An unusual complementation in non-excitable mutants in Paramecium

Abstract

A non-excitable behavioural mutant, d4-662, was previously characterized as the fourth pawn locus mutant pwD in Paramecium tetraurelia. We now provide data demonstrating that d4-662 is in fact controlled by a pwB allele that has the unusual feature of complementing other pwB alleles in heterozygous F₁ progeny. Neither the cytoplasm nor the nucleoplasm of d4-662 cured the mutational defects of pwB and in the reverse combination of d4-662 and pwB, the result was the same. On the other hand, pwA, another non-excitable mutant, was cured upon cross-injection with d4-662 and mutants carrying trichocyst non-discharge marker genes were also cured. This evidence suggests that d4-662 is a new mutant belonging to pwB, and would be better designated as pwB⁶⁶². Extensive crossbreeding analyses, however, showed an unusual genetic relationship between d4-662 and pwB (pwB⁹⁵ or pwB⁹⁶). When d4-662 was crossed with pwB mutants, many progeny expressing wild-type phenotype or mixed clones of wild-type and pawn cells were obtained in the F₁. Less than 12·5% expressed the pawn phenotype. The appearance of wild-type progeny in this F₁ strongly suggests that an inter-allelic interaction between pwB⁶⁶² and other pwB alleles may occur during development of the macronucleus.