Nuclear mutations affecting the stability of the mitochondrial genome inS. cerevisiae

Summary We have studied a pleiotropic mutationpetD inS. cerevisiae which both confers the inability to grow on glycerol (Gly^–) and greatly increases the frequency of cytoplasmic petites (Het). The first phenotype, Gly^–, is recessive, whereas the second, Het, is dominant. Genetic and biochemical analysis showed that the majority of the petites inpetD strains are not of therho° type (completely lacking mit-DNA),but of therho^– type (containing partially deleted mit-DNA). This finding and the fact that the phenotype Het is dominant argue in favour of the involvement of thepetD product in the excision process of the mit-DNA. Another nuclear mutation,mod, was shown to exhibit a dominant epistasy with respect to the Het phenotype of the mutationpetD. Two types of Gly⁺ revertants frompetD mutants were isolated:rpa revertants, which restore completely the wild-type phenotype, andrpb revertants, which restore only the growth on glycerol, but still allow the production of high frequencies of cytoplasmic petites. Thus the mutationsmod andrpb permit the genetic uncoupling of two phenotypes induced by the mutationpetD.