Abstract
THE yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae can mutate to the respiratory-incompetent petite colony form. The mutation is probably caused by damage to, or loss of, the yeast's mitochondrial DNA, for petite mutants often lack mitochondrial DNA, possess it in abnormal amounts or with abnormal buoyant density1. Some of the agents, such as acrifiavine or ethidium bromide, which induce the petite mutation interfere with mitochondrial DNA synthesis2,3 whereas ethidium bromide also causes or permits degradation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae mitochondrial DNA2,3. We have observed that nalidixate (50 µg/ml.), an inhibitor of DNA synthesis, can prevent or delay petite mutation induced by ethidium bromide4. A similar effect has been observed by Hollenberg and Borst using a higher nalidixate concentration5. We have investigated the mechanism of this effect. A diploid prototrophic strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (NCYC 239) was used throughout.
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WHITTAKER, P., HAMMOND, R. & LUHA, A. Mechanism of Mitochondrial Mutation in Yeast. Nature New Biology 238, 266–268 (1972). https://doi.org/10.1038/newbio238266a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/newbio238266a0
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