
In the 1920s, Arthur Boycott discovered the first maternal effect phenotype in the snail Linnaea peregra. Linnaea has a diploid genome. Like most gastropods, the shell and internal organs normally coil to the right, a phenotype described as dextral. Boycott found a mutant whose body was mirror-image symmetrical to wildtype. The mutant coiled to the left, a phenotype called sinistral. Chirality has been shown to be controlled by an autosomal maternal effect gene called s. The dominant s^+ allele causes dextrality and the recessive, loss-of-function s^- causes sinistrality. (a) Limmaea are either hermaphrodites or males; the hermaphrodites can self-fertilize or mate with males. If a pure-breeding line of sinistral Limnaea hermaphrodites are crossed with males from a pure-breeding dextral line. What will be the phenotype of the progeny? (b) Answer part (a) for a cross performed in opposite direction: dextral hermaphrodites crossed to sinistral males (c) Describe the progeny phenotypes if the F_1 from part (a) self-fertilize. Do the same for the F_1 from part (b). (d) If you now self the F_2 from parts (a) and (b). What results would you expect in the F_3 in each case?





