Selection and analysis of a mutantParamecium tetraurelialacking behavioural response to tetraethylammonium

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Abstract
SUMMARY: We selected a mutantParamecium tetraureliawhich does not exhibit avoiding reaction in solutions of tetraethylammonium (TEA+), a known membrane K+-channel blocker. Behavioural reaction of the mutant to Na+solutions was also weak. The rapid successions of avoiding reactions in Ba2+solutions were observed in both wild type and the TEA-insensitive mutant. Formal genetic analyses showed that this mutant is due to a recessive mutation. This mutation is on a gene completely unlinked to and hypostatic in different degrees to the genes for the membrane defects of ‘pawn A’, ‘pawn B’, ‘ts-pawn C’, ‘fast-2’ and ‘paranoiac A’.