Chlamydomonas reinhardtii Dangeard (Chlamydomonadales, Chlorophyceae) mutant with multiple eyespots

We have isolated a new Chlamydomonas reinhardtii Dangeard (Chlamydomonadales, Chlorophyceae) mutant with from one up to more than four eyespots cell^-1. It was designated mes (multiple eyespots)-10. A wild-type cell has a single eyespot, located under the chloroplast envelope, at a certain position near the cell's equator where the chloroplast envelope is in contact with the cell membrane. The eyespot(s) in mes-10, however, are located at various positions on its chloroplast. The mes-10 cells displayed negative phototaxis to 480-500 nm light. This behavior differed from that of a similar mutant, ptx4, which has been shown to have multiple eyespots and display no phototaxis (Pazour et al., J. Cell Biol. 1995; 131: 427-40). Mes-10 may retain a functional photoreceptor and a photosignal transduction system independently of its multiple eyespots. This mutant should be useful for studying how C. reinhardtii responds to light signals, as well as how eyespots are formed in the cell.