VALINE-RESISTANCE, A POTENTIAL MARKER IN PLANT CELL GENETICS. I. DISTINCTION BETWEEN TWO TYPES OF VALINE-RESISTANT TOBACCO MUTANTS ISOLATED FROM PROTOPLAST-DERIVED CELLS

Abstract

ABSTRACT In previous experiments, seven lines of valine-resistant plants were regenerated from protoplast-derived haploid tobacco mesophyll cells which had been UV mutagenized and submitted to selection by toxic concentrations of valine. In this study we described the transmission of valine-resistance to progeny and a preliminary phenotypical and biochemical characterization of the resistant plants.—Two types were thus distinguished among the seven mutant lines. Valine-resistance of the mutants of the first type (three lines) was transmitted as a single Mendelian dominant character (Vr1), whereas valine-resistance of the second type (four lines) was transmitted as a digenic recessive character (vr2 and vr3). Allelism tests revealed that the four recessive mutant lines yielded resistant progeny when intercrossed and, therefore, bear recessive mutant alleles at the same two unlinked loci.—When cultured at a density of 100 cell/ml, protoplast-derived cells of mutants of the first type had a low level of resistance to valine, whereas protoplast-derived cells of mutants of the second type displayed a high level of resistance to valine and to other amino acids.—According to the results of 14 C-labelled amino acid uptake experiments, the amino acid resistance of mutants of the second type, but not valine-resistance of the first type, could be accounted for by reduced uptake of several amino acids. Possible uses of valine-resistance as a marker in plant cell genetics are discussed.