Answer to Question #174311 in Genetics for Malak Sadka

Question

Following a mutagenesis experiment to identify novel genes affecting the circadian clock in Drosophila melanogaster you discover several mutants. You start considering two of those mutants that you call c and d. The two homozygous c/c and d/d are arrhythmic (arrhythmic is the definition of their phenotype), whereas the two heterozygous C/c and D/d are rhythmic (rhythmic is the definition of their phenotype) with a 24h period. You make two true-breeding stocks: stock 3 homozygous for c and stock 4 homozygous for d. You cross them in both directions and in both cases you observe complementation with no difference between males and females. Then you take the progeny of one cross, for instance the F1 of Females 3 x Males 4, and you perform a Testcross. Out of 1000 flies resulting from the Testcross only 125 are rhythmic.

What is the genotype of Females 3?

Answer 1

The possible F1 genotypes are cc cd cd dd