Question

What was Tatums and Beatles experiment with neurospora? What was the goal and what were the results of their findings?

Answer 1

Answer: The results of Edward Tatum and George Beadles experiment with Neurospora was published in 1941. This publication explains the genetic mutation in the mold Neurospora crassa. This experimental results further hypothesized as one gene-one enzyme hypothesis.

Tatums and Beadles experiment: They took wild-type Neurospora crassa mold which was able to grow in minimal medium. The haploid spores of this mold were exposed to X-ray radiations which cause mutations in these spores. The mutations were identified by growing them to different medium’s i.e. minimal and complete medium. Due to mutations, it was seen that the mutated spores are able to grow in complete medium (minimal medium + amino aids) and died in minimal medium. From these results Beadle and Tatum made an important generalization that each mutant spore need a particular supplement for growth and the synthesis of this particular supplement (either amino acid or vitamin) is interrupted by mutations then the mutant strain cannot grow in minimal medium and can be grown by the addition of these supplements in medium (complete medium). These findings suggest that most of the mutations affect the single metabolic pathway. They used a similar method to develop a series of mutants and determine which amino acid and vitamins are produced by which metabolic pathway. They found that each time when they cause mutation, this mutation affects the activity of a single type of enzyme and on the bases of these results they hypothesized the renowned one gene-one enzyme hypothesis which is still in use with some modifications and amendments. The diagrammatic representation of Tatum and Beadles experiment of is given below for easy understanding.