Variability in the timing and outcome of macronuclear assortment inTetrahymena thermophila

Abstract

SUMMARYNew experimental designs have detected unexpectedly large variations in the time at which macronuclear assortment begins, and in the ratios of the stabilized products. Variation is detected between strains, and, within strains, between conjugating pairs. TheChxlocus gave results ranging from late assortment (40–60 fissions) to early assortment with skewed input, indicating the existence of some relation between the parameters of input ratio and time of determination.