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The detection of mitotic and meiotic aneuploidy in yeast using a gene dosage selection system

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Summary

A system is described in which spontaneous and chemically-induced mitotic and meiotic hyperploidy can be assayed in the same diploid culture of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Monitoring gene dosage changes at two loci on chromosome VIII, the test utilizes a leaky temperature-sensitive allele arg4-8 and low level copper resistance conferred by the single copy allele cup1 s. An extra chromosome VIII provides simultaneous increased dosage for both genes, resulting in colonies that are both prototrophic for arginine at 30° C and copper resistant. During mitotic cell divisions in diploids, spontaneous chromosome VIII hyperploids (trisomes and tetrasomes) occur at a frequency of 6.4×10-6 per viable cell. Among ascospores, the spontaneous chromosome VIII disome frequency is 5.5×10-6 per viable spore. The tubulin-binding reagent methyl benzimidazol-2-yl carbamate (MBC) elicits enhanced levels of mitotic and meiotic aneuploidy relative to control levels. The system represents a novel model for examining chromosome behavior during mitosis and meiosis and provides a sensitive and quantifiable procedure for examining chemically induced aneuploidy.

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Author notes

  1. S. G. Whittaker, D. H. Maloney & S. Fogel

    Present address: Department of Genetics, University of California, 94720, Berkeley, CA, USA

  2. B. M. Rockmill

    Present address: Department of Biology, Yale University, 06511, New Haven, CT, USA

  3. A. E. Blechl

    Present address: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Western Regional Research Center, 94706, Albany, CA, USA

  4. M. A. Resnick

    Present address: Yeast Genetics/Molecular Biology Group, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, 27709, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA

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    Authors
    1. S. G. Whittaker
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    2. B. M. Rockmill
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    3. A. E. Blechl
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    4. D. H. Maloney
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    5. M. A. Resnick
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    6. S. Fogel
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    Communicated by G.R. Fink

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    Whittaker, S.G., Rockmill, B.M., Blechl, A.E. et al. The detection of mitotic and meiotic aneuploidy in yeast using a gene dosage selection system. Mol Gen Genet 215, 10–18 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00331296

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    • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00331296

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