Adenine and pyrimidine genes of Aspergillus niger and evidence for a seventh linkage group.

Mutants of Aspergillus niger requiring adenine and one mutant requiring cytosine were isolated after low-dose mutagenesis and enrichment. In addition we had mutants of two genes involved in the pyrimidine biosynthesis isolated as 5-fluoro-orotic acid-resistant mutants. The fifteen adenine-less mutants could be placed in seven complementation groups. From each group a representative mutant was analyzed in order to determine the linkage group by analysis of the mutants in a heterozygous diploid carrying markers in six linkage groups. AdeF could not be assigned to any one of these linkage groups and proved to be linked to nicB, oliC and cnxC, none of which could be placed in a linkage group. Thus, conclusive evidence was obtained for a seventh linkage group. As pyrA was used as selection marker for transformation, we constructed a pyrA strain with a linked marker which can be used in the genetic analysis of transformations.