Reversion analysis of [psi−] mutations in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Abstract

Mutants of [psi] a cytoplasmically inherited factor in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae were isolated after treatment with a variety of agents including conventional mutagens and a number of compounds which cause loss of [psi] at high frequencies, namely methanol, KCl, dimethyl sulphoxide and guanidine hydrochloride. In [psi−] mutants the suppressor SUQ5 does not suppress ochre mutations such as ade.2.1. Reversion analysis of the [psi−] mutants revealed three classes: (1) a class of agents producing [psi−] mutations which could readily revert to [psi+] (methanol, KCl and dimethyl sulphoxide belong to this class), (2) those which could not be shown to revert (GuHCl) and (3) the conventional mutagens which produced both revertible and apparently non-revertible [psi−] mutations. We conclude that GuHCl causes a deletion or loss of the [psi] factor. Methanol may cause an alteration of ‘state’ for example, of a promoter, and KCl may be selecting or inducing low copy number variants of [psi+] strains. It is possible that DMSO may be involved in regulation of [psi]. © 1981, Cambridge University Press. All rights reserved.