An attribute of growth behavior of eight bacteriophage mutants (1 to 8) is investigated in experiments that establish coinfection by pairs of mutants. The experiments determine whether the mutants complement one another  or fail to complement  These eight mutants are known to result from point mutation. The results of the complementation tests are shown below.

How many genes are represented by these mutations?

Verified step by step guidance

1. Examine the complementation test table to identify which mutations complement each other, indicated by a '+' sign.
2. Group mutations that do not complement each other (indicated by a '-' sign) as they likely affect the same gene.
3. Count the number of distinct groups formed from the non-complementing mutations to determine the number of genes.
4. Use the deletion mutation table to further confirm the grouping of mutations by checking which mutations are complemented by the same deletions.
5. Cross-reference the groups from both tables to ensure consistency and accuracy in identifying the number of genes.