The partial characterization of alcohol dehydrogenase null alleles from natural populations ofDrosophila melanogaster

Abstract

Twenty-three alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) putative null alleles extracted from four Tasmanian (Australia) populations ofDrosophila melanogaster produce no ADH activity and are unable to form active heterodimers with eitherAdh ^F orAdh ^S . Twelve of these nulls were tested by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and did not produce any ADH cross-reacting material (CRM). The null homozygotes had similar, but slightly lower, mortalities on ethanol-supplemented media compared to an artifically induced null allele. Heterozygotes between the null alleles and standardAdh ^F andAdh ^S alleles had intermediate ADH activity and CRM levels.