X-ray-induced Specific Locus Mutations in the Ad-3 Region of Two-Component Heterokaryons of Neurospora Crassa

Genetic fine-structure analysis of X-ray-induced specific-locus mutants in the ad-3 region of two-component heterokaryons of Neurospora crassa has shown that gene/point mutations, multilocus deletions and multiple-locus mutations are induced. When the dose-response curves for these classes of ad-3 mutants were plotted, it was demonstrated that X-ray-induced gene/point mutations (ad-3R) increased linearly with X-ray dose and X-ray-induced multilocus deletions increased as the square of the X-ray dose. However, all classes of multiple-locus mutations, which would be expected to result from 3 to 8 hits on the basis of target theory (Lea, 1955), were found to increase as the square of the dose. Target theory assumes that the DNA of individual chromosomes is distributed randomly throughout the interphase nucleus. A model of eukaryotic interphase chromosome structure in which the DNA of individual chromosomes presents a nonrandom target to X-rays [Pinkel et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. (U.S.A.) 83 (1986), 2934-2938] provides a possible explanation for the high frequency and dose-squared induction kinetics of the multiple-locus mutants induced by X-rays in the ad-3 region.