Isolation of mammalian cell mutants deficient in glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase by means of a replica-plating technique.

A replica-plating technique is described which was used for the isolation of G-6-PD-deficient mutants in cultures of mutagen-treated Chinese hamster cells. Mutants were recognized by their failure to stain in a histochemical G-6-PD-specific staining reaction. Four mutants were isolated and characterized by growth properties, stability of their variant phenotypes, and reduced G-6-PD activity. One of these mutants on electrophoresis exhibited a variant G-6-PD and thus is very likely the result of a mutation in the structural gene for G-6-PD.