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Interspecies Crosses in Paramecium aurelia (Syngen 4 by Syngen 8) *
Author(s) -
HAGGARD BRUCE W.
Publication year - 1974
Publication title -
the journal of protozoology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.067
H-Index - 77
eISSN - 1550-7408
pISSN - 0022-3921
DOI - 10.1111/j.1550-7408.1974.tb03630.x
Subject(s) - paramecium aurelia , paramecium , hybrid , biology , clone (java method) , genetics , gene , botany , microbiology and biotechnology
SYNOPSIS Two syngens (biologic species) of Paramecium aurelia that appear to be closely related were crossed. Parental stocks carrying different homozygous recessive marker genes were utilized to identify true hybrids (those that had undergone cross‐fertilization followed by normal nuclear processes). From these crosses of syngens 4 and 8, 32% of the conjugants survived but only 9% (27% of the survivors) were true hybrids. All 19 viable hybrids recovered were cytoplasmically descended from the syngen 8 parent; but the viable nonhybrids were cytoplasmically descended from either of the 2 parents and with equal frequency from each. Surprisingly, the hybrids could not be infected with the symbiont kappa, even though they should have carried a K gene donated by their syngen 4 parent which is necessary and sufficient to allow infection of the syngen 4 parent stocks. The hybrids required special care to cultivate and were sterile, thus indicating that they are at an evolutionary dead end. However, one type of nonhybrid clone produced by the intersyngenic conjugants was able to produce viable progeny. It is speculated that genetic elements of the cortex and in the cytoplasm (e.g. mitochondria) could be transferred intersyngenically via this type of nonhybrid clone.