Genetic, biochemical, and developmental studies of nystatin resistant mutants in Dictyostelium discoideum.

Conditions are given for the isolation of nystatin resistant mutants of the cellular slime mold Dictyostelium discoideum. These mutants fall into three phenotypic groups, corresponding to three genes: nysA, nysB, and nysC. Mutants in nysB and nysC affect sterol metabolism since they have altered sterol compositions. Each group contains several unique, but as yet unidentified, sterols in place of the wild type sterol. The nysC strains are most nystatin resistant, display altered sensitivity to some drugs, and grow on nystatin from amoebae or spores. All other mutants are nystatin resistant only as amoebae. Although nysC mutants grow normally, they make small fruiting bodies which appear to result from the formation of smaller aggregates.