Positive selection of general amino acid permease mutants in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

It was found that D-stereoisomers of natural amino acids inhibit the growth of Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells. Kinetic and genetic evidence showed that d-amino acids enter the cell by the general amino acid permease. Two classes of S. cerevisiae mutants resistant to d-amino acids were isolated. One class of mutants appeared to be defective in the general amino acid permease specified by the gene gap. In the second class, the activity of general amino acid permease was affected by ammonium ions. Mutants of the second class were isolated in a yeast strain with the general amino acid permease insensitive to the presence of ammonium ions in culture media. The mutation affecting the permease, amc, occurred in a locus unlinked to gap.