Chromosome instability in mutagen sensitive mutants of Neurospora

Four mutagen sensitive mutants of Neurospora (mus-7, mus-9, mus-11, and mei-2) are shown to increase mitotic chromosome instability in the duplication test developed by Newmeyer. Three other mutagen-sensitive mutants (upr-1, mus-8, and mus-10) do not increase chromosome instability. Previously three mutagen-sensitive mutants (uvs-3, uvs-6, and mei-3) were also shown to increase chromosome instability. The growth of all seven mutants that increase chromosome instability, is shown here to be more sensitive to hydroxyurea than that of wild type. Hydroxyurea, a compound which inhibits the enzyme ribonucleotide diphosphate reductase, is also shown to increase chromosome instability in the absence of any mutagen-sensitive mutation. These seven mutations are known to represent seven different genes in two epistasis groups. They have been shown previously to have four other properties in common: meiotic defects and sensitivity to gamma-rays, methyl methane sulfonate and the amino acid histidine. Their shared properties lead to the prediction here that all have reduced or altered deoxyribonucleotide pools.