MITOCHONDRIAL GENETICS. VI THE PETITE MUTATION IN SACCHAROMYCES CEREVISIAE: INTERRELATIONS BETWEEN THE LOSS OF THE ρ+ FACTOR AND THE LOSS OF THE DRUG RESISTANCE MITOCHONDRIAL GENETIC MARKERS

Abstract

ABSTRACT The survival of the ρ+ factor and of DrugR mitochondrial genetic markers after exposure to ethidium bromide has been studied. A technique allowing the determination of DrugR genetic markers among a great number of both grande and petite colonies has been developed. The results have been analyzed by the target theory. The survival of the ρ+ factor is always less than the survival of any DrugR genetic marker. The survivals of CR and ER are similar to each other, while that of OR is greater than that of the other two DrugR markers. All possible combinations of DrugR markers have been found among the ρ- petite cells induced, while the only type found among the grande colonies is the preexisting one. The loss of the CR and ER genetic markers was found to be the most frequently concomitant, while the correlation between the loss of the OR marker and the other two DrugR markers is less strong. Similar results have been obtained after U.V. irradiation. Interpretations concerning the structure of the yeast mitochondrial genome are given and hypotheses on the mechanism of petite mutation discussed.