Mutations affecting sexual conjugation and related processes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. I. Isolation and phenotypic characterization of nonmating mutants.

Nonmating mutants were also isolated from haploid strains of yeast of both mating types. The mutants were characterized with respect to their ability to produce and respond to specific yeast sex factors, their ability to mate at low frequencies, and the ability of the low-frequency diploids to sporulate. Loss of the ability to mate by either mating type was invariably accompanied by the loss of one or more, and in some cases, all, of the above capabilities. The results strongly indicate that the sex factors are functionally involved in the conjugation process.