Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

A New Linkage in the House Mouse: Vestigial and Rex

Abstract

IN 1947, Wright1 (Mrs. M. E. Wallace) reported the remarkable discovery of recombination frequencies exceeding 50 per cent in linkage group VII of the house mouse. Such a phenomenon had been predicted as a theoretical possibility by Jennings2 in 1923 for substantially the right reasons, although he based his argument on a theory of two-strand crossing-over and a simplified discontinuous theory of interference. Mrs. Wallace found that the genetic markers sh2 (shaker-2) and wv2 (waved-2), which show loose linkage with each other of about 30 per cent recombination frequency, both recombined with sex with a frequency of about 56 per cent. This finding was the first case of partial sex-linkage to be reported in any mammal other than man. Rex (symbol Re), which was known to be about 20 per cent from sh2 and about 40 per cent from wv2, assorted independently of sex in other data from the same department.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Wright, M. E. (Mrs. M. E. Wallace), Heredity, 1, (3), 349 (1947).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Jennings, H. S., Genetics, 8, 393 (1923).

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  3. Fisher, R. A., Lyon, M. F., and Owen, A. R. G., Heredity, 1, (3), 355 (1947).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Carter, T. C. (personal communication, 1951).

  5. Heston, W. E., J. Hered., 42, (2), 71 (1951).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Fisher, R. A., “The Design of Experiments”, section 70 (London, 6th edit., 1951).

    Google Scholar 

  7. Slizynski, B. M., J. Genet., 49, 242 (1949).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

MICHIE, D. A New Linkage in the House Mouse: Vestigial and Rex. Nature 170, 585–586 (1952). https://doi.org/10.1038/170585a0

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/170585a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing