title: Specific contact between mating structure membranes observed in conditional fusion-defective Chlamydomonas mutants.
abstract: Mating interactions between opposite mating type gametes in Chlamydomonas reinhardi can be conditionally manipulated by the use of mutants which control different stages in this process. Two independently isolated, sex-limited mutants (expressed only in mating type (-) (mt-] gam-10 and gam-11, have been shown to display a temperature-sensitive defect in mating. Gametes of these mutants can agglutinate, signal, and participate in a specific contact between their activated mating structures and the mating structures of wild-type mt+ gametes but are unable to fuse at the restrictive temperature. Studies of these mutants have resulted in a clear demonstration of this mating type-specific interaction between activated mating structures in this organism. This contact is trypsin-sensitive and therefore appears to involve protein. Both this interaction, and the defect in mating structure fusion, can be further analysed using these mutants.
mesh_terms: D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002696:Chlamydomonas / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D003433:Crosses, Genetic; D008561:Membrane Fusion; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D009154:Mutation; D013696:Temperature; D014357:Trypsin / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D014357:Trypsin