Robert C. Hodson writes:
There are times in classical genetic analysis when it would be helpful to be
able to dissociate zygote clumps before spreading on germination
plates. Treatment with proteinase K does not work. Does anyone have an
idea or success in this regard?
Maybe I'm missing something about the way you want to germinate your zygotes,
but the simple answer is, don't let them clump to begin with! We spread
mating mixtures at low density, 1-3 hr after mixing gametes, onto complete
(minimal) medium. After 24 hr, plates are wrapped and left dark until
germination time. If the mating mixture is streaked along one edge of the
plate, or in a square, then tetrads can be dissected directly onto the unused
portions of the plate. If the mixture is evenly spread on the plate at an
appropriate density, then germination of a chloroformed plate results in
a plate of several hundred individual zygote colonies.
David R. Mitchell
Dept. Anatomy and Cell Biol.
SUNY Health Science Center
Syracuse, NY
MITCHELD at VAX.CS.HSCSYR.EDU
