Nuclear mutation increases streptomycin and spectinomycin sensitivity in Chlamydomonas

Abstract

A spontaneously arising nuclear mutation, ss-1, has been identified in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii that decreases both streptomycin and spectinomycin resistance levels about 10-fold after its introduction into all wild-type, streptomycin-resistant and spectinomycin-resistant strains examined. The mutations for resistance map to nuclear and uniparentally inherited (chloroplast) loci. In contrast, no modification of erythromycin resistance was detected after introducing ss-1 into wild-type strains or into strains carrying nuclear or uniparentally inherited erythromycin-resistance mutations. We suggest that ss-1 affects the small subunit of the chloroplast ribosome because others have shown that streptomycin and spectinomycin resistance in C. reinhardtii are associated with this subunit, whereas erythromycin resistance is associated with the large subunit. ss-1 shows no linkage with the nuclear locus for streptomycin resistance.