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--- chapter_02 [2024/09/01 23:18] – mike
+++ chapter_02 [2025/01/29 08:32] (current) – [The complementation test can be used to group different mutants into unique genes] mike
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 Having performed this cross: if the two mutants don't complement, we conclude that they are mutant in the same gene.  ((In rare cases, just because two mutants do not complement each other does not automatically mean that the mutants have mutations in the same gene. There can be situations called "non-allelic non-complementation" where mutations in different genes do not complement each other. You can show that non-complementing mutations are in different genes by mapping their position ([[chapter_05|Chapter 05]]). When two different genes show non-allelic non-complementation, that can be an indication that the gene products of the two genes (usually the proteins encoded by the genes) have some sort of physical interaction.)) Another way we say this is that "$hisX$ is allelic to $his3$". Conversely, if they do complement, we conclude that they are mutant in different genes. For instance, $hisX$ might be a mutation in the $his4$ gene.
-To understand the reasoning behind this conclusion, look at the combination of alleles (i.e., the genotype) of the diploid in the two possible outcomes of this experiment. TIn row 2 of Table {{ref>Tab4}}, the $his3$ haploid parent is presumed to be mutant only in the $his3$ gene and therefore implicitly carries the wildtype $HISX$ allele, and similarly the $hisX$ haploid parent is presumed to be mutant only in this one gene and thus implicitly carries the wildtype $HIS3$ allele. Therefore, the diploid produced from the cross will be heterozygous for both the $his3$ and $hisX$ genes and therefore provide normal function for both genes. It is important to know that this test only works for recessive mutations.
+To understand the reasoning behind this conclusion, look at the combination of alleles (i.e., the genotype) of the diploid in the two possible outcomes of this experiment. In row 2 of Table {{ref>Tab4}}, the $his3$ haploid parent is presumed to be mutant only in the $his3$ gene and therefore implicitly carries the wildtype $HISX$ allele, and similarly the $hisX$ haploid parent is presumed to be mutant only in this one gene and thus implicitly carries the wildtype $HIS3$ allele. Therefore, the diploid produced from the cross will be heterozygous for both the $his3$ and $hisX$ genes and therefore provide normal function for both genes. It is important to know that this test only works for recessive mutations.
 The beauty of the complementation test is that the trait can serve as a read-out of gene function even without knowledge of what the gene is doing. We can simply define a gene based on its function, and we can distinguish between different genes (assuming we have recessive mutant alleles of those genes) using the complementation test. In fact, you can even use the complementation test for mutants that have different phenotypes! The only requirement for the complementation test is that the two mutants must be recessive.