Induction of Pigmentation Mutants by Treatment of Monospore Germlings with NNG in Porphyra yezoensis Ueda (Bangiales, Rhodophyta)

Monospore germilings of Porphyra yezoensis Ueda (Bangiales, Rhodophyta) were toted with NNG (N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine) to induce mutation. After the treatment were obtained spottedly variegated foliose thalli with small clusters of mutant cells of various colors. The foliose thalli were treated with sea snail gut enzyme to obtain single cells and protoplasts of different color, which were cultured and grew up to young single-color foliose thalli. The young thalli were individually cultured and they produced manospores, which grew up to foliose thalli of different color (3 reddish, 2 greenish, 1 orange and 1 golden-brownish mutants). From each of the mutant foliose thalli, carpospores were obtained to grow respective free-living conchocelis in culture. In vivo absorption spectra and pigment contents (chlorophyll a, phycoerythrin, and phycocyanin) of the mutants were compared with each other and with those of the wild type thallus.