Circadian clock mutants of cyanobacteria.
A diverse set of circadian clock mutants was isolated in a cyanobacterial strain that carries a bacterial luciferase reporter gene attached to a clock-controlled promoter. Among 150,000 clones of chemically mutagenized bioluminescent cells, 12 mutants were isolated that exhibit a broad spectrum of periods (between 16 and 60 hours), and 5 mutants were found that show a variety of unusual patterns, including arrhythmia. These mutations appear to be clock-specific. Moreover, it was demonstrated that in this cyanobacterium it is possible to clone mutant genes by complementation, which provides a means to genetically dissect the circadian mechanism.
National Institute for Basic Biology, Okazaki, Japan.
T
T
Kondo
N F
NF
Tsinoremas
S S
SS
Golden
C H
CH
Johnson
S
S
Kutsuna
M
M
Ishiura
D002940:Circadian Rhythm / Q000235:genetics*; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D000458:Cyanobacteria / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology; D003624:Darkness; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D005816:Genetic Complementation Test; D008027:Light; D008163:Luminescent Measurements; D016296:Mutagenesis; D009154:Mutation; D013696:Temperature