ABSTRACT
In the case of the gene in weeds, a mutant version of the Medea gene acts, possibly via imprinting or as a maternal effect, to cause embryo mortality. As a mutant copy from the father has no effect, the effect is specifically the maternal killing of offspring; hence the Medea reference. The gene Medea in turn regulates Pheresi, Pheres being named in some versions of the myth as one of Medea's two children, killed by her. Like Medea in Tribolium, Artemis in weed seems to derive its name also, at least in part, as an acronym: Arabidopsis Thaliana Envelope Membrane Integrase. The Argonauts, the group of Greek heroes that, led by Jason, travelled to Colchis to gain the Golden Fleece, received their name from that of their ship, the Argo. The gene Klotho is associated with premature ageing in mice, and variation in klotho function contributes to heterogeneity in the onset and severity of human age-related phenotypes.
