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A mutant strain, Y,, of Euglena gracilis strain Z that is unable to produce protochlorophyUl or chlorophyl has been isolated folowing treatment The light-induced formation of chloroplasts in Euglena gracilis represents de novo synthesis ofthe several enzymes of the reductive pentose-P cycle, various components of the photosynthetic electron transport chain, chloroplast pigments (Chl a and b, carotenoids), several classes of RNA and other macromolecules, DNA (29,30), and the complex molecular architecture of the mature plastid (22,26). The control mechanisms regulating light-induced plastid differentiation are poorly understood, although several lines of investigation indicate a highly organized sequence of events (13, 19,23,25,26). In an effort to understand better the regulatory mechanisms underlying chloroplast development in Euglena, we have isolated a series of mutant strains blocked at various stages of the developmental process. We report here the characteristics of Y9ZNalL, a mutant unable to synthesize Chl. MATERIALS AND METHODSOrganism and Growth Conditions. E. gracilis var. bacillaris, strain Z, was cultured in acidic organotrophic medium (12) at 26 C. Illumination was provided by 30-w Sylvania cool-white fluorescent bulbs. The light intensity at the surface of the growth flasks was approximately 400 ft-c.

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