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A method of indirect mutant selection in Physarum polycephalum using the antibiotic netropsin

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Summary

A method of indirect mutant selection, analogous to the bacterial penicillin technique, has been developed for Physarum polycephalum. The antibiotic netropsin was found to be lethal to growing but not to nongrowing (cycloheximide inhibited) myxamoebae. In reconstruction experiments, a 200 fold enrichment of cycloheximide sensitive over cycloheximide resistant cells was obtained. This technique was used to isolate temperature sensitive mutants. The mutant frequency among survivors was increased at least 40 fold by netropsin selection.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, USA

    Jessica A. Gorman & William F. Dove

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  1. Jessica A. Gorman
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  2. William F. Dove
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Communicated by G. Melchers

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Gorman, J.A., Dove, W.F. A method of indirect mutant selection in Physarum polycephalum using the antibiotic netropsin. Molec. gen. Genet. 133, 345–351 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00332710

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00332710

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