Pokyness in Neurospora

INTRODUCTION
*In 1952, Mary Mitchell isolated a mutant strain of Neurospora
that she called poky.

- Neurospora is commonly called pink/red bread mould or pink

mould. It belongs to the class Ascomycetes (sac fungi). It is used
in experimental genetics (circadian rhythms, epigenetics and
gene silencing, cell polarity, cell fusion, development) as it can
be grown easily in a definite medium in a laboratory.
Poky Neurospora is:

 Slow growing

 It shows maternal inheritance

 It has abnormal amount of cytochromes

 It is possible to cross some fungi in such a way that
one parent contributes the bulk of cytoplasm to the
progeny and this cytoplasmic contributing parent is
called female even though no true sex is involved
 Maternal inheritance for the poky phenotype was
established in the following crosses

 Poky(female) x wild type (male) → all poky

 Wild type (female) X poky (male) → all wild type

Inheritance of Kappa particles in Paramecium
In Paramecium aurelia, two strains of individuals have been
reported. Kappa particles are called either bright or non
bright depending on their appearance under light
microscope. Bright kappa particle is called as Killer' which
secretes a toxic substance' paramecin and the lighter strain
in known as sensitive' and is killed if comes in contact with
the 'paramecin'. Bright kappa contain a DNA virus, which is
essential for toxin production. The kappa is a symbiont (a)
gram negative bacterium, caedibacter )living in the
cytoplasm and not a normal component of paramecium
cells.
 In the cytoplasm of the killer strain the kappa particles
(cytoplasmic DNA) are present and are absent in
sensitive strains. The transmission of kappa particles is
through cytoplasm but maintenance of kappa particles
and production of paramecin is controlled by 'k' allele.
 The killer strains carry dominant allele 'KK or Kk' and
that sensitive 'kk’.
 Kappa particle shows Cytoplasmic transmission like
plasma genes. Generally during conjugation there is
exchange of nuclei but no Cytoplasmic exchange.
Therefore during conjugation between killer and
sensitive paramecium the sensitive cell do not receive
any kappa particles. As a result sensitive cell remain
sensitive after conjugation.
 But occasionally Cytoplasmic exchange does occur
during conjugation, in such case both the strain receive
kappa particle. But subsequent propagation of kappa
depends on the nuclear genotype of the strains. kappa
particle like other bacteria multiply through fission.
However kappa particle are able to multiply only in
animal having the genotype KK or Kk. As a
consequences they are eliminated from. such animals.
The killer animal with kk genotype ultimately become
sensitive due to loss of their kappa particles.
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