Extragenic Bypass Suppressors of Mutations in the Essential Gene BLD2 Promote Assembly of Basal Bodies With Abnormal Microtubules in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

bld2-1 mutant Chlamydomonas reinhardtii strains assemble basal bodies with singlet microtubules; bld2-1 cells display flagellar assembly defects as well as positioning defects of the mitotic spindle and cleavage furrow. To further understand the role of the BLD2 gene, we have isolated three new bld2...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Genetics (Austin) 2001-01, Vol.157 (1), p.163-181
Main Authors: Preble, Andrea M, Giddings, Thomas H., , Jr, Dutcher, Susan K
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Algae
Alleles
Animals
Cells
Chlamydomonas reinhardtii - genetics
Chlamydomonas reinhardtii - growth & development
Chlamydomonas reinhardtii - ultrastructure
Crosses, Genetic
Diploidy
Flagella - genetics
Flagella - ultrastructure
Genes
Genes, Protozoan
Genetic Complementation Test
Genetics
Haploidy
Meiosis - genetics
Microscopy, Electron
Microtubules - genetics
Microtubules - ultrastructure
Mutation
Phenotype
Suppression, Genetic
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Summary:bld2-1 mutant Chlamydomonas reinhardtii strains assemble basal bodies with singlet microtubules; bld2-1 cells display flagellar assembly defects as well as positioning defects of the mitotic spindle and cleavage furrow. To further understand the role of the BLD2 gene, we have isolated three new bld2 alleles and three partially dominant extragenic suppressors, rgn1-1, rgn1-2, and rgn1-3. bld2 rgn1-1 strains have phenotypes intermediate between those of bld2 and wild-type strains with respect to flagellar number, microtubule rootlet organization, cleavage furrow positioning, and basal body structural phenotypes. Instead of the triplet microtubules of wild-type cells, bld2 rgn1-1 basal bodies have mixtures of no, singlet, doublet, and triplet microtubules. The bld2-4 allele was made by insertional mutagenesis and identified in a noncomplementation screen in a diploid strain. The bld2-4 allele has a lethal phenotype based on mitotic segregation in diploid strains and in haploid strains generated by meiotic recombination. The lethal phenotype in haploid strains is suppressed by rgn1-1; these suppressed strains have similar phenotypes to other bld2 rgn1-1 double mutants. It is likely that BLD2 is an essential gene that is needed for basal body assembly and function.
ISSN:0016-6731
1943-2631
1943-2631
DOI:10.1093/genetics/157.1.163