The Dependence of the Physiological Action of a Gene on a Primer and the Relation of Primer to Gene

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The author''s previous work has shown that killer types of Paramecium aurelia are differentiated from non-killer by the presence in the former of a cytoplasmic factor, kappa, and also a dominant gene, K. A new series of expts. reveals an impermanent non-killer type which may be transformed to killer by allowing the animals to undergo autogamy. Besides KK, this new type contains [kappa], but an insufficient amt. to make the animal a killer; the amt. of [kappa] contained is somewhat proportional to duration beyond normal of the conjugation union. During subsequent vegetative fission, [kappa] may be divided unevenly so that some lines may never contain it. Other lines will gradually lose the ability to produce killers on autogamy, and once the ability is lost, it will never be recovered. However, the majority of lines remain capable of producing killers. The author favors the explanation that these results are due to the adsorption of the [kappa] factor by the K genes of the macronucleus during its development, and the liberation of [kappa] by it upon breakdown during fertilization. Further preliminary work has shown that the amt. of cytoplasmic [kappa] can be reduced by increasing the number of developing macronuclei. The author believes that the gene K is responsible for duplicating itself and whatever is combined with it, and for supplying the cyto- plasm with a product like itself which will combine there with [kappa] and then catalyze the synthesis of more [kappa].

This publication has 4 references indexed in Scilit: