In a cross between a petite yeast mutant and a wild- type strain, results showed half petite and half wild- type progeny. Which of these statements must be true of this petite mutation?
A) It is suppressive.
B) It replicates faster than wild type.
C) It has small deletions of mitochondrial DNA.
D) It is a neutral mitochondrial mutation.
E) It is a nuclear or segregational mutation.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The observation that half of the progeny are petite and half are wild-type suggests Mendelian inheritance, which is characteristic of nuclear genes. Therefore, the mutation causing the petite phenotype is likely to be in the nuclear DNA, not the mitochondrial DNA, and follows a segregational pattern of inheritance.

In a Cross Between a Petite Yeast Mutant and a Wild-