or have very low selection coefficients, conversion will often have very large effects on their equilibrium frequencies and may lead to fixation. Where selection coefficients are higher, conversion has major effects on the frequencies of deleterious recessive alleles, but lesser effects on deleterious dominant alleles: a critical comparison is that of s with 2y. The available estimates for conversion parameters (at least in fungi) are of a magnitude to make gene conversion an important factor in evolution.