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The isolation and preliminary characterisation of auxotrophic and analogue resistant mutants of the moss, Physcomitrella patens

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Summary

Eighteen nutritional mutants have been isolated in the haploid, monoecious moss, Physcomitrella patens: five nicotinic acid auxotrophs, four p-aminobenzoic acid auxotrophs, four adenine auxotrophs, two amino acid requiring mutants and three nitrate non-utilising mutants. Seventeen of them were obtained using total isolation; one was isolated selectively. Strains resistant to the amino acid analogues, D-serine and p-fluorophenyl-alanine, and the purine analogue, 8-azaguanine, have been selected. Many of the auxotrophs are self-sterile. Crosses between auxotrophic strains have been effected and the progeny analysed. No linkage has been detected. Nicotinic acid auxotrophy has resulted from mutation in at least two genes. Self-sterility segregates as a pleiotropic effect of four mutations which produce nutritional dependence. A diploid strain has been obtained by aposporus regeneration from a hybrid sporophyte and the phenotypes of progeny resulting from the self-fertilisation of this strain have been analysed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, CB2 3EH, Cambridge, England

    N. W. Ashton & D. J. Cove

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  1. N. W. Ashton
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  2. D. J. Cove
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Communicated by G. Melchers

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Ashton, N.W., Cove, D.J. The isolation and preliminary characterisation of auxotrophic and analogue resistant mutants of the moss, Physcomitrella patens . Molec. Gen. Genet. 154, 87–95 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00265581

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00265581

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