Variation of mutation and recombination frequencies over a range of thymidylate concentrations in a diploid thymidylate auxotroph.

A diploid yeast thymidylate auxotroph was grown under conditions of thymidylate stress ranging from depletion to excess levels of the nucleotide. High concentrations of thymidylate were mutagenic and recombinagenic whereas starvation for thymine nucleotides was recombinagenic and only slightly mutagenic. These results are discussed in relation to possible mutagenic and recombinagenic mechanisms of nucleotide pool imbalances.