Isolation and analysis of mitochondrial inheritance mutants from Saccharomyces cerevisiae

This chapter discusses the isolation and analysis of mitochondrial inheritance mutants from saccharomyces cerevisiae. One approach to the study of mitochondrial inheritance has been the isolation and analysis of the mutants of saccharomyces cerevisiae that are defective for the transfer of mitochondria from the mother portion of the yeast cell into the developing daughter bud. This transfer begins at a very early stage in the cell division cycle, almost as soon a bud appears on a mother cell. Mutants of mitochondrial distribution and morphology (mdm mutants) were isolated by screening the collections of temperature-sensitive strains for ceils that failed to transfer mitochondria into daughter buds during incubation at the nonpermissive temperature. Genetic analysis indicated that the defects in growth and mitochondrial inheritance in many of these strains were caused by single, recessive, nuclear mutations. The subsequent isolation of novel, distinct mdm mutants suggests that many additional components mediating mitochondrial distribution remain to be identified. © 1995, Elsevier Inc.