Re: HYB: Sutton's mutation
- To: Multiple recipients of list <i*@rt66.com>
- Subject: Re: HYB: Sutton's mutation
- From: "* a* C* W* <c*@digitalpla.net>
- Date: Sat, 11 Apr 1998 14:31:41 -0600 (MDT)
> >chimera: 1. an imaginary monster made up of incongruous parts; 2: a
frightful
> >or foolish fancy
>
> So it *was* the monster Godzilla fought...
Dennis and John,
In Greek mythology, the Chimera was a fire-breathing monster with the head
of a lion, the body of a goat, and a serpent's tail - a worthy antagonist
for Godzilla!
In genetics, a chimera is an individual that has undergone a somatic
mutation, whereby a cell in its structural tissue (not a gamete) mutates,
so that all the daughter cells resulting from division of the mutated cell
carry the mutation, but the rest of the cells that make up the individual
do not carry the mutation. Many varieties of tree fruit have originated in
this way when one branch of a tree grows from a somatic mutation, and if it
has desirable characteristics, can be perpetuated by taking grafts from
that branch (the rest of the tree retaining its original characteristics).
Jeff Walters in northern Utah (USDA Zone 4, Sunset Zone 2)
cwalters@digitalpla.net
