Summary
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1.
A population ofT. pyriformis, variety 1, mating type I, was observed to have conspicuously larger micronuclei than other populations of types I and II.
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2.
The increased micronuclear size is correlated with increased nuclear DNA content (in terms of Feulgen dye) and with the appearance of meiotic chromosomes which are thicker and which stain more intensely with the Feulgen reaction than those of the conjugating partner.
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3.
Under certain culture conditions individuals with larger micronuclei exhibit a more rapid growth rate than other populations.
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The authors' work is supported in part by University of California Cancer Funds and by research grant G-4107 (C) from the National Institutes of Health, U. S. Public Health Service. We want to thank Mrs.Norma O.Goldstein for technical assistance, and ProfessorSpencer Brown for stimulating critical discussions of this work.
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Alfert, M., Balamuth, W. Differential micronuclear polyteny in a population of the ciliate tetrahymena pyriformis. Chromosoma 8, 371–379 (1956). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01259509
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01259509