The genomic instability of yeast cdc6-1/cdc6-1 mutants involves chromosome structure and recombination.

When diploid cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae homozygous for the temperature-sensitive cell division cycle mutation cdc6-1 are grown at a semipermissive temperature they exhibit elevated genomic instability, as indicated by enhanced mitotic gene conversion, mitotic intergenic recombination, chromosomal loss, chromosomal gain, and chromosomal rearrangements. Employing quantitative Southern analysis of chromosomes separated by transverse alternating field gel electrophoresis (TAFE), we have demonstrated that 2N-1 cells monosomic for chromosome VII, owing to the cdc6-1 defect, show slow growth and subsequently yield 2N variants that grow at a normal rate in association with restitution of disomy for chromosome VII. Analysis of TAFE gels also demonstrates that cdc6-1/cdc6-1 diploids give rise to aberrant chromosomes of novel lengths. We propose an explanation for the genomic instability induced by the cdc6-1 mutation, which suggests that hyper-recombination, chromosomal loss, chromosomal gain and chromosomal rearrangements reflect aberrant mitotic division by cdc6-1/cdc6-1 cells containing chromosomes that have not replicated fully.