Chloroplast genetics of chlamydomonas. I. Allelic segregation ratios.

This paper presents allelic segregation data from a series of 16 crosses segregated for nuclear and chloroplast genes. By means of pedigree analysis, segregants of chloroplast markers occurring in the zygote have been distinguished from those occurring in zoospore clones. The genes ac1, ac2, and tm1 showed little if any deviation from 1:1 either in zygotic segregation or in zoospore clones. The genes sm2, ery, and spc showed a significant excess of the allele from the mt (+) parent in zygotes. However, in zoospores, mt( +) excess was seen only when that allele was the mutant (resistant) form but not when it was wild type (sensitive).These results show that the extent of preferential segregation differs in zygotes and in zoospores, and that preferential segregation is influenced by map location and by allele specificity. A comparison of progeny from zygotes mated after 0, 15'', 30'', and 50'' UV irradiation of the mt(+) gametes demonstrated the lack of an effect of UV upon allelic segregation ratios. In total, these results exclude the multi-copy model of chloroplast genome segregation suggested by Gillham, Boynton and Lee (1974) and support the diploid model we have previously proposed (Sager and Ramanis 1968, 1970; Sager 1972).