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The size of mitochondrial DNA from a cytoplasmic Petite mutant of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

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Summary

Mitochondrial DNA has been isolated from a cytoplasmic petite mutant of Saccharomyces cerevisiae which has retained only about 2% of the mitochondrial wild type genome. The denatured DNA was analyzed by agarose gel electrophoresis and a homogeneous, single band of DNA was found. Petite and wild type mitochondrial DNAs exhibited similar gel electrophoretic mobilities. Using denatured DNA from the E. coli phages T4 and T3 for comparison a molecular weight of 55×106 daltons has been calculated for the double-stranded petite mitochondrial DNA. On the basis of this observation most of the mitochondrial DNA of this petite mutant appeared to consist of a polymer of about 50 repeats to account for a size similar to that of the wild type molecule. Thus a regulatory mechanism might exist which keeps constant the physical size of the mitochondrial DNA molecule in spite of the elimination of large fractions of the wild type genome.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Physiologisch-Chemisches Institut der Universität Würzburg, Germany

    Gosbert Weth & Georg Michaelis

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  1. Gosbert Weth
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  2. Georg Michaelis
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Communicated by F. Kaudewitz

Dedicated to Dr. Dr. h. c. Peter Michaelis on the occasion of his 75th birthday

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Weth, G., Michaelis, G. The size of mitochondrial DNA from a cytoplasmic Petite mutant of Saccharomyces cerevisiae . Molec. Gen. Genet. 135, 269–272 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00268621

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00268621

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