SELECTION OF lys2 MUTANTS OF THE YEAST SACCHAROMYCES CEREVISIAE BY THE UTILIZATION OF -AMINOADIPATE

Bharat B. Chattoo ¹, Fred Sherman ², Dalia A. Azubalis ³, Thorsten A. Fjellstedt ³, David Mehnert ³, and Maurice Ogur ³

¹ Department of Radiation Biology, University of Rochester School of Medicine, Rochester, New York 14642
² Department of Biophysics, University of Rochester School of Medicine, Rochester, New York 14642
³ Department of Microbiology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois 62901

Normal strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae do not use -aminoadipate as a principal nitrogen source. However, -aminoadipate is utilized as a nitrogen source by lys2 and lys5 strains having complete or partial deficiencies of -aminoadipate reductase and, to a limited extent, by heterozygous lys2/+ strains. Lys2 mutants were conveniently selected on media containing -aminoadipate as a nitrogen source, lysine, and other supplements to furnish other possible auxotrophic requirements. The lys2 mutations were obtained in a variety of laboratory strains containing other markers, including other lysine mutations. In addition to the predominant class of lys2 mutants, low frequencies of lys5 mutants and mutants not having any obvious lysine requirement were recovered on -aminoadipate medium. The mutants not requiring lysine appeared to have mutations at the lys2 locus that caused partial deficiencies of -aminoadipate reductase. Such partial deficiencies are believed to be sufficiently permissive to allow lysine biosynthesis, but sufficiently restrictive to allow for the utilization of -aminoadipate. Although it is unknown why partial or complete deficiencies of -aminoadipate reductase cause utilization of -aminoadipate as a principal nitrogen source, the use of -aminoadipate medium has considerable utility as a selective medium for lys2 and lys5 mutants.

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