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Mutagenesis and mutant selection in Physarum polycephalum

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Summary

Physarum polycephalum myxamoebae were exposed to ultraviolet irradiation and plated in the absence and presence of caffeine. Caffeine reduces the shoulder on the UV1 dose-survival curve, thereby increasing the UV-sensitivity for survival. Caffeine alone is a moderate mutagen. Used in conjunction with UV a strong mutagenic action is observed. Active growth is required for both of these mutagenic actions.

Populations of Physarum myxamoebae mutagenized with NMG or EMS could be enriched for two classes of mutants by incubating at high temperature (30°C) with 5-bromodeoxyuridine-substituted bacteria followed by irradiation with long wave UV light and recovery at low temperature (23°C). One class of mutants was obtained in high yields after repeated cycles of light inactivation. These are not heat sensitive. Rather they are defective in utilization of DNA precursors provided by the bacteria. The other mutant class, obtained in low yields after limited selection, are heat sensitive. Three independent mutants of this kind, all eaky, were obtained. Reconstruction experiments show that all are selectants.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research, Medical School, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin

    Finn B. Haugli & William F. Dove

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  1. Finn B. Haugli
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  2. William F. Dove
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Communicated by F. Stahl

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Haugli, F.B., Dove, W.F. Mutagenesis and mutant selection in Physarum polycephalum . Molec. Gen. Genet. 118, 109–124 (1972). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00267082

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00267082

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