Abstract
Isogenic strains of yeast were constructed, differing only in insertionally inactivated genes for ergosterol biosynthesis. These and their allelic wild-types were grown in competition to ascertain growth differences and any selective advantage for organisms producing sterols with or without specific features of ergosterol. In every instance tested, the wild-type allele afforded a competitive advantage over the isogenic pair producing modified sterol structures instead of ergosterol. A general trend was seen in which the earlier in the biosynthetic pathway that a mutation occurred, the less able the strain producing the defective sterols could compete with the ergosterol-producing strains.
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Received: 12 February / 6 May 1997
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Palermo, L., Leak, F., Tove, S. et al. Assessment of the essentiality of ERG genes late in ergosterol biosynthesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Curr Genet 32, 93–99 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1007/s002940050252
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s002940050252