Subject: VA228
To: FlyBase updates
From: Kevin Cook at the Bloomington Drosophila Stock Center (9/23/98)
We recently acquired George Lefevre's line VA228 from Norbert Perrimon.
VA228 was listed as both uncl10 and stn10 in Lindsley and Zimm. They
cited Lefevre and Watkins (Genetics 113: 869-895, 1986) as the source of
this information. This citation was used as a catch-all reference for
information about Lefevre lethals that really came from correspondence with
Lefevre. VA228 was never mentioned by name in the paper.
Currently, FlyBase lists VA228 as a synonym for uncl10. It is not given
as a synonym for stnA10, even though the mutation is shown originating
with Lefevre.
In Perrimon et al. (Genetics 121: 313--331, 1989) where lethals at the base
of the X chromosome were described, VA228 was given as an allele of uncl,
but not stn. Norbert Perrimon sent the stock as uncl10 and knew nothing
about a stnA mutation.
I crossed VA228/FM7 females to stnA1/Dp( 1:Y )y+mal106 males and
VA228/stnA1 females were viable. They showed no bang-sensitivity,
paralysis or uncoordination at room temperature or after an hour at 29
degrees.
uncl and stnA are tightly linked and the VA228 stock was maintained by
Perrimon as it was received from Lefevre. No attempt was ever made to
isolate a uncl mutation away from other linked lethals.
I suspect that stnA10 never existed and that there was some problem
incorporating Lefevre's notes into Lindsley and Zimm. The phenotypes of
uncl and stnA are similar enough to cause confusion. We have chosen to
list VA228 as uncl10/FM7 (stock 4734) in our stock list.
I believe that Lefevre's correspondence with Dan Lindsley are archived at
Cambridge and the source of the mistake might be apparent from examining
those notes. Regardless, the gene entries for uncl and stnA should be
modified.