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Agravitropic mutants of the moss Ceratodon purpureus do not complement mutants having a reversed gravitropic response
Author(s) -
COVE DAVID J.,
QUATRANO RALPH S.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
plant, cell and environment
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.646
H-Index - 200
eISSN - 1365-3040
pISSN - 0140-7791
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-3040.2006.01519.x
Subject(s) - complementation , mutant , biology , wild type , phenotype , genetics , gravitropism , darkness , gene , botany , arabidopsis
New mutants of the moss Ceratodon purpureus have been isolated, which showed abnormal gravitropic responses. The apical cells of protonemal filaments of wild‐type strains respond to gravity by growing upwards and are well aligned to the gravity vector. This response only occurs in darkness. Mutants show a range of phenotypes. Some are insensitive to gravity, showing symmetrical growth, while others align to the gravity vector but orient growth downwards. A further class grows in darkness as though it were in light, showing insensitivity to gravity and continued chlorophyll synthesis. Somatic hybrids between mutants and wild‐type strains and between pairs of mutants have been selected using transgenic antibiotic resistance as selective markers. Hybrids between wild‐type strains and all of the mutants have a wild‐type phenotype, and so all mutants therefore have recessive phenotypes. Mutants comprise three complementation groups. One group has a single member, while another has three members. The third has at least 16 members and shows a complex pattern of complementation consistent with a single gene product functioning in both orientation and alignment to gravity, as well as contributing more than one subunit to the mature product.