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Molecular Basis of Inheritance
Biochemical Mutants: Prototrophs and Auxotrophs
1 question from 1 paper, each with its answer.
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Concepts tested
- Prototroph versus auxotroph
All Questions
2004 AIPMT 1 question
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A nutritionally wild type organism, which does not require any additional growth supplement is known as :-A prototroph is the nutritionally wild type organism. It can synthesise all the amino acids, vitamins and other compounds it needs from a minimal medium (a carbon source and inorganic salts), so it needs no additional growth supplement.
An auxotroph is a mutant that has lost the ability to make a particular compound (e.g. an amino acid or vitamin) and so can grow only if that compound is added to the medium. Such mutants were used by Beadle and Tatum in Neurospora.
A holotype is the single specimen on which the name of a species is based, and phenotype is the observable character of an organism.
So the organism is a prototroph.