Conjugal blocks in Tetrahymena pattern mutants and their cytoplasmic rescue

A conjugal block phenotype is described for the Tetrahymena pattern mutant, janA. janA exhibits a characteristic "janus" phenotype in which cells develop with a global mirror-image duplication of the ventral pattern of cortical organelles. janA cells are competent to form mating pairs, but later become irreversibly fused as heteropolar doublets. The few pairs that successfully dissociate fail to undergo postconjugal oral replacement and perish. The janA conjugal block is 100% penetrant, is under prezygotic macronuclear control, and is lethal. Here we characterize this conjugal block genetically and cytologically and demonstrate that it can be rescued by a transferable, wild-type product. New insights into late conjugal events, especially the replacement of the oral apparatus, are reported for wild-type cells as well.