Fine structure of the 21S ribosomal RNA region on yeast mitochondrial DNA. IV. Characterization of the omega neutral allele.

The omega locus controls the polarity of recombination and transmission of genetic markers in the 21S ribosomal RNA region in yeast mtDNA. Polarity is observed in crosses between omega+ and omega- strains. These two strains differ by the presence of an intervening sequence in the 21S ribosomal RNA gene of omega+ strains. Mutations of the omega- allele, omega neutral (omegan), can eliminate the polarity effect. We have made DNA:RNA hybrids containing ribosomal RNA from an omegan strain and mtDNA from Saccharomyces carlsbergensis (identical to omega- in the nucleotide sequence of the omega region). These hybrids contain no mismatch at the omega region detectable by digestion with S1 nuclease. We conclude that omegan differs from omega- only in a point mutation or analogous small alteration and that the omegan mutation can result either in a Cr phenotype (omeganCr) or in the phenotypic suppression of pre-existing Cr mutations (omegenCs). All results can be explained by a model which postulates interaction in the ribosome between the Cr and omegan regions of the ribosomal RNA and interference of the omegan mutation with splicing of the precursor ribosomal RNA in omega+ strains. The mechanism of omega-directed polarity is discussed.