Extrachromosomal elements in a super-suppression system of yeast. III. Enhanced detection of weak suppressors in certain non-suppressed psi-strains.

Abstract

Individual colonies of an adenine-requiring strain of the genotype ade 2-1, SUPQ5, [psi minus] exhibit high and uniform frequencies of ADE+ revertants (5-1 times 10-5). The frequencies for strains of the genotypes ade 2-1, SUPQ5+, [psi+] and ade 2-1 SUPQ5+, [psi minus] are by contrast 1-2 times 10-7 and 0-5 times 10-7 respectively. Mutation from [psi minus] to [psi+] can occur. This suggests that the original mutation from [psi+] to [psi minus] is not necessarily a physical loss of, or extensive deletion, the extrachromosomal elements. Although mutation from [psi minus] to [psi+] occurs, the majority of ADE+ revertants from ade 2-1, SUPQ5, [psi minus] strains contain other types of mutation. Crosses between most ADE+ revertants and ade 2-1, SUPO5+, [psi minus] strains yield adenine-requiring diploids and tetrad segregations of 0:4, 1:3 and 2:2 ADE+ :ade minus. It is argued that most mutations give rise to weak recessive suppressors (SUPX) which are themselves incapable of suppressing the ochre allele ade 2-1, unless the allele SUPQ5 is also present. Tests with two suppressors, S-theta and S-zeta, isolated by Dr R. A. Gilmore, which are themselves incapable of suppressing ade 2-1, show that they do not do so even in the presence of SUPQ5. Thus the set of suppressors isolated by us is a special class which can perhaps only be observed in the genetic background ade 2-1, SUPQ5, [psi minus]. There is evidence that some of the new suppressors are capable, in the absence of SUPQ5, of weakly suppressing trp 5-48 and perhaps can 1-100. All ochre alleles are, however, suppressed by the combination SUPQ5, SUPX. SUPQ5 is able to suppress trp 5-48, his 5-2, lys 1-1 and can 1-100 in a [psi minus] background, although it does so variably. It is incapable of suppressing ade 2-1 in such a background. It is argued that the alteration in the [psi] determinant results in a lowered efficiency of suppression by SUPQ5 rather than a changed specificity.