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Genes expressed during sexual differentiation of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

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Abstract

Four genes specifically expressed during gametogenesis of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii have been cloned and their expression patterns analyzed. mRNAs encoded by these gamete-specific genes (gas) were absent or present only at very low levels in vegetative cells and mature zygotes. In young zygotes 2 h after gamete fusion, the mRNAs of three gas genes still persisted. The gas mRNAs accumulated during gametic differentiation. The temporal patterns of accumulation of individual mRNAs differed; some started to increase early during gametogenesis, others accumulated in the late phase. The accumulation of one of the late mRNAs (gas28) was stricly light-dependent. To illustrate the utility of the genes cloned in the analysis of sexual differentiation in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii we show that in a gametogenesis-defective mutant, the expression of late genes is prevented while that of early genes is normal.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut für Biologic III, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität, Schaenzlestrasse 1, D-79104, Freiburg, Germany

    Erika D. von Gromoff & Christoph F. Beck

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  1. Erika D. von Gromoff
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  2. Christoph F. Beck
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Communicated by R. Hagemann

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von Gromoff, E.D., Beck, C.F. Genes expressed during sexual differentiation of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii . Molec. Gen. Genet. 241, 415–421 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00284695

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00284695

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