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Abstract
The Drosophila melanogaster white gene encodes for half of an ATP-Binding Cassette (ABC) Transporter. With its binding partner, Brown or Scarlet, it functions as an amine transporter in the central nervous system. The white gene was the first isolated genetic mutant in Drosophila. This mutation is now a widely used genetic selection marker. As of yet, the entirety of phenotypic effects caused by white mutations has yet to be determined. Thus, the objective of this study was to determine whether white gene mutations affect the regulation of germline stem cell (GSC) proliferation in adult testes. For this purpose, a mating assay was conducted using white mutants, w1118, and Canton S. & Oregon R. (wildtype controls). It was found that when placed in isolation, w1118 males displayed aberrant mitotic indices of GSCs than normal. These results demonstrate that white mutations have an indirect effect on GSC frequency regulation.