Genetic Studies of the Serine Mutant in Variety Nine of Tetrahymena pyriformis *

Abstract

Crosses between serine requiring and non-requiring clones from natural habitats give rise to progeny that are numerically equally distributed between the two categories. Most of the progeny from crosses between two serine requiring parental clones require serine with a few segregating out that do not need the amino acid. These data indicate that the gene or genes controlling the serine non-requirement are recessive to the wild type which requires serine. Growth of the F 1 progeny was highly variable. Some clones failed to survive on serine deficient media and were therefore tentatively assigned the genotype +/+. The remaining clones were of two classes: one grew slowly on serine deficient media and was given the genotype of the heterozygote, +/s; the other grew without serine, hence was given the double recessive genotype, s/s. The F 2 progeny from matings of s/s and s/s need no serine whereas the cross of +/s and s/s gave equal numbers of serine requiring and serine non-requiring progeny. The cross of two heterozygotes, +/s and +/s, yield progeny approximating the 3:1 ratio in favor of serine requiring clones. Crosses at the F 3 level produced non-viable offspring in all cases except one. Progeny from this cross with the genotype s/s were mated giving rise to F 4 progeny all of which grew without serine. The data support an outbreeding economy for this organism with selection in favor of the heterozygote. Although the data seem to favor a single-gene hypothysis, suppressor genes may be involved. With selection favoring the heterzygote, distorted genetic ratios make the data difficult to analyze.