Histocompatibility mutations in mice: chemical induction and linkage with the H-2 locus

Abstract

SUMMARY: Young mice of the strains A/Y and B10.D2 were repeatedly treated with diethylsulphate (DES) in different doses (36 to 1100 mg/kg). At the age of 9 weeks they were mated to females of the strains A. CA (‘A’ group) and C57BL/10Eg (‘D’ group) respectively. 2101 progeny of these matings were tested for histocompatibility by skin grafting. The spontaneous H-mutation rates were 6·96 × 10⁻⁴per gamete in the A group and 9·6 × 10⁻⁴per gamete in D group. In progeny of treated males the H-mutation rates were 0 in A group and 5·79 × 10⁻³per gamete in D group, showing apparent effect of paternal DES treatment on mutation frequency in the last group. Two mutations of theH-2locus were found, which together with the other threeH-2mutations published so far yielded a mutation rate of 5·18 × 10⁻⁴per gamete. The mutation rate of theH-2locus is higher than the expected rate per H-locus, indicating a great genetic complexity ofH-2.