MAR 61964

THE UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER ;
RIVER CAMPUS STATION GC)
rocuester Ab, NEW YorkK 14627

Dr. Joshua Lederberg

Dept. cf Genetics

Stanford Univ. School of Medicine
Palo Alto, Calif.

Dear Dr. Lederberg:

At times cone reaches for a bit of information
which he assumes is handy and it is not....

In my studies seeking to understand the
genetic system of blue-green algae, ways have been sought

and one of high replication (as suggested by Gabriel, 1960) ~

2 -[ to distinguish between a system of high linkage (conventional),

or something in between. A Russian report (Federov, 1962)
noted a constant rate of cell death/ generation in two blue-
green algae, but did not describe details of the study. Perhaps
uring my coming visit there ( National Academy exchange, to
begin in May) I can find out what Federov did. Meanwhile, I
have discussed the matter with microbiologists (Allen Campbell
and Wolf Vishniac) and with Freddie Sherman, who studies yeasts.
Sherman referred me to Ogur, St. John and Ogur(1959) - a generation
death of less than 1%, but also mentioned conversations with
Dr. Seymour Lederberg tm which it was said that the explanation
might be unequal division of cytoplasmic elements.

When I locked to find something on the subject
relative to bacteria, I came up with nothing. Perhaps it is
assumed (and probably correctly) that the phenomenon can be
explained by nothing more than the production of a certain number
of lethal mutations per generation? Do you have any thoughts
or references on the matter?

With best wishes,
pe
Poy Kasra Xa
af.
OX Herman S. Forest

oe o> Research Associate

   
   

Sav od