Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Mutants with decreased differentiation to plasmodia in Physarum polycephalum

  • Published:
Molecular and General Genetics MGG Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Summary

Mutant (“APT”) amoebae that display reduced ability to form plasmodia asexually were isolated by the use of an enrichment procedure. The results of reconstruction experiments show that the procedure enriches only for mutants blocked early in the pathway from amoeba to plasmodium. Mutants were isolated from four parents, two of which produce plasmodia asexually because they carry the allele mth of the mating type locus, and two because they carry gad (greater asexual differentiation) mutations. The APT mutants varied widely in the frequency of residual plasmodium formation, which occurred, in some cases, by reversion. The mutants, called apt (amoeba to plasmodium transition), were recessive in diploids and linked to the mating type (mt) locus. Mutants derived from the gad parents, unlike the parents themselves, crossed readily with heterothallic amoebae. Progeny analysis from such crosses indicates that both gad mutations are linked to mt. The mutants derived from one of the mth parents fell into two groups on the basis of their ability to cross with the mutants derived from the mt2 gad-8 parent. The result suggests that the mth-derived mutants represent two or more complementation groups. Mutants derived from the mt2 gad-8 parent cross with mt2 amoebae and hence display an altered mating specificity.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Adler, P.N., Holt, C.E.: Genetic analysis in the Colonia strain of Physarum polycephalum. Genetics 78, 1051–1062 (1974)

    Google Scholar 

  • Adler, P.N., Holt, C.E.: Mating type and the differentiated state in Physarum polycephalum. Develop. Biol. 43, 240–253 (1975)

    Google Scholar 

  • Adler, P.N., Davidow, L.S., Holt, C.E.: Life cycle variants of Physarum polycephalum that lack the amoeba stage. Science 190, 65–67

  • Anderson, R.W., Dee, J.: Isolation and analysis of amoebal-plasmodial transition mutants in the Myxomycete Physarum polycephalum. Genet. Res. Camb. 29, 21–34 (1977)

    Google Scholar 

  • Collins, O.R.: Mating types in five isolates of Physarum polycephalum. Mycologia 67, 98–107 (1975)

    Google Scholar 

  • Collins, O.R., Tang, H.-C.: Physarum polycephalum: pH and plasmodium formation. Mycologia 65, 232–236 (1973)

    Google Scholar 

  • Cooke, D., Dee, J.: Plasmodium formation without change in nuclear DNA content in Physarum polycephalum. Genet. Res. Camb. 23, 307–318

  • Cooke, D.H., Dee, J.: Methods for the isolation and analysis of plasmodial mutants in Physarum polycephalum. Genet. Res. Camb. 24, 175–187

  • Davidow, L.S.: Genetic investigations of differentiation in Physarum polycephalum. Ph.D. Thesis, Mass. Inst. of Technology (1977)

  • Dee, J.: A mating type system in an acellular slime-mould. Nature (Lond.) 185, 780–781 (1960)

    Google Scholar 

  • Drake, D.W.: The Molecular Basis of Mutation. San Francisco: Holden-Day 1970

    Google Scholar 

  • Horwitz, H.B., Holt, C.E.: Specific inhibition by ethidium bromide of mitochondrial DNA synthesis in Physarum polycephalum. J. Cell Biol. 49, 546–553 (1971)

    Google Scholar 

  • Kerr, N.S.: A study of plasmodium formation by the true slime mold Didymium nigripes. Exp. Cell Res. 23, 603–611 (1961)

    Google Scholar 

  • Luria, S.E., Delbruck, M.: Mutations of bacteria from virus sensitivity to virus resistance. Genetics 28, 491–511 (1943)

    Google Scholar 

  • MacKay, V., Manney, T.R.: Mutations affecting sexual conjugation and related processes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. I. Isolation and phenotypic characterization of nonmeting mutants. Genetics 76, 255–271 (1974)

    Google Scholar 

  • Manney, T.R., Woods, V.: Mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae resistant to the α mating type factor. Genetics 82, 639–644 (1976)

    Google Scholar 

  • Poulter, R.T.M., Dee, J.: Segregation of factors controlling fusion between plasmodia of the true slime mould Physarum polycephalum. Genet. Res. Camb. 12, 71–79 (1968)

    Google Scholar 

  • Shinnick, T.M., Holt, C.E.: Analysis of an mt-linked mutation affecting asexual plasmodial formation in Physarum. J. Bact. 131, in press (1977)

  • Youngman, P.J., Adler, P.N., Shinnick, T.M., Holt, C.E.: An extracellular inducer of asexual plasmodium formation in Physarum polycephalum. Proc. nat. Acad. Sci. (Wash.) 74, 1120–1124 (1977)

    Google Scholar 

  • Wheals, A.E.: A homothallic strain of the myxomycete Physarum polycephalum. Genetics 66, 623–633 (1970)

    Google Scholar 

  • Wheals, A.E.: Developmental mutants in a homothallic strain of Physarum polycephalum. Genet. Res. Camb. 21, 79–86 (1973)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Author notes

  1. Lance S. Davidow

    Present address: Department of Genetics, University of Washington, 98195, Seattle, Washington, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, M.I.T., Room 56-715, 02139, Cambridge, Mass., USA

    Lance S. Davidow & Charles E. Holt

Authors
  1. Lance S. Davidow
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Charles E. Holt
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Additional information

Communicated by M. Green

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Davidow, L.S., Holt, C.E. Mutants with decreased differentiation to plasmodia in Physarum polycephalum . Molec. Gen. Genet. 155, 291–300 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00272808

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00272808

Keywords

Search

Navigation